POSTCOLONIALISM AND THE ZENDELING:

Fostering Inductive Awareness Among the Congregation of the Protestant Church in Eastern Indonesia (GPIT) in Buntu Malangka’ from the Perspective of Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak

Abstract

The presence of Christianity sometimes creates problems within the cultural sphere. Several attempts to completely eliminate culture have been found, claiming it is incompatible with Christianity. This is sometimes spearheaded by Western hegemonic interests, often accompanied by missionaries. Culture, which should serve as a bridge to building faith, is problematic when it loses its existential significance. This is precisely what Christianity faced in the Buntu Malangka' region of Mamasa when Christianity arrived. The voice of culture was silenced because members of the congregation attempted to offer criticism to revive the culture, but were drowned out by Christian motives. This is also the case for the Protestant Church of East Indonesia, which primarily operates within a regional ministry. The research method used was the Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak approach. This study found that missionary efforts to maintain Western hegemony involve using the gospel as a shield to avoid criticism and attempting to establish a paradigm that the standard of truth lies in the West. The Church and the Gospel serve as protection and legitimacy in erasing a culture that could later disrupt and even eliminate efforts to maintain hegemony itself.