REA2023 Marginalization/Discrimination & Religious Education Responses
Channel: Religious Education Association
Date: 2023-07-15

Educating Black Girls Enduring Microaggressions in an Oreo World

Gina A. S. Robinson (Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary)

The purpose of this paper is to explore reasons why experiences of microaggressions in high school necessitate a re-imagining of the sanctuary as a site for religious education and formation for suburban Black Christian girls. Through an ethnographic study, personal narratives were collected from six suburban Black Christian girls, who all attended the same African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church where I served as the youth minister. These narratives offer insight into ways microaggression encounters in suburban schools can impact the personal identity, racial identity, and spiritual formation of black adolescent girls. The black sanctuary is the context where the girls in the study felt most accepted, represented, and safe. This implies, re-imagining religious education practices with black girls is important if pastors want to cultivate formative spaces that help black youth thrive in an Oreo World.

Transformative Spiritual Practices Toward Resisting the Commodification of Asian Girls’ Bodies in K-Pop Culture

Eunjin Jeon (University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology)

This paper focuses on the commodification and objectification of Asian girls' bodies within the context of global capitalism, particularly in K-pop culture. Through the lens of theological and pedagogical understandings of the body, this paper explores the potential of spiritual practices to transform the narrative surrounding Asian girls' commodified bodies into sacred places. By engaging in transformative practical practices, Asian girls can reflect critically on their experiences and gain a deeper understanding of their dignity and agency.

Theologising with Children Who are Victims of Religious Radicalism: A Story from Indonesian Context

Justitia Vox Dei Hattu (STT Jakarta)
Magyolin Carolina Tuasuun

Some children, particularly members of The Pasundan Christian Church of Dayeuhkolot, were victims of religious radicalism. Children in this congregation have seen and experienced acts of verbal, physical, and psychological violence that affected their life. This article will look specifically at how intolerance children see and experience affects their theological understanding of God, humans, and the relationships among humans. This article argues that by listening carefully to the stories of these children, we open up a space for children to do theology based on their experiences.

Religious Education in Encountering Child Marriage

Paulus Eko Kristianto (Duta Wacana Christian University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia)

Child marriage is one social problem. It destroys children's hope and life, for example, education, health, economic, domestic violence, violence against children, mental health, identity, wrong parenting style to their children. This article is concerned with the religious education of encounters in child marriage. It is discussed from a preventive and curative perspective. Both were addressed in the scope of children, adolescents, youth, and adults. The theoretical foundation used to discuss this problem is narrative method.

Facilitated by Patricia Bonilla.