Norwegian Christian Leaders: The Term ‘Christian Values’ is Divisive and Useless

Church leaders and politicians in several countries make frequent references to Christian values as part of a rhetoric of dividing between wanted and unwanted view and practices. Hence, even more than a source for division between adherents of different faiths, religion divides adherents of the same faith when identifying the core of religion. The article presents findings from a survey and focus group interviews with five groups of Norwegian Christian leaders: church leaders, bishops and deans from the Church of Norway, as well as leaders in mission organization and diaconal foundations. The informants are generally very hospitable towards immigrants, not particularly skeptical of Islam, and highly skeptical of politicians applying the term ‘Christian values’ for protectionist purposes. While distancing themselves from the term ‘Christian values’, informants have a clear understanding of what these values encompass. These attitudes mirror the major attitudes among the so-called church-going Norwegians in the Pew report, “Being Christian in Western Europe”, having higher appreciation of both Islam and immigration than the other groups of informants. The article proceeds by explaining and contextualizing, including how the churches have promoted conviviality in diverse societies and whether the leaders are willing to act when Christianity is applied to legitimize nativism.

The Role of a Mission Organization in Building a Sustainable Government Hospital in Southern Ethiopia

In 1950, the Norwegian Lutheran Mission (NLM) began holistic mission work, including health work in Yirga Alem in Sidama in Southern Ethiopia. The hospital, which had served as a military hospital during the Italian war (1936-41), became a mission hospital. This paper presents some historical developments of a government hospital managed by a mission organization, the story of its medical work, and how the NLM functioned under varying political regimes and societal environments in Southern Ethiopia. At the same time, societal changes occurring in Norway with the weakening of mission organizations and the Norwegian government’s policy that influenced external financial support for the hospital are presented and discussed. The key message of the paper is that it is possible under challenging external politics for a mission organization to collaborate with government entities even with difficult regimes. In the area of Yirga Alem Hospital, this was done without compromising the basics of mission, but rather readjusting comparative strategies while ensuring sustainability and local ownership. The uniqueness of this work is that it explores a mission, i.e., the NLM, which developed health work within the context of a nationally owned health service. Moreover, this fruitful collaboration persists until this day and previous missionaries still work to strengthen public health programs that target such major areas as tuberculosis and HIV control, maternal health, childcare, and nutrition.

Narrative and the Politics of Identity: Patterns of the Spread and Acceptance of Radicalism and Terrorism in Indonesia

This study aims to examine Islamic narratives heard at mosques and in study groups in the greater metropolitan area of Jakarta, Indonesia. The article asks if youth and leaders of youth organizations in Jakarta are receptive to radical/terrorist discourse or if they deliberate and weigh what certain narratives mean. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 24 subjects. These included Rohani Islamic group leaders who hold extracurricular study groups after middle and high school classes, as well as Islamic Mission organizations or Lembaga Da’wah Kampus (LDK—literally translates as Campus Mission Organization; they are some senior students and may invite Islamic scholars or themselves teach Islam and preach to students who are willing to learn Islam specially only at the university as an extracurricular activity; in this article, we translate it as Islamic Mission organization.). which exist on Jakarta’s university campuses where radical narratives are discussed. Other organizations and their leaders were also included. Questions posed to members of these organizations by the authors of this article asked if they accepted, rejected, or negotiated certain ideas regarded as radical by the Indonesian government. Respondents were asked if they believed violent acts against non-reform Muslims and non-Muslims were justified. Respondents were also asked if the Indonesian constitution, Pancasila, should continue its secular democratic legal format, or if it should be replaced by sharia law. Ultimately, most informants took more moderate stances, somewhere in between pure secularism and pure radical terrorism. In this way, this study disproves scholars such as Martin van Bruinessen (2013) who claim that Indonesian Islam is becoming more conservative, and others such as Harsono who claim Indonesian Islam is becoming more violent. While violence was condoned by some respondents, this article reveals that a majority of respondents rejected the view that sharia law should prevail. Ultimately most respondents in this study decided a balanced viewpoint was the best. Thus, this article reveals the degree of moderation of most Jakarta residents, and the nuance and depth of consideration that devout individuals give to a range of contemporary ideas as they negotiate their stance on religion, the state, and their local identities.

Chinese Communist Party

The Communist Party of China (CPC) is the world’s largest political organization, with a history approaching one hundred years. Since its foundation it has been distinctly Chinese. Understanding it involves knowledge of its ideology, its political mission, organization, and narratives of history, as well as its complex and evolving internal composition. Key figures throughout the last nine decades since its foundation in 1921 have also shaped phases of its development, from the immense impact of Mao Zedong, to the elite leaders who have succeeded him. The different emphasis of these elite leaders has also supplied a means by which to understand the deep differences between the party when it was coming to power before 1949, and operated as a fugitive force, to when it became the governing party after that date. In the Maoist era up to 1976 the focus was on class struggle and the conduct of mass campaigns. These had immensely destructive outcomes. After 1976, the focus became the material enrichment and modernization of the country. The link between these separate phases is the desire to create a rich, strong, and powerful country, one that was restored to its centrality in the region and the world and would never again be subject to colonial or foreign aggression. The CPC has many different dimensions—from its narrative of its own history, to its internal language, the cultural aspects of its message, and its links to Chinese traditions and society. In many ways, therefore, studying the CPC today is studying the key events and structures that made modern China. The author would like to thank Jana Gorski for her assistance with the compilation of this bibliography.

Model Internalisasi Budaya Organisasi di Institut Pertanian Bogor

Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) is one of popular university in Indonesia, it was concern to the provided of the human resources which have good quality and competent. That’s seven values of corporate culture are academic excellent, spiritualism, persevering, teamwork, empathy, responsible, and commitment. The objectives of this research are: (1) to identification organization culture in IPB, (2) to know the application of organization culture in IPB, (3) to recommend the model of internalization organization culture. This research used by descriptive analysis and Analysis Hierarchy Process (AHP) for analyzing internalization organization’s culture in Bogor Agricultural University. According to the survey, dept interview and literary analysis, the organization culture in IPB is including in power culture, person culture, and achievement culture. The application of organization’s culture in IPB is not maximal practice yet. The barrier of organization culture did not legitimate by Academic Senator, so the program that implementation organization culture is not yet. The factors that support organization culture in IPB is support from institution and human resource in IPB. The factor most influence in organization culture internalization in IPB is leadership. The actor most influence in organization culture internalization in IPB is head of university in IPB. The most influence objectives in organization culture internalization are actualization vision and mission organization. The alternative scenario in organization culture internalization is implementation learning organization in IPB.