Freek L. Bakker | Utrecht University (original) (raw)

Papers by Freek L. Bakker

Historisch Tijdschrift GKN, 2024

This article reviews the experiences of missionaries' children separated from their parents livin... more This article reviews the experiences of missionaries' children separated from their parents living on the mission field. They were sent to The Netherlands to attend Dutch secondary schools and to grow up in a Christian environment. This article analyzes how these children were affected by this early separation from their parents. Using relevant historical, comparative and theoretical research, it reviews the practice, including its rationale, the nature of the residential spaces and resistance overtime. In-depth interviews with mission children and others in the 20th century, as well as the author’s reflections as a mission child, were evaluated using quantitative, qualitative and self-reflexive methods. They show that many mission children were traumatized by this early separation from their parents, suffering from short and long-term emotional stress and depression, feeling insecure, alienated and unwanted, with difficulties in personal relationships.

Het mededogen van de vader: Een boeddhistische gelijkenis van de verloren zoon, 2024

De inhoud van dit hoofdstuk is vrijwel gelijk aan een eerder in 2020 gepubliceerd blog te vinden ... more De inhoud van dit hoofdstuk is vrijwel gelijk aan een eerder in 2020 gepubliceerd blog te vinden op de website Parabelproject onder de titel 'Een boeddhistische gelijkenis van de verloren zoon': https://parabelproject.nl/een-boeddhistische-gelijkenis-van-de-verloren-zoon/
Daarom verwijs ik naar het blog op deze website.

The contents of this chapter is almost similar to a blog published earlier in 2020 on the website Parabelproject. Its title is 'Een boeddhistische gelijkenis van de verloren zoon (A Buddhist Parable of the Prodigal Son)': https://parabelproject.nl/een-boeddhistische-gelijkenis-van-de-verloren-zoon/. For this reason I refer to this blog.

Chapter 10: Hinduism, Michelle Gonzalez Maldonado (ed.), Oxford Handbook of Caribbean Religions, 2024

Today the Caribbean counts more than half a million Hindus. Most of them live in Trinidad, but th... more Today the Caribbean counts more than half a million Hindus. Most of them live in Trinidad, but there are also many Hindus living in Guyana and Suriname. Since 1838 they succeeded in reconstructing the religion of their ancestors in their new environment. They started to perform rituals, built temples later, founded Hindu schools, and participated in the political developments of each of these three countries. They had to fight against discrimination. Currently, however, the position of the Hindus is relatively strong. In the course of this reconstruction the form of Hinduism they developed also got a special Caribbean flavor. One of its main characteristics is that it has become a congregational religion with temples fit for congregational worship, meetings, and services.

Localization and Globalization of Religions, 2023

The present article will offer an overview of the history of the Årya Sam"aj in Guyana, Suriname ... more The present article will offer an overview of the history of the
Årya Sam"aj in Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad. It will pay special
attention to the reasons why the movement gained so many adherents
in this region. Furthermore, it will heed its special contributions
to Caribbean Hinduism thus giving this form of the Hindu religion
a special flavour in this area.

Exchange, 2023

This article scrutinizes some biblical texts playing an important role in motivating missionaries... more This article scrutinizes some biblical texts playing an important role in motivating missionaries to separate from their children on a young age so that they were able to receive proper school education. The children received this schooling on a place far away and often also in another country. Thorough analysis demonstrates that the meaning of these texts was almost always different from the sense many missionaries and mission organizations extracted from them. Mirabile dictu these biblical pericopes were very seldom discussed within missiological academic literature.

Website Parabelproject, 2020

This blog compares the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32 with a Buddhist parable found... more This blog compares the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32 with a Buddhist parable found in Lotus Sutra 4. What is similar is the deep compassion of the father with his son, but the elaboration of this feeling seems to be completely different.

Het christendom en de wereldreligies: Confrontatie en dialoog, 2008

This chapter presents a history and survey of the relationship between Hinduism and Christianity.... more This chapter presents a history and survey of the relationship between Hinduism and Christianity. It starts with the strive for harmony by Kabir and Emperor Akbar. It discusses the views of these two religions of God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and the caste system. It closes with a short sketch of the relationship between these religions in Netherlands.

OSO, 2002

The impact of Javanese religion is increasing in Suriname. It presents itself as a cultural and r... more The impact of Javanese religion is increasing in Suriname. It presents itself as a cultural and religious movement which emphasizes the Javanese identity within the own Javanese community and within the variety of ethnicities in the country. It presents a new view of life. This is important within the framework of contemporary Surinamese cultural and religious developments. This article provides new information and attempts to give a new analysis of the situation of Javanism in Suriname.

Marek Lis (ed.), Cinematic Transformations of the Gospel, Opole: Wydział Teologiczny Uniwersytetu Opolskiego, p. 55-74, 2013

In 2007 a film about Jesus was released, AL-MASIH, as well as one representing Jesus' mother Mary... more In 2007 a film about Jesus was released, AL-MASIH, as well as one representing Jesus' mother Mary, MARYAM AL-MUQADASSAH. Both films presented the views of Jesus and Mary in Muslim tradition. The film representing Jesus was largely based on the gospel of Barnabas. This article attempts to present an analysis of these movies.

Dietmar Regensburger and Christian Wessely (eds.), Von Ödipus zu Eichmann: Kulturanthropologische Voraussetzungen von GewaltPublisher: Schüren Verlag, Marburg 2015, p. 363-377, 2015

It is no suprise that there is violence in many Indian films. It was there already in the first o... more It is no suprise that there is violence in many Indian films. It was there already in the first ones released in the subcontinent. Yet there is also non-violence in many Indian films. This article attempts to demonstrate that the violence in two films, RAMAYAN of Ramanand Sagar (1986-1988) and SHANTI SANDESHAM, an Indian Jesusfilm produced by P. Chandrasekhar Reddy in 2004, has a special message.

Reinhold Zwick and Peter Hasenberg (eds.), The Bible Revisited: Neue Zugänge im Film, p. 137-156, 2016

This article presents a survey of the reception of the book filmmaker Paul Verhoeven wrote under ... more This article presents a survey of the reception of the book filmmaker Paul Verhoeven wrote under the title 'Jezus van Nazareth' in the Netherlands. In this book he expounded his own view of what took place around Jesus and why he was unable to make a Jesus film. The Dutch theological journal 'Nederlands Theologisch Tijdschrift' (NTT) invited Verhoeven to write an article. The New Testament theologian Annette Merz was asked to give a reaction. This led to a fierce debate.

Christian Wessely and Theresia Heimerl (eds.), Weltentwürfe im Comic / Film: Mensch, Gesellschaft, Religion, p. 83-97., 2018

This article presents a survey of the representation of the Hindu tradition in comic films with a... more This article presents a survey of the representation of the Hindu tradition in comic films with a focus on Hanuman and the growing popularity of Hanuman in modern India.

Peter Hasenberg, Reinhold Zwick and Gerhard Larcher (eds.), Zeit BILD Theologie: Filmästhetische Erkundungen, Marburg: Schüren Verlag, p. 228-247, 2011

This article discusses the difference in presenting transcendence in Western and in Indian films.

Natalie Fritz, Marie Therese Mäder, Daria Pezzoli-Olgiati and Baldassare Scolari (eds.), Leid-Bilder: Die Passionsgeschichte in der Kultur, Religion, Film und Media, Marburg: Schüren Verlag, p. 432-446., 2018

Exchange, 2008

On September 15, 2006 the Indonesian Muslim scholar Mujiburrahman gained his PhD at the Utrecht U... more On September 15, 2006 the Indonesian Muslim scholar Mujiburrahman gained his PhD at the Utrecht University in the Netherlands. He wrote a solid study on the inter-religious relationship between Muslims and Christians in Indonesia from 1965 until 1998, although he sometimes also discusses earlier as well as later developments. Te author delineates, for example, the
Taman Siswa
movement from its start in the 1920s. And at the end of his thesis some developments after the fall of Indonesia’s president Soeharto and the end of the New Order are discussed.

Surinamese East Indian Christians in the Netherlands, in Knut A. Jacobsen and Selva J. Raj (eds.), South Asian Christian Diaspora: Invisible Diaspora in Europe and North America, Farnham: Ashgate 2008, p. 155-167., 2008

This article informs the reader about the situation of the East Indian (Hindustani) Christians in... more This article informs the reader about the situation of the East Indian (Hindustani) Christians in the Netherlands. Most of them came from the Caribbean country of Suriname. Many adhered the Moravian Brethren, others were Roman Catholic and a third group joined the Evangelical churches.

Journal of Religion, Film and Media, 2018

This article offers a close reading of Das radikal Böse (The Radical Evil, Stefan Ruzowitzky, DE/... more This article offers a close reading of Das radikal Böse (The Radical Evil, Stefan Ruzowitzky, DE/AT 2013) and The Act of Killing (Joshua Oppenheimer, GB/DK/NO 2012), films that provide access to the same topic by focusing on different facets of it. In referring to historical events distant from each other in terms of timing, geography and religious associations, these filmic works draw on very different situations and contexts. But even then, something universally human can be detected. The thinking of Zygmunt Bauman and Emmanuel Levinas assists the exploration of three scenes in which perpetrators seem to break down when they realise what they have done to women and children.

Meditation. Zeitschrift für christliche Spiritualität und Lebensgestaltung, 2015

2005 brachte die indisch-kanadische Filmregisseurin Deepa Mehta unter dem Titel WATER (Wasser) ei... more 2005 brachte die indisch-kanadische Filmregisseurin Deepa Mehta unter dem Titel WATER (Wasser) einen sehr schönen und eindrucksvollen Film heraus. Der Film spielt am Ufer des Ganges und zeigt in beeindruckenden Bildsequenzen, wie dieser breite und mächtige Fluss träge durch das Land strömt. An beiden Seiten des Flusses gibt es fruchtbare Gegenden, in denen die Bauern ihre Äcker bearbeiten. Diese Kulisse jedoch spielt im Film nur vordergründig eine Rolle. Vielmehr geht es – im wahrsten Sinne – um Leben und Tod und um die sowohl unterdrückenden wie befreienden Elemente und Vorstellungen im Hinduismus. Am Ende dieses Beitrags werden wir noch einmal auf den Film zu sprechen kommen, zuvor jedoch richten wir unsere Aufmerksamkeit auf den Ganges selbst.

The Arya Dewaker Mandir in Paramaribo: A Hindu Temple with a Message, 2015

This article gives an interpretation of the texts covering the Arya Dewaker temple of the Ārya Sa... more This article gives an interpretation of the texts covering the Arya Dewaker temple of the Ārya Samājīs in Paramaribo, the capital of the Caribbean country of Suriname. These texts reveal the convictions the constructors of this temple cherished about the meaning and function of such a house of worship. What the texts say is moreover embedded in the developments that have taken place in Caribbean Hinduism since the (East) Indians arrived in Suriname in 1873.

NTT Journal for Theology and the Study of Religion, 2010

Dit artikel bevat een analyse van de culturele interpretaties die werden gehanteerd tijdens het m... more Dit artikel bevat een analyse van de culturele interpretaties die werden gehanteerd tijdens het maken van vier Jezusfilms geproduceerd in India, Afrika en de wereld van de Afrikaans-Amerikanen in de Verenigde Staten. Daarin wordt tevens aandacht geschonken aan de wijze waarop deze films hun uiteenlopende sociale en historische contexten weerspiegelen. Het blijkt dat het concept van de interculturele theologie een goed instrument is om de Jezusfilms in hun verschillende perioden en contexten te analyseren. Om te beginnen richt deze analyse zich op de hoofdlijnen in de ontwikkeling van de Jezusfilms in het Westen. Daarbij wordt tevens aandacht geschonken aan de problemen waarmee de filmmakers werden geconfronteerd, want deze problemen oefenden ook invloed uit op de films die zij produceerden. Daarna volgt een meer gedetailleerde analyse van de Indiase Jezusfilms en de films waarin een zwarte Jezus figureert. Het artikel sluit af met een terugblik waarin zichtbaar wordt wat de niet-wes...

Historisch Tijdschrift GKN, 2024

Het mededogen van de vader: Een boeddhistische gelijkenis van de verloren zoon, 2024

Chapter 10: Hinduism, Michelle Gonzalez Maldonado (ed.), Oxford Handbook of Caribbean Religions, 2024

Localization and Globalization of Religions, 2023

Exchange, 2023

Website Parabelproject, 2020

Het christendom en de wereldreligies: Confrontatie en dialoog, 2008

OSO, 2002

Marek Lis (ed.), Cinematic Transformations of the Gospel, Opole: Wydział Teologiczny Uniwersytetu Opolskiego, p. 55-74, 2013

Dietmar Regensburger and Christian Wessely (eds.), Von Ödipus zu Eichmann: Kulturanthropologische Voraussetzungen von GewaltPublisher: Schüren Verlag, Marburg 2015, p. 363-377, 2015

Reinhold Zwick and Peter Hasenberg (eds.), The Bible Revisited: Neue Zugänge im Film, p. 137-156, 2016

Christian Wessely and Theresia Heimerl (eds.), Weltentwürfe im Comic / Film: Mensch, Gesellschaft, Religion, p. 83-97., 2018

Peter Hasenberg, Reinhold Zwick and Gerhard Larcher (eds.), Zeit BILD Theologie: Filmästhetische Erkundungen, Marburg: Schüren Verlag, p. 228-247, 2011

This article discusses the difference in presenting transcendence in Western and in Indian films.

Exchange, 2008

Journal of Religion, Film and Media, 2018

Meditation. Zeitschrift für christliche Spiritualität und Lebensgestaltung, 2015

The Arya Dewaker Mandir in Paramaribo: A Hindu Temple with a Message, 2015

NTT Journal for Theology and the Study of Religion, 2010

Hindus in the Netherlands, 2018

In the Netherlands the nature of Hinduism is different in character to that assumed in other West... more In the Netherlands the nature of Hinduism is different in character to that assumed in other Western countries, particularly Western Europe. In the United States and in Canada it is dominated by Hindus coming mostly directly from India, although there are also many native-born Hindus feeling themselves at home in this tradition. In the United Kingdom the Hindus coming from India predominate as well, although there are also many others coming from other former British colonies. The Hindus in Germany, Switzerland and Norway are mainly Tamils coming from Sri Lanka, where they fled from the civil war of the 1980s and 1990s. The Netherlands is the only Western country where the Hindustani Hindus originated from Suriname in the Caribbean predominate. This gives Dutch Hinduism a special flavor despite the presence of other much smaller groups, such as those of the Tamil Hindus, also from Sri Lanka, and of the autochthonous Hindus. The predominance of the Hindustani Hindus with their Caribbean background makes the situation in Holland of special interest. Nonetheless this study will also pay attention to the other two groups and to the inter-action between these three strands of Hinduism.

De Arya Dewaker-mandir in Paramaribo: Een hindoetempel met een boodschap, 2015

Jezus in beeld: Een studie naar zijn verschijnen op het witte doek, 2011

Dit boek geeft een overzicht van de inhoud van de belangrijkste Jezusfilms die sinds 1897 zijn ui... more Dit boek geeft een overzicht van de inhoud van de belangrijkste Jezusfilms die sinds 1897 zijn uitgebracht. Sommige daarvan hadden grote invloed, zoals 'The King of Kings' van Cecil B. DeMille, een musicalfilm als 'Godspell' of 'Jesus Christ Superstar' waarvan zelfs twee versies uitkwamen, en natuurlijk 'The Passion of the Christ' van Mel Gibson. Het boek besteedt ook aandacht aan Indiase en Afrikaanse Jezusfilms en aan een hele moderne film verschenen in 1969, 'Son of Man' van Dennis Potter.

Balinees hindoeïsme, 2001

Dit boek geeft in ongeveer honderd bladzijden een inzicht en overzicht van de religie die zich he... more Dit boek geeft in ongeveer honderd bladzijden een inzicht en overzicht van de religie die zich heeft ontwikkeld op het eiland Bali in Indonesië. Tegenwoordig heet deze religie agama Hindu Bali: Balinees hindoeïsme. Het geeft een kort overzicht van de achtergronden van de rituelen, verder enkele verhalen en een kort inzicht in de nieuwe ontwikkelingen van deze vorm van hindoeïsme. Het is heel goed te lezen als een voorbereiding op een vakantie in Bali.

Surinaams hindoeïsme: Een variant van het Caraïbisch hindoeïsme, 2004

Het boek geeft in een honderdtal bladzijden een overzicht van het hindoeïsme in Suriname. Die vor... more Het boek geeft in een honderdtal bladzijden een overzicht van het hindoeïsme in Suriname. Die vorm van hindoeïsme heeft in de negentiende eeuw geleidelijk aan wortel geschoten in dit land en daar een aantal interessante ontwikkelingen doorgemaakt waardoor het enigszins anders is geworden dat het Indiase hindoeïsme dat daarvan de oorsprong vormt. Het boek vertelt over het traditionele hindoeïsme van de Sanatan Dharm, over de Arya samaj, maar ook over de eredienst voor de godin Kali. In een laatste hoofdstuk vertelt het iets over de ontwikkelingen in Nederland.

International Journal of Latin American Religions, 2024

Book Review: Pim Valkenberg et al. (eds.), A Companion to Comparative Theology, Brill's Companions to Modern Theology 2, 2024

This book, published in 2022, gives an extensive survey of the field of Comparative Theology. It ... more This book, published in 2022, gives an extensive survey of the field of Comparative Theology. It comprises 31 chapters written by 32 authors. The majority consists of scholars living and working in the United States; six contributors live and work in Europe. The volume consists of seven subsections with the following titles: 'Comparative Theology before 1985' , 'Judaism' , 'Islam' , 'Hinduism' , 'Buddhism' , 'Chinese Religion' , and 'New Perspectives in Comparative Theology'. The fact that it does not include a subsection entitled 'Christianity' reveals that the book is written from a Christian theological perspective.

Book review: Andrew Lane, The Jephthah Inheritance: Reflections on the Sacrifice of the Church's Children on the Altar of Evangelism, Oxford: Regnum Books 2023, 2023

Andrew Lane is a mission kid, the eldest of three children of Christian missionaries working in A... more Andrew Lane is a mission kid, the eldest of three children of Christian missionaries working in Asia. His parents came from the United Kingdom and had a call to bring the message of the good news through Jesus Christ to the unreached eight thousand miles from their British home. His book presents a thourough analysis of the life and traumas of missionaries' children sent to boarding schools at a very young age. He also discusses the theologies and other argumentations given by missiologists and mission organizations to motivate the missionaries to separate from their children. It is a book with a hard message but consolating for many mission kids.

Exchange, 2011

This is a book review of Marianne Moyaert's 'Fragile Identities'. This book is important as it ca... more This is a book review of Marianne Moyaert's 'Fragile Identities'. This book is important as it can function as a philosophical underpinning of the type of comparative theology developend by Francis X. Clooney S.J. and his friends.