The Philosophy of the Three Furnace Stones: Transformation of Service and Contextual Education Through Environmental Empowerment at GKII Alor

Abstract

This study explores how the ecological wisdom embedded in the Alorese philosophy of Tiga Batu Tungku (Three Hearthstones), a local symbol of balance among religion, tradition, and community, can inform the transformation of ministry (pelayanan) and contextual Christian education through environmental empowerment within the Gereja Kemah Injil Indonesia (GKII) in Alor Regency, East Nusa Tenggara. Using a qualitative descriptive approach, data were gathered through in-depth interviews and observation involving purposively selected informants: shepherds and workers of several GKII congregations spread across Alor’s coastal, highland, and urban areas, members of local church boards, Sunday school and youth workers, women’s fellowship members, and a community partner engaged in mangrove restoration. Data were analyzed through data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing/verification, with credibility secured through source-and-technique triangulation and member checking. The findings show that ministry and education in GKII Alor have not yet fully empowered environmental action, revealing a persistent gap between theological awareness and ecological praxis: congregations affirm the creation-care mandate of Genesis 2:15, yet its implementation remains sporadic and largely ceremonial. Interviews across congregations converge on four recurring themes: an interdependent view of humanity and nature rooted in ancestral wisdom; worsening ecological conditions; coastal abrasion, upland erosion, shrinking water debit, and declining fish and forest cover driven largely by economic necessity; emerging yet still limited church-initiated environmental programs such as tree planting, mangrove restoration, and sermons; and a shared congregational hope that the church institutionalize ecological teaching, worship, and stewardship habits. The study proposes a three-stage transformative cycle critical consciousness, collaborative action, and theological reflection as a contextual model for integrating ecotheology into GKII Alor’s liturgy, pedagogy, and social action, contributing to practical theology and offering a replicable framework for churches in ecologically vulnerable regions of eastern Indonesia.