Global Education Journal
Vol. 4 No. 2 (2026): Global Education Journal (GEJ)

Deuteronomy 31:9-13 and the Mandate of Torah Reading: Reconstructing Community-Based Faith Education in the Postmodern Era

Hartono Sinaga (Institut Agama Krristen Negeri Tarutung)



Article Info

Publish Date
02 Jul 2026

Abstract

The postmodern epistemological landscape, characterized by radical relativism, institutional skepticism, and the fragmentation of communal identity, has precipitated a profound crisis in Christian faith transmission. Traditional pedagogical models, overly reliant on didactic propositionalism or individualistic experientialism, prove increasingly inadequate in forming resilient, covenant-keeping disciples. This article turns to the Old Testament, specifically the pericope of Deuteronomy 31:9-13, as a forgotten but normative blueprint for reconstructing community-based faith education. Through a rigorous exegetical analysis of the Hebrew text—focusing on the triadic imperative to "hear" (shema), "learn" (lamad), and "fear" (yare)—this study argues that the septennial mandate of public Torah reading offers a robust theological counter-narrative to postmodern disintegration. The article reconstructs three structural pillars from the text: (1) the objective authority of the canonical corpus against relativism, (2) the inclusive, intergenerational assembly (qahal) against hyper-individualism, and (3) the cyclical liturgical rhythm against ephemeral consumerism. Conclusively, the paper proposes a practical ecclesial model that recovers the public reading of Scripture, re-engineers multi-generational spaces, and reintegrates the Christian calendar as a pedagogical tool for holistic faith formation. This reconstruction positions the Deuteronomic mandate not as an archaic relic, but as a prophetic, counter-cultural pedagogy for the contemporary church.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

gej

Publisher

Subject

Education Social Sciences Other

Description

Global Education Journal (GEJ) (P-ISSN 2987-5218|& E- ISSN 2986-6529) is a blind peer-reviewed journal published by Civiliza Publishing, Indonesia. This journal publishes research articles, conceptual articles, field study reports and book reviews on all scopes of education (See Focus and Scope). ...