achieve level 3 and 4 in curriculum integration. Without dialog and true appreciation of diversity, the undertaking of transformation in the
Christian education curriculum would be an arduous task.
5.3 Knitter
Banks Replacement
Fulfilment Mutuality
Acceptance
1.
Contributions x
2.
Additive x
3.
Transformative x
x
4.
Social Action
x x
One of the main goals of multicultural Christian education is for pupils to understand and accept differences, capable of respecting others
who are culturally and religiously different from themselves, and emphasize adaptive differences as well as help to build a cross cultural
affinity. This begs the question, how far should appreciation to those differences go to realize a cross cultural affinity? This last issue brings
us to the notion that multicultural Christian education in Indonesia is inseparable from politics. In the Dutch colonial era, diversity in
Indonesia was utilized to uphold colonial power through politics of divide and conquer. It seems to have similarly happened during the New
Order era when racial and religious groups are opposed against each other under unhealthy competitive conditions local vs non-local and
Muslims vs Christians. In order to understand these political dynamics, multicultural Christian education needs to accustom pupils to think
critically about the abuse of diversity which could lead to interracial and interreligious conflicts. It is hoped that pupils will bring about social
change with this awareness. Furthermore, a critical way of thinking is also related to what is
called connected knowing, an understanding connected to experience.
John Dewey has established the foundations of education using experience as a starting point. According to Dewey, education reflects
life experience. In line with Dewey, Banks also appreciates life experience of the pupil as a starting point in education. As a
consequence, Banks beliefs that knowledge is not neutral, objective, and universal, but constructed under assumptions, frame of thoughts, and
particular perspectives. This is where the proses of knowledge construction supports racism, gender discrimination, colonialism, and
interreligious conflict. It can be said positively that connected knowing beliefs personal experience to be the basis of knowledge Brelsford,
1999:65. The question is whether this knowledge which is connected to experience is valid. It is, in fact, this subjective knowledge which is
more meaningful in man’s life experience. Orlando Fals-Borda and Mohammad Rahman 1991:14 said, “People cannot be liberated by a
consciousness and knowledge other than their own.” There are Christians who associate multiculturalism to an attitude of
anti-religious purity, or an attitude of eliminating uniqueness of religions by rendering them all to be identical, so that truth becomes relative in
nature. This concern is actually unnecessary since it is through a true dialog that the uniqueness of each religion is venerated and they acquire
equally levelled positions. The concern of Christians is actually rooted in an attitude intending to conquer followers of other religions so that
they convert to Christianity. This narrow understanding of the mission causes a lot of Christians to feel uncomfortable with multicultural
Christian education.
5.4 Implementation of Multicultural Christian
Education
In order to carry out multicultural Christian education, I utilize the “wall” metaphor, which is behind the wall, at the wall, and beyond the
wall. Christian education behind the wall is a contextual reading and
