KASTRASI KUASA SUANGI DALAM TINJAUAN KRISTOLOGI SEBAGAI ORIENTASI PENDIDIKAN PEWARTAAN INJIL KONTEKSTUAL-METAMORFIK PADA KOSMOLOGI SUKU SERUI BERDASARKAN MATIUS 28:18

Abstract

The phenomenon of Suangi (black magic/spiritual cannibalism) within the cosmology of the Serui tribe in Papua represents a destructive reality that produces psychosomatic trauma, non-medical illnesses, and even physical death. The church often struggles to respond to this reality due to the influence of Western rationalistic theology, which neglects the dimension of the middle spirits (the flaw of the excluded middle). As a result, there emerge ambivalent countermeasures by certain ministers who employ natural media (such as specific leaves and oils) as counter-amulets, which in fact entraps congregations in a new form of syncretism (magic encounter). This qualitative ethnographic-theological study aims to deconstruct such practices and to formulate a theocentric evangelistic strategy based on the proclamation of Christ’s exousia (legal authority) in Matthew 28:18. Through in-depth interviews with Mr. Yahya Paiki as the key informant and a survivor of Suangi attacks, the field data were analyzed using Paul G. Hiebert’s Critical Contextualization framework and the corpus of Christus Victor theology. The findings reveal that effective handling of Suangi can only be achieved through a radical and holistic Christological understanding. First, the ontological completeness of Christ (Hypostatic Union and Munus Triplex) positions Jesus as the Supreme Creator, thereby placing Suangi spirits merely as rebellious creatures with limited jurisdiction. Second, the physical resurrection of Christ radically breaks thanatophobia (fear of death) by seizing the keys of death and providing eschatological assurance for the Serui people. Third, the perfect redemptive work on the cross nullifies all legal claims and accusations of evil spirits over sins and ancestral curses. Therefore, evangelism among the Serui tribe must shift from a model of proving material power (magic encounter) toward the proclamation of the completeness and supremacy of Christ’s work (power and truth encounter), manifested through the redesign of a purely Christocentric deliverance liturgy and organic communal discipleship.