THE NICENE CREED AND THE COMMON UNDERSTANDING OF CHRISTIAN FAITH (PBIK 2024): THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS ON CHURCH UNITY AND WITNESS IN INDONESIA

Abstract

The Nicene–Constantinopolitan Creed (325/381) constitutes a foundational theological confession of the Church, affirming the full divinity of Jesus Christ and articulating the doctrine of the Trinity as the basis of the unity of the people of God. In the Indonesian context, churches face new and multidimensional complexities – often described as a polycrisis – including crises of ecclesial unity, ecology, humanity, family, social life, technology, and other interconnected challenges. In response to this context, the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (Persekutuan Gereja-Gereja di Indonesia, PGI) promulgated the Pokok-Pokok Bersama Iman Kristen (PBIK) 2024 as a shared framework of Christian faith that emphasizes a renewed Trinitarian paradigm, namely the God of Communion and the Missional God, while advancing a model of Christian witness characterized as ecumenism in action. This article examines the theological relationship between the Nicene Creed and PBIK 2024. It interprets how these two confessional documents together provide a relevant theological framework for Indonesian churches in carrying out their witness within a pluralistic society. Employing a historical-theological approach and contextual analysis, this study argues that PBIK 2024 is not merely a dogmatic formulation but a praxis-oriented expression of the Church’s concrete witness within contemporary Indonesian society.