Nashotah House Theological Seminary

Reading literacy is a fundamental skill for primary school students; however, in practice, students’ reading abilities have not yet developed optimally. At SDN Wotangare 2, there are still students who experience difficulties in reading fluently, have low reading comprehension, and show inconsistent reading interest. This study aims to describe teachers’ strategies in improving students’ reading literacy at SDN Wotangare 2. The research employed a qualitative approach with a case study design. Data were collected through observation, interviews, and documentation, while data analysis was conducted through data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The results indicate that teachers’ strategies for improving reading literacy include daily reading habituation, shared reading and guided reading activities, the integration of literacy into thematic learning, and the use of simple and contextual reading materials. These strategies have a positive impact on increasing students’ reading interest, self-confidence, reading comprehension, and learning engagement. The implications of this study suggest that improving reading literacy requires consistent strategies, a supportive learning environment, and sustained active involvement of both teachers and students.

The abundance of ritual descriptions in the Gospel of Mark suggests a discourse about ritual between the narrator and early audiences of the Gospel. The prominence of the ritual of baptism at the beginning (Mark 1:9–11) and anointing at the end (16:1–8), and the recurrence of themes introduced in Jesus’s baptism at turning points in the Gospel (9:2–8; 10:38–39; 15:38–39) suggest broader ritual—and specifically baptismal—significance in the narrative. Recent changes helpfully differentiate narrative- and performance-critical interpretive approaches as text-oriented (narrative) and audience-oriented (performance), but these hermeneutical methods also work in concert. This article combines cognitive studies of narrative immersion with observations about the role of ritual in group identity formation and the impartation of religious traditions to analyze the narration of ritual acts in Mark. Giving attention to the use of internal focalization and description of bodily movements in ritual narrations, this article argues that depictions of rituals in Mark involve the audience in ways that deliver audience-oriented interpretations through text-oriented means. This analysis shows how Mark’s ritual narrations are conducive to evoking the audience’s experience of baptism, familiar to audience members as described in the undisputed Pauline epistles, the only descriptions of the rite that clearly antedate the composition of Mark. Publicly reading these narrated rituals creates an audience experience that neither requires the performance of the ritual in the context of the reading event nor an “acting out” of the ritual depicted in the narrative to create a participatory, communal experience of the text.

Tourism has an important role in enhancing the economic growth of a country. As a country with growing tourism industry, Indonesia is trying to increase foreign tourist visits by rolling out a visa-free policy. However, the visa-free policy has not yet fully provided benefits. In practice, this policy triggers the occurrence of transnational and international crimes, the rise of illegal foreign workers and the large number of foreigners who abuse their residence permits. The purpose of this research is to analyze the visa-free policy from the perspective of selective policy theory. The research method is normative legal research with a statutory approach and a conceptual approach. The results of the study show that the visa-free policy as contained in Presidential Regulation Number 21 of 2016 is not fully based on the theory of selective policy. In conclusion, the visa-free policy cannot be implemented optimally because the formulation of this policy does not represent the theory of selective policy. Consequently, the implementation of visa-free policy generates various matters that have an adverse impact on Indonesia. In order to overcome this problem, it is urgent to evaluate and improve the visa-free policy and to make this policy truly based on the theory of selective policy. Thus, the visa-free policy will be very selective in choosing and determining countries that can receive a visa-free policy.

John Behr has noticed that Irenaeus uses the terms “harmony” and “symphony” to describe both God’s action in salvation and the Church’s action in right proclamation. However, Irenaeus does a great deal more with “harmony” than this. This paper argues that Irenaeus’ discussion of harmony both corresponds to and christianizes the classical notion of harmonia along three lines: cosmological harmony, mythological harmony, and literary harmony. The paper begins by demonstrating the relationship between these three lines in classical thought, paying special attention to Plato and Quintillian. Then, it demonstrates the relationship between these three lines in Against Heresies. In a third section, it argues that Irenaeus’ use of classical harmonia christianizes the notion along all three lines.

Abstract In this paper, I argue that John Calvin's problematic grant of magisterial authority to enforce proper religious worship contradicts much of his own political theology and in fact depends upon an ambiguity in his natural law theory. I demonstrate this ambiguity by examining the differing claims in theInstitutesregarding which of the tables of the Decalogue are accessible through natural law reasoning. I also consider the significance of this ambiguity for Calvin's political theology. I then suggest a partial retrieval of Calvin's political theology which is both more compelling to many contemporary Christians and in a better alignment with much of Calvin's own political theory.

In this paper, I argue that the work of Vitoria, Soto, and Suárez presents a sustained tradition arguing that the proper end of civil law is formation in true virtue of the citizens, making citizens capable of achieving natural happiness. Although this development in virtue may prepare citizens to obtain the supernatural happiness made possible ultimately by God’s grace, it still contains its own integrity and moral importance.

In this clearly written and thoughtful book, Mary Hirschfeld draws upon her training as an economist and theologian to provide a new model by which theology can helpfully engage with economics. Spe...

Abstract Justification has a relatively minor place in Irenaeus's thought. He discusses it particularly in his polemics against Gnostic approaches to the Scriptures and to the law. Justification typically serves for Irenaeus within a broader, participatory framework of salvation. When we take these aspects into account, unexpected ecumenical possibilities open up between Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants. One of the most important lessons from Irenaeus's discussion on justification, therefore, is that justification should not be treated as an insulated doctrine. Instead, it is an aspect of participation in Christ's recapitulation and as such serves to uphold and strengthen our deifying union with God in Christ.