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Contact Name
Bhanu Viktorahadi
Contact Email
torahadi@unpar.ac.id
Phone
+6285222088088
Journal Mail Official
focus@unpar.ac.id
Editorial Address
Jl. Nias No.2, Babakan Ciamis, Kec. Sumur Bandung, Kota Bandung, Jawa Barat, Indonesia 40117
Location
Kota bandung,
Jawa barat
INDONESIA
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ISSN : 27226336     EISSN : 27233855     DOI : Prefix 10.26593
FOCUS or FOCUS: Theological Studies is an open-access journal covering multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and trans-disciplinary studies of religion in the field of theology. Theology is a field of study that examines logically the doctrines of faith in religions that are connected to the context of the problems of contemporary society in this world. This theological study, first, is transformative theology which is empirical scientific reflection. Second, it is contemporary theology that has an actual and solution role in contemporary social reality. Therefore, the focus and scope of publication of FOCUS are based on rigorous research, accountable methodologies, and new findings based on good scientific ethical standards in the disciplines of the study of religions in the field of theology.
Articles 9 Documents
Search results for , issue "Vol. 6 No. 2 (2025): Focus" : 9 Documents clear
Paradigm Menemukan Kekatolikan Baru: Telaah Pemikiran Ilia Delio tentang Teologi, Sains, dan Teknologi: Discovering a New Catholicism: A Study of Ilia Delio’s Thought on Theology, Science, and Technology Triesadi, Bernardus Andriananta Hadityo; Atawolo, Andreas Bernadinus
FOCUS Vol. 6 No. 2 (2025): Focus
Publisher : Parahyangan Catholic University

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.26593/cwcm5x96

Abstract

This study explores Ilia Delio’s thought on a new paradigm of “catholicity” within the context of dialogue between faith and science. This topic is significant because the Catholic Church is frequently challenged to reassess the relevance of its teachings amid the rapid advancement of scientific knowledge and the global ecological crisis. The research employs a qualitative method with a hermeneutic approach and literature review of Delio’s works. The main findings indicate that “catholicity” should not be understood merely as an institution or doctrinal system, but as a spiritual consciousness that unites all of creation in the love of God. The holistic dimension highlighted includes the interconnectedness of the universe, humanity, Christ, and the Church as part of a cosmic evolutionary process directed toward unity. The implications of this thought are relevant for the development of contextual theology, especially in addressing technological and ecological challenges in a more inclusive and sustainable way. This study offers added value through a systematic synthesis of Delio’s ideas and their potential application in renewing theological understandings of the identity and mission of the Catholic Church in the contemporary era.
Paradigm Menemukan Kekatolikan Baru: Telaah Pemikiran Ilia Delio tentang Teologi, Sains, dan Teknologi: Discovering a New Catholicism: A Study of Ilia Delio’s Thought on Theology, Science, and Technology Triesadi, Bernardus Andriananta Hadityo; Atawolo, Andreas Bernadinus
FOCUS Vol. 6 No. 2 (2025): Focus
Publisher : Parahyangan Catholic University

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.26593/cwcm5x96

Abstract

This study explores Ilia Delio’s thought on a new paradigm of “catholicity” within the context of dialogue between faith and science. This topic is significant because the Catholic Church is frequently challenged to reassess the relevance of its teachings amid the rapid advancement of scientific knowledge and the global ecological crisis. The research employs a qualitative method with a hermeneutic approach and literature review of Delio’s works. The main findings indicate that “catholicity” should not be understood merely as an institution or doctrinal system, but as a spiritual consciousness that unites all of creation in the love of God. The holistic dimension highlighted includes the interconnectedness of the universe, humanity, Christ, and the Church as part of a cosmic evolutionary process directed toward unity. The implications of this thought are relevant for the development of contextual theology, especially in addressing technological and ecological challenges in a more inclusive and sustainable way. This study offers added value through a systematic synthesis of Delio’s ideas and their potential application in renewing theological understandings of the identity and mission of the Catholic Church in the contemporary era.
Framing and Intermedium Practices in Islamic Apologetics: The Construction of Religious Identity and Multicultural Dynamics on Bang Zuma’s YouTube Channel Mukhroman, Iman; Miharja, Deni
FOCUS Vol. 6 No. 2 (2025): Focus
Publisher : Parahyangan Catholic University

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.26593/febw1z73

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the construction of religious identity through intermedial practices and framing strategies in Islamic apologetic content on social media. The study focuses on the Official Bang Zuma YouTube channel, which presents Islamic apologetics through a combination of audio, visual, textual, and online interaction. The research employs a qualitative content analysis method, integrating Robert Entman’s framing theory and Thierry de Duve’s intermedium approach to examine how messages are structured, transmitted, and received by audiences. The findings indicate that Bang Zuma’s apologetic content frames Islam as occupying a defensive position perceived as threatened yet theologically superior, while employing intermedial techniques to reinforce narratives and construct a virtual interpretive community. Three key results emerge: (1) framing-intermedium practices strengthen group identity boundaries and produce a model of “segregative multiculturalism”; (2) although predominantly confrontational, apologetic content leaves room for constructive dialogue through the presence of “digital mediators” among followers; and (3) the development of “multicultural digital literacy” is required to balance the polarizing potential of apologetic content. The implications highlight the importance of inclusive digital literacy strategies to strengthen social cohesion in the era of new media. The originality of this study lies in its integration of framing theory and the intermedium approach to explain how religious identity is shaped within the contemporary digital landscape and its implications for the dynamics of multiculturalism in Indonesia.
Post-Uthmanic Qur’anic Re-Canonization: A Historical Reconstruction of the Second Maṣāḥif Project during the Abbasid–Mamluk Era Akbar, Muchammad Fariz Maulana; Truna, Dody S.; Rosyad, Rifki
FOCUS Vol. 6 No. 2 (2025): Focus
Publisher : Parahyangan Catholic University

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.26593/99bsmj89

Abstract

This study aims to reconstruct the historical, philological, and ideological dynamics behind the phenomenon of post-Uthmanic Qur’anic re-canonization, known as the second maṣāḥif project. Specifically, it investigates how this process of textual reconsolidation unfolded during the Abbasid and Mamluk periods by highlighting the roles of scholars (ʿulamāʾ), political institutions, and bureaucratic mechanisms in shaping Sunni orthodoxy through the standardization of Qur’anic recitations (qirāʾāt). The study employs a qualitative-descriptive method with a historical-philological and sociological-ideological approach, based on an examination of classical maṣāḥif manuscripts (al-Dānī, Ibn Mujāhid, al-Suyūṭī) as well as secondary analyses from contemporary studies on the history of Qur’anic canonization. The findings reveal that the second maṣāḥif project represents a phase of textual and ideological consolidation marking the transition from oral to institutional authority. Ibn Mujāhid (d. 324 H/936 CE) played a central role in establishing the qirāʾāt sabʿah as the official boundary of canonical readings, supported by Abbasid political power to stabilize religious discourse and strengthen Sunni orthodoxy. The standardization of rasm Uthmānī and the elimination of non-canonical readings produced a hierarchical system of knowledge transmission, in which the qurrāʾ and ʿulamāʾ served as the exclusive mediators between the text and the Muslim community. Although this process achieved theological uniformity and ritual unity, it also resulted in dysfunctions—particularly the loss of linguistic and hermeneutical diversity within the qirāʾāt tradition. Theoretically, this study introduces the concepts of dual canonization and textual statecraft to explain the reciprocal relationship between sacred text, political authority, and the production of orthodoxy in classical Islam.
Witness of Faith: Homiletical Proposals and Evangelii Gaudium for the Homily Noning, Stanislaus Alexander; Samosir, Leonardus
FOCUS Vol. 6 No. 2 (2025): Focus
Publisher : Parahyangan Catholic University

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.26593/1may5279

Abstract

This article aims to illustrate the contributions of homiletics, including the guidance found in Evangelii Gaudium, for the formulation of a homily. Research conducted in two parishes within the Bogor Diocese reveals the dynamics observed in the field regarding the expectations of a homily and the preparation undertaken by the homilist. The findings indicate that a homily transcends mere rhetoric within the liturgy; it represents an encounter of faith between the Word of God and the congregation, mediated by the homilist. This underscores the significance of the homilist's testimony of faith; a testimony that is cultivated in a prayerful atmospher, articulated in the language of the audience, and inspires the congregation towards transformation.
Transformation of Personal Spirituality through Digital Technology: A Systematic Literature Review Philips, Gerardette
FOCUS Vol. 6 No. 2 (2025): Focus
Publisher : Parahyangan Catholic University

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.26593/30ys8216

Abstract

This study aims to analyse how the experience of “loving God” as a form of personal spirituality undergoes transformation in the digital age, in which religion and technology increasingly intersect in everyday life. The urgency of this research arises from the reality that digital media has become an integral part of religious practice, reshaping the ways individuals pray, meditate, and build communities of faith. This study employs a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of journal articles, books, dissertations, and research reports published between 2015 and 2025. The data collection process follows the PRISMA protocol, while the analysis proceeds through stages of coding, categorisation, and narrative synthesis of emergent themes. Data sources are drawn from Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and ProQuest. The analysis focuses on three key dimensions: (1) the transformation of spiritual practices, (2) the ambiguity of religious identity and authority in cyberspace, and (3) the dual role of technology as both a means of reinforcing and commodifying faith. The findings indicate that personal spirituality in the digital age is hybrid and interactive. Digital platforms facilitate broader access to prayer, meditation, and interfaith dialogue, yet simultaneously blur the boundaries of religious identity and authority. Technology strengthens faith through new forms of spiritual connectivity, while also transforming faith into a commodity shaped by algorithmic and market logics. This hybrid spirituality is characterised by continuous connectedness, negotiated religious identities, faith experiences constructed as content, and a tendency to transcend the limits of institutional traditions. The implications of this study include the strengthening of digital religious education, the development of ethical guidelines for the use of technology in spiritual contexts, and the formulation of governance policies for online religious content that respond more reflectively to contemporary dynamics of faith. The originality of this research lies in constructing a conceptual framework of hybrid spirituality, synthesising previous literature into a new analytical model that explains how technology not only mediates but also transforms the experience of loving God in the digital age.
Barzakh and the Imaginal Realm: A Phenomenology of Postmortem Experience in Sufism Haqq, Muhammad Valiyyul; Arnel, Iskandar
FOCUS Vol. 6 No. 2 (2025): Focus
Publisher : Parahyangan Catholic University

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.26593/478hr802

Abstract

This study examines the phenomenology of barzakh in the corpus of classical Sufism as a model of liminal postmortem experience and analyzes its implications for afterlife concepts in other religious traditions. The aim of this research is to explain how Sufi thinkers—particularly Ibn ‘Arabi, Suhrawardī, and al-Jīlī—understand barzakh not as a static space of waiting but as an imaginal realm with its own ontological structure, experienced through the imaginal consciousness of the human being. Employing a qualitative design grounded in narrative-phenomenological analysis, this study conducts an in-depth textual examination of Sufi works and interprets their imaginal narratives as manifestations of transformative consciousness. The findings reveal three main points. First, barzakh is conceived as an ontological imaginal reality in which the subtle body, liminal space, and postmortem forms manifest through al-khayāl al-muttaṣil as the medium of the soul’s experience. Second, barzakh functions as a moral mirror in which one’s deeds, intentions, and inner states become objectified into imaginal landscapes directly encountered by the soul, thereby dynamically shaping its postmortem existential environment. Third, the comparative analysis demonstrates structural parallels between the phenomenology of barzakh and intermediate-realm concepts in non-Islamic traditions—such as Bardo Thodol in Tibetan Buddhism and Olam Ha-Ba in Judaism—which similarly exhibit liminal experiential patterns involving transformations of consciousness, the subtle body, guidance by transcendent entities, and reflective imaginal spaces. This study contributes to the expansion of esoteric Sufi studies by employing a phenomenological approach that interprets barzakh as a structure of experience rather than merely a theological doctrine. Moreover, it offers a new hermeneutical framework for interreligious dialogue by highlighting shared patterns of transitional consciousness across afterlife traditions. The originality of this research lies in its integration of phenomenological analysis with comparative afterlife studies, demonstrating barzakh as a universal archetype of transformative human experience.
Islamic Art at the Crossroads of Modernity: Aesthetic and Spiritual Interpretations in the Works of Ahmad Sadali and A.D. Pirous in Indonesia Nazwanindya, Renatha Aisya; Haq, Mochamad Ziaul; Respati , Yacobus Ari; Napitsunargo, Henrycus
FOCUS Vol. 6 No. 2 (2025): Focus
Publisher : Parahyangan Catholic University

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.26593/pzpxe735

Abstract

This study examines how contemporary Indonesian Islamic painting functions as a medium of spiritual reflection and as an intellectual project that negotiates Islamic tradition with global modernity. Focusing on the works of Ahmad Sadali and A.D. Pirous, the study responds to an academic concern regarding the persistent fragmentation in Islamic art scholarship among aesthetic, symbolic, and philosophical approaches, as well as the limited comparative readings of Indonesian Muslim artists within the global discourse of Islamic art. Employing a qualitative approach with an interpretive-analytical research design, the study collects data through direct observation of artworks at the exhibition Seabad Sadali: Menjejak Bumi Menembus Langit at Selasar Sunaryo Art Gallery and through visits to Studio Galeri Serambi Pirous, complemented by a literature review of theoretical works and previous studies on Islamic art, abstraction, calligraphy, and visual theology. The findings demonstrate that Ahmad Sadali and A.D. Pirous represent two distinct yet complementary aesthetic strategies within modern Indonesian Islamic painting. Sadali articulates tawḥīd through a quiet and contemplative mode of symbolic abstraction, whereas Pirous advances the deconstruction of calligraphy and heightened visual intensity as a dialogical expression of spiritual anxiety and faith. Together, their works affirm that Islamic painting does not operate merely as decorative art, but functions as a practice of visual theology—a mode of Islamic thinking enacted through symbols, color, and spatial composition. The implications of this study underscore the importance of visual art as an integral part of contemporary Islamic intellectual tradition, while also opening pathways for the development of more inclusive approaches to Islamic art education, curatorial practice, and public dialogue. The originality of this research lies in its comparative reading of Sadali and Pirous as an intellectual project of Indonesian Islamic art, positioning Indonesia not as a peripheral case but as a reflective and active contributor to the global discourse on Islamic art.
The Philosophy of Obedience in War: A Clausewitzian Analysis Wibisono, Adwin
FOCUS Vol. 6 No. 2 (2025): Focus
Publisher : Parahyangan Catholic University

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.26593/k7g1pn68

Abstract

This study examines the moral limits of obedience in military ethics through a reinterpretation of Clausewitz’s On War, particularly regarding the relationship between a soldier’s compliance, the teleological purpose of war, and the moral agency of individuals within the chain of command. The research responds to concerns about the persistent strength of absolutist obedience doctrines in modern military institutions, which—across numerous historical cases such as My Lai and Abu Ghraib—have contributed to atrocities and the delegitimization of war. Using a qualitative method based on literature study and conceptual-critical analysis, this article analyzes Clausewitz’s texts, the doctrine of Auftragstaktik, historical investigation reports, and contemporary literature on military ethics, just war theory, and strategic leadership. The findings demonstrate three key points. First, Clausewitz views war as a political instrument directed toward teleological ends such as the restoration of order and the achievement of peace; therefore, obedience holds moral value only insofar as it supports these highest strategic purposes. Second, the analysis of the My Lai massacre and the abuses at Abu Ghraib confirms that blind obedience produces moral and strategic failure when orders are executed without rational judgment or ethical reflection. Third, integrating Clausewitz’s ideas with the principles of Auftragstaktik generates two new normative concepts—critical obedience and ethical disobedience—which position soldiers as responsible moral agents rather than mere executors of commands. These concepts offer an ethical foundation for modern military professionalism, particularly within the context of multidomain warfare and the complex frictions of contemporary conflict. Theoretically, this research contributes original insight to the field of military ethics by proposing a teleological framework that fills gaps in just war studies, professional military ethics, and character education for soldiers. This approach opens new pathways for developing military ethics curricula, reforming command doctrines, and establishing protective mechanisms for soldiers when confronted with erroneous or immoral orders.

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