Bahasa Iman di Dunia Digital: Khotbah Virtual GMIM dalam Sorotan Analisis Wacana Kritis

Abstract

Abstrak

Digital transformation has reshaped various aspects of social life, including religious practices in Indonesia. The Evangelical Christian Church in Minahasa (GMIM), as one of the largest religious institutions in North Sulawesi, has also utilized digital platforms to deliver sermons to its congregation. This study aims to examine the practice of faith language in GMIM's virtual sermons through Norman Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) approach. The main research problem addressed is how the discourse of faith is constructed in virtual sermons and how this discourse represents power relations, ideology, and identity within the context of digital society. The method employed is descriptive qualitative with data collection techniques in the form of documentation of GMIM's virtual sermon recordings broadcast via YouTube and Facebook from January to June 2025. The analysis is carried out based on Fairclough's three dimensions: text (linguistic analysis), discourse practice (production and distribution of messages), and social practice (socio-cultural context). The results of the study show that GMIM's virtual sermons not only serve as a medium for delivering religious messages but also function as a space for reproducing church ideology, affirming faith identity, and adapting to the challenges of the digital era. The use of specific lexical choices, religious metaphors, and discourse structures reflects efforts to build congregational solidarity while maintaining the authority of the church institution within an increasingly competitive digital space.

Keywords: Virtual Sermon, GMIM, Critical Discourse Analysis, Norman Fairclough, Language of Faith, Digital Era