Nexus of economic teaching in religious education: a case study of Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia

Abstract

Religious education is a strong predictor of economic growth in a country. However, scholars and economists worldwide still have difficulty connecting economic education with religion. This study examines economic education taught in Islamic boarding schools (pesantren). Using qualitative descriptive methods and Ninian Smart's phenomenological approach to religious education, this article explores the nexus in two important aspects: the conception and redefinition of religious education (pesantren) towards economic development and integrating economic curriculum in religious education. This study found that pesantren can combine the ideology of the Asy'arī-Māturīdī Kasb with the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (SoE) to produce students who are not only preachers (mubaligh), but also entrepreneurs (santripreneurs). Ninian Smart's seven dimensions of Santripreneurship are important projections in the nexus design. This study fills the gap in previous masterpieces where Islamic education does not occupy a position to connect the nexus. The results of this study have theoretical implications that there is a nexus in pesantren where religious education teaches entrepreneurship, while practically, this nexus implies that students can become preachers and entrepreneurs, which we call mubalighpreneurs. This study recommends that pesantren in Indonesia, mainly, can teach valuable economics to students in the global human resource exchange competition.