Developing Eco-Theological Concepts in Indonesia

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue VI, June 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186

Developing Eco-Theological Concepts in Indonesia

Ferry Simanjuntak, Christopher Alexander, Hana Venturini, Stivani Lumbantoruan, Jeremy Mulyadi
Kharisma Theological Seminary Bandung, Indonesia
Correspondence Author*

Abstract: Humans are one of the biggest causes of environmental damage. Of course, this is contrary to what God wants as it is written in the Bible, that humans should live in harmony with nature, by protecting and managing it. For this reason, the authors raise the topic of “Developing Eco-Theological Concepts in Indonesia” to answer the need for environmental problems in Indonesia so that they can be resolved properly and to fulfill the will of God at the same time. The authors used a research method in the form of library research by using several existing literature sources to support the authors’ thoughts. The conclusion of this study is that there are three groups of people that can help develop the concept of eco-theology in Indonesia, namely (1) the general public, by returning to the Theocentric concept of the Bible; (2) educational institutions, by incorporating an ecopedagogy-based curriculum; (3) the Indonesian government, by developing and promoting research from previous researchers regarding the development of the ecogreen concept in Indonesia.

Keywords: ecology; eco-theology; ecopedagogy; ecogreen

I. INTRODUCTION

Environmental issues are a major topic to discuss by countries around the world, including Indonesia. The exploitation of nature is one of those things that is concerned by the Indonesian Government. The exploitation of nature is the act of humans in exploiting natural resources and the environment without limits for their own benefit. Forestandland fires are a form of natural exploitation that causes natural disasters. Natural disasters can occur followed by climate change. Based on the National Board for Disaster Management in Indonesia, every year, there were natural disasters including floods and landslides. In 2016, there were 2,306 natural disasters, and 2,866 incidents in 2017. On the other hand, there were 3,397 incidents in 2018, and 3,814 incidents in 2019. The number of the incidents increased in those two years. But in 2020, there were 2,952 incidents, which means the number of the incidents was decreased in that year. The similarity of these natural disasters that occur from 2016-2020 is that floods and landslides always dominate among the other natural disasters, and one of the causes of floods and landslides is forestandland fires.

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