Politics of Spirituality

Reflections of Public Theology on Interethnic Communion in Malaysia

Abstract

Interethnic communion is very much desired in the multiethnic and multireligious society of Malaysia. However, minority ethnic and religious groups experience the political climate dominated by the majority race and religion of the country as threatening. Interethnic relationships are often disturbed by tension due to the sense of insecurity among different ethnic and religious groups, which gives rise to fear and distrust. The frequent use of the politics of emotion to provoke the majority group is definitely not helpful in promoting interethnic communion. In this article, we analyze the Malaysian situation and propose a model of public theology for Malaysian Christians to engage the multiethnic society they are living in with a politics of spirituality in the everyday life of the Malaysian setting.