• We are happy to present to you this mixed edition of In God’s Image. We are happy that our calls for papers have reached far and wide. In this edition, we have some of our very own AWRC members as contributors. We also have articles from two male contributors, from a woman theologian in Germany, and a young Korean-Canadian theology student. 

Usually for a mixed edition like this one, we decide on the theme only after going through all the contributions, gleaning the common thread that runs through or connects all the articles. It seems that the common thread is that of women “Affirming, Resisting, Celebrating.” 

A number of articles speak of women standing up for their rights and affirming their inherent human dignity. Mukti Barton’s play based on the biblical story of the bent-over woman (Luke 13:10-17) describes how a woman’s inherent dignity deserves to be upheld, even if it means Jesus’ breaking down rules, especially religious rules. 

Indian Catholic priest Jeevaraj Lourdhu re-visits the writings of Pope John Paul II for his own context in Tamilnadu, highlighting the affirming teachings that the Pope had made on the dignity and rights of women in family and society. 

A chapter of Liza B. Lamis’ feminist doctoral dissertation introduces the struggles of Filipino women victims and survivors in resisting abuse in the church. This breakthrough in exposing a hush-hush topic – i.e. sexual abuse in the church – is a cause for celebration. 

Iswanti shares her critical reflection of science and technology and how women in one of the least developed places in Indonesia have been deprived of access to such resources and knowledge. 

Jennifer Chung, a second-generation Korean-Canadian attempts to reflect on her faith and the mission of the church in a post-colonial context, particularly in view of the experience of immigrants caught between two cultures – of the homeland they left behind and the new land they have embraced. 

Hanna Strack, a theologian and pastor from Germany, shares her theology of childbirth, using mostly the reflections and affirmations of midwives. Affirming women as co-creators with the Holy in this mystery of childbirth is in itself an act of celebration.

Yong Ting Jin, outgoing Coordinator of the Asian Women’s Resource Centre of Culture and Theology, shares her critical reflection on the church – as experienced reality and as a theological concept, which are in contradiction to each other. She highlights some attempts of women to come up with new or alternative ways of being church. 

Having lived in Taiwan for a number of years, David Alexander surveys the economic and socio-political challenges of the late 20th century to churches and theological education in Asia, and highlights the impact and implications of the same for women in the region.

Following the publication of the third module book, Introduction to Asian Feminist Perspectives on Religions: Toward Interfaith Dialogue, and a journal edition of In God’s Image titled “Women and Religions,” our staff in Kuala Lumpur received a feedback, which was all at once affirming, resisting and also celebrating. Another feedback was a request to make an article in that edition available on their website. 

We thank everyone for all these very important contributions to this edition of In God’s Image. This will be the last edition of IGI to be published in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. By end of June, the AWRC office in Kuala Lumpur will officially close while the new AWRC office will open in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. AWRC follows a tradition that the office will move to where the coordinator comes from. 

We’d like to express our grateful thanks to Yong Ting Jin (outgoing AWRC coordinator), Clare Law (publications assistant) and Yim Fen (accounts staff) for all their efficient work and commitment these past years. To Anna Marsiana, the incoming AWRC coordinator from Indonesia, we do not really say, “Welcome onboard” but “Let us continue the good work and strive to do even better in the years to come….”

Hope S. Antone
Publications Secretary