It is a misconception to identify modernity with secularization. When modernity simply creates the potential platform for secularization. On the one hand, modernity lessens the influence of piety to a minimum, and on the other hand, it restores piety and even modernizes piety without secularization. This essay focuses on telling the story of modernity in attempting to build a knowledge of God through the lens of piety. It centers on the work of two modern theologians: John Wesley and Friedrich Schleiermacher. The juxtaposition of Wesley and Schleiermacher is not without reason. Both of them are strongly influenced by the Moravian Brethren, which heavily emphasized a pietistic element in their community. This essay, however, will not explain the teaching of Moravian Brethren other than presenting their pietistic emphasis that was retained in Wesley and Schleiermacher's works. This essay argues that Schleiermacher's notion of a feeling of absolute dependence' fills the rational gap of Wesleyan pietistic concept. It also discusses how the 'Evangelical Revival/First Great Awakening' and 'Romanticism' shaped Wesley and Schleiermacher, respectively, as they formulated their concept of piety. This essay is structured as follows. First, it presents the Evangelical Revival/First Great Awakening as the historical backdrop of Wesley's thought and continues with exhibiting Wesley's concept of piety. Then, the essay describes the Romantic era and Schleiermacher's idea of piety.

This article argues that the Tower of Babel's narrative (Gen 11:1-9) serves as a counter narrative against the universalisation of language, territory and peoplehood identity. In addition, it perfectly fits the politics of Israelite identity formation throughout the book of Genesis. The argument is anchored as follows: Firstly, the article surveys the earlier interpretations of scholars. Secondly, it examines the Tower of Babel narrative as a subversive narration for identity formation by analysing the interaction of language, territory and identity in the narrative. Lastly, Gen 11:1 -11 text is read within the larger narrative in the book of Genesis utilising the concept of centripetal and centrifugal forces proposed by Mikhail Bakhtin. In so doing, this article shows that the Tower of Babel narrative employs such a force to subvert the imperial propaganda of unification and advances its own agenda of identity politics.

In this article, I aim to read Onan’s action in Gen 38 not simply as an act of transgression but also as a form of resistance to oppressive structures. I will demonstrate that Onan is resisting the dominating structure of levirate marriage that was strongly connected with patriarchy, heteronormativity, and hegemonic masculinity. To support this argument, I divide this article into three parts. First, I revisit the earlier interpretations of Onan’s narrative. Then, I explain Onan’s situational context and discuss the possibility of reading his narrative through the postcolonial, queer, and gender-critical lenses. Finally, I conclude that Onan’s action is an act of resistance toward oppressing systems of culture and that his act takes into account Tamar’s interest in achieving proper livelihood.

Suffering is an integral part of the status of a believer because the condition of following Christ is the Cross and leaving something, so suffering is the most important part of Christian teaching. Suffering is a fact that exists in every life in life without limits both believers and non-believers, but suffering for believers has a different meaning. The method used in this paper is a theological method with biblical theology studies. In I Peter 4: 13-29 the meaning of suffering for believers is explained, namely: first, as a test of faith to develop perseverance in the believer so that faith becomes stronger after going through purification and producing perseverance and the maturity of faith. Second, suffering for believers aims to glorify God, because through suffering and how to respond by staying grateful and joyful the Spirit of glory is in the believer. Third, suffering is God's will, because God is sovereign over all things and sustains all things with His powerful Word. In this study, the author examines and analyzes suffering for believers in terms of the theological meaning of suffering by exposing the text of I Peter 4: 13-27.