Esther’s Stand Against Injustice: Theology for Women’s Political Participation in Indonesia

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46445/ejti.v9i2.954

Keywords:

dare to contest, Esther, exemplary, injustice, theology politics

Abstract

This article is designed with the aim of tracing Esther's example in suing for justice in the face of power. Queen Esther's courage in the Book of Esther, especially her action against King Ahasuerus without an invitation, is a representation of courage against potential injustice. Queen Esther's courage was not blind courage but courage with wise strategy. This study looks at how Esther's actions have affected modern leadership and how courage and wisdom can serve as examples for Christian communities and leaders today. This study can inspire modern leadership to dare to declare an injustice lawsuit against the rulers. The research uses the method of religious research to respond to the injustice in the face of power that threatened the Jewish nation under the rule of King Ahasuerus. The results of this study show that fighting injustice must be accompanied by a wise strategy and trust in God's providence for the Jewish nation by returning to moral principles and values. This research contributes in the form of a theological reflection for Christian women to emulate Esther in facing injustice in Indonesia.

References

Berlin, A. (2001). The JPS Bible Commentary: Esther: the Traditional Hebrew Text with the New JPS Translation. Jewish Publication Society.

Brenner-Idan, A. (1995). Feminist Companion to Esther, Judith and Susanna. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Brueggemann, W. (2014). Reality, grief, hope: Three urgent prophetic tasks. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing.

Brueggemann, W. (2020). Truth and hope: essays for a perilous age. Westminster John Knox Press.

Budiatmaja, R., Lamsir, S., & Atmaja, K. L. (2025). Feminist Theology Linguistics In The Practical Involvement Of Politics And The Leadership Style Of Christian Women. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(1), 179–191. https://acad-pubs.com/index.php/FLS/article/view/339

Clines, D. J. A. (1984). Esther Scroll: The Story of the Story. A&C Black.

Ernawaty, F. S., Sutikto, & Nelly. (2023). Kajian Teologis-Praktis Tentang Doa Puasa Menurut Kitab Ester 4:1-17 Dan Implikasinya Bagi Orang Percaya. Phronesis: Jurnal Teologi Dan Misi, 6(2), 260–272. https://doi.org/10.47457/phr.v6i2.414

Kadriyah, S. M. (2023). Women’s Representation and Accessibility in Indonesian Politics: A Study of Jakarta Regional People’s Representative Council. Jurnal Politik, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.7454/jp.v9i2.1154

Kriswanto, A. (2020). Melampaui Eksegesis dan Eisegesis: Tinjauan Kritis terhadap Hermeneutika Teologi Pembebasan. IMMANUEL: Jurnal Teologi Dan Pendidikan Kristen, 1(2), 52–62. https://doi.org/10.46305/im.v1i2.10

Lerrick, M. (2015). Nuansa Teologis Dalam Kitab Ester. https://www.academia.edu/30641356/NUANSA_TEOLOGIS_DALAM_KITAB_ESTER

Levenson, J. D. (1997). Esther: a commentary. Westminster John Knox Press.

McDonald, K. (2019). The Foundation of Self: A Biblical Context of Leadership Development. Journal of Biblical Perspectives in Leadership, 9(1). https://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/jbpl/vol9no1/Vol9Iss1_JBPL_1_McDonald.pdf

Mulvey, K. L., Hope, E. C., & Vezzali, L. (2023). Editorial: Challenging injustice: Understanding upstanding, civic action, and bystander intervention to promote justice. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 33(2), 181–185. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2692

Nendissa, J. E., Manoppo, F. K., & Mongkau, D. E. (2024). Tersembunyi tapi Nyata. KARDIA: Jurnal Teologi Dan Pendidikan Kristiani, 2(2), 71–82. https://doi.org/10.69932/kardia.v2i2.27

Newman, E. (2021). Where in the world is God? On finding the Divine in Esther. Review & Expositor, 118(2), 180–191.

Nugroho, R. Y. (2024). Perempuan, Politik, dan Teologi Publik: Menafsir Ulang Panggilan Iman di Tengah Kuasa. Kanisius.

Schofield, J. (2024). Social Injustice. In Wicked Problems for Archaeologists (pp. 182–220). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780192844880.003.0006

Setiawan, A., & Abraham, J. E. (2024). Building Christian Leadership According to the Book of Esther Based on Mordecai’s Inspirational Mentor Model in Esther. KINAA: Jurnal Kepemimpinan Kristen Dan Pemberdayaan Jemaat, 5(1), 18–30. https://doi.org/10.34307/kinaa.v5i1.166

Singgih, E. G. (2021). Dekonstruksi dan Rekonstruksi Teks-teks Kekerasan dalam Perjanjian Lama: Sebuah Sumbangan bagi Pendidikan Agama Kristiani yang Anti Kekerasan. In B. Melmambessy, Y. K. Labobar, D. S. Siahaan, & Y. G. Malatuny (Eds.), Dialektika Pendidikan dan Agama di Era Kontemporer. Penerbit Litera.

Sokolov, A. V. (2023). Library collection studies within the system of knowledge. Scientific and Technical Libraries, 2, 160–171. https://doi.org/10.33186/1027-3689-2023-2-160-171

Tansul, T. (2023). Kritik Rasial dalam Proposisi Ester 4:4-17 sebagai Diasporic Novella. Jurnal Teruna Bhakti, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.47131/jtb.v6i1.73

Toynbee, A. (2014). Sejarah umat manusia : uraian analitis, kronologis, naratif, dan komparatif. Pustaka Pelajar.

Whittington, J. (2015). Biblical Perspectives on Leadership and Organization. Palgrave Macmillan New York.

Yanti, M. E. (2023). Polemik Kritik Wasti terhadap Dominasi Patriakhal dalam Ester 1:9-12. Jurnal EFATA: Jurnal Teologi Dan Pelayanan, 9(2), 65–78. https://doi.org/10.47543/efata.v9i2.100

Zaluchu, S. E. (2020). Strategi Penelitian Kualitatif dan Kuantitatif Di Dalam Penelitian Agama. Evangelikal: Jurnal Teologi Injili Dan Pembinaan Warga Jemaat, 4(1), 28–38. https://doi.org/10.46445/ejti.v4i1.167

Zaluchu, S. E., Waruwu, N. J., & Gulo, E. K. (2020). Pengharapan Mesianik Di Dalam Kitab Ester Melalui Pendekatan Teologis-Akrostik-Plot. VOX DEI: Jurnal Teologi Dan Pastoral, 1(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.46408/vxd.v1i1.4

Downloads

Published

2025-09-23

How to Cite

Halawa, I. K., Purwonugroho, D. P., & Adi, D. Y. (2025). Esther’s Stand Against Injustice: Theology for Women’s Political Participation in Indonesia. Evangelikal: Jurnal Teologi Injili Dan Pembinaan Warga Jemaat, 9(2), 209–227. https://doi.org/10.46445/ejti.v9i2.954

Issue

Section

Article