Dear Cross Point Readers,

As we enter the second quarter of 2008, we proudly present to you Cross Point April 2008 edition. Please follow the following link to access our online edition: www.fica.org/crosspoint

Cross Point Publication is an effort initialized in January 2005 by FICA-CSS to provide an avenue to disseminate ideas, reflections, and researches on different aspects of Indonesia’s public sphere. Our hope is to help influence and empower the Indonesian Christians to actively engage in the culture.

In our fourteenth publication thus far since January 2005, we have continued to receive supports from numerous great writers, who have spent a considerable amount of time in research to help address hard issues faced by our fellow brothers and sisters in Indonesia every single day. For the support from our writers and constructive feedback provided by our reviewers, on behalf of FICA-CSS, I would like to extend our gratitude for your contribution. I also want to thank Anna Saputera for sharing with me the joy and privilege of ministering Him through Cross Point.

This edition will feature three articles, two sequential perspectives, and two interviews. The first article entitled “Revisiting our Perception of the Digital Divide Issue” is written by Yahya Cahyadi. Yahya provides an overview of current state of digital divide experienced in Indonesia, its impact, and how we should improve the current situation. On the same note, Haryadi Gunawi shares with us his thought on how Indonesia can seize the opportunities presented to us in this highly-competitive globalization era. In his article “Kesempatan dalam Kompetisi”, Haryadi believes that it is imperative to have a strike of balance between the culture of meritocracy and sense of belonging or so-called nationalism. In the third article, “Education for Sale”, Setra Yappi, through an extensive research and interviews with Indonesian academicians and practitioners, depicts Indonesian educational landscape, where schooling is considered a highly profitable business venture that may possibly stifle creativity and innovation of the students.

In the Perspective section, Rinto Dasuki commences his first piece in a four-part series of “Work Ethics and Professionalism”. In this part, he focuses on understanding intrinsic values of work, through Biblical point-of-view, in relation to family, church, and society. Kie Eng Go continues his series with the second part of “Created in the Image of God” by exploring a lack of understanding and sensitivity to human rights as a reflection of a broken theology in Indonesian churches.

In the third section, we have a script of interview with Indayani Moeljo by Anna Saputera surrounding general work ethics in Indonesia and a script of interview with Albert Suryo Sarman, a social worker and a researcher in the area of human rights, poverty, and pluralism especially in rural areas, by Eden Steven and Yenny Chandra.

Lastly, we would like to invite our readers to submit your writings or provide suggestions to improve Cross Point Publication, by contacting us at crosspoint@fica.org. The next edition will be published in July 2008.

In Him,

Nathanael Sutanto
Cross Point Editor