Kyai Ibrahim Tunggul Wulung and the Liberative Motive in Syncretism

Abstract Syncretism is a significant concept in religious and theological discourse, that used to describe the blending of two seemingly opposing paradigms. Rooted in Greek philosophical thought, it has two motives, either a religious survival strategy or a form of contextualization. However, the legacy of colonialism and racial ideologies that promote nationalistic and purity-based frameworks have rendered syncretism pejorative in many Christian theological contexts. In response, scholars and theologians have often adopted alternative terms such as “hybridity” or “double belonging.” In this article, I seek to reclaim the importance of syncretism by drawing on vernacular religious practices and arguing that these two motives are insufficient. Through the life and ministry of Kyai Ibrahim Tunggul Wulung (1800–1885), a Javanese mystic and evangelist, I propose the third motive: liberation. For marginalized communities facing interlocking forms of oppression, syncretism becomes a means of reclaiming religious agency and resisting hegemonic theo-political paradigms.