The republic of Indonesia is a country of cultural diversity and natural wealth. Indonesia is home to both the largest Muslim population of any country in the world and the largest church in South-East Asia.

Population

  • Population: 245.5 million [UK: 60.6 million]
  • Density: 134 per square km [UK: 250 per square km]

[Statistics: CIA World Factbook, 2006]

Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populous nation. Three-fifths of the population live on the main island, Java, which is roughly the size of England. Its population density is 951 per square kilometre, making Java the world’s most populous island.

Religion

  • Muslim 80.3%
  • Christian 16%
  • Hindu 1.9%
  • Animist 1%
  • Chinese religions 0.5%
  • Buddhist 0.3%

[Statistics: Operation World, 2001]

Most areas are predominantly Muslim, a few areas are predominantly Christian and the island of Bali is predominantly Hindu. Although there are many strict Muslims in the country, for the average Indonesian, religion is built on top of a deeper spirituality involving ethnic tradition, animism, cultural taboos and ancient legend. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Constitution.

Language

The national language is Indonesian [Bahasa Indonesia], which developed from the Malay trade language. However there are 726 different local languages* and most Indonesians are bilingual or trilingual. English is taught in all schools. *[SIL/PJRN]

Geography

Indonesia is known for its natural history and topography. It contains more volcanoes than any other country and most of these are still active. The island chain created by these volcanoes connects the continents of Asia and Australasia and is the world’s largest archipelago: over 17,000 islands stretching 3200 miles along the equator. Nutrient-rich volcanic soils make them the world’s most fertile islands. 6000 are inhabited.

Indonesia is the most bio-diverse nation on earth. Flora and fauna at its western end reflects Asian types (monkeys, tigers, elephants and giant hardwoods) while that at its eastern end reflects Australasian types (flightless birds, tree kangaroos and eucalyptus trees). In addition, the peoples of the western end reflect Asian-Malay characteristics whilst those at the eastern (Pacific) end reflect Aboriginal characteristics. Indonesia separates the Pacific and Indian Oceans and the Indonesian shelf is rich in coral and marine life.

Climate

Indonesia’s climate is tropical, with a wet season and a dry season. Average temperatures are 23-30°C, varying little from month to month. Humidity averages 80 per cent.

History

In the seventh and eighth centuries Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms ruled in Java, Bali and Sumatra and had a profound influence on Indonesian life and values. From the 13th century Islamic influence in Indonesia blossomed as many of Indonesia’s ports became trading centres for Muslim traders.

In the 16th century Portuguese traders, along with English and Dutch adventurers, arrived seeking spices. In the 17th century, the Dutch became dominant and began to expand their control over the islands. Eventually the Dutch government took over from the Dutch East India Company and made the islands a Dutch colonial territory. Western liberal values entered Indonesian culture through this experience. During these years the influence of Islam grew as a rallying ideology against Dutch exploitation. The Chinese trading community prospered as the middlemen between the Western rulers and the indigenous peoples.

In 1942 the Japanese ‘liberated’ Indonesia. Two days after the Japanese surrender at the end of the Second World War, Soekarno and Hatta declared the independence of the Republic of Indonesia. Soekarno became the first president. The Indonesian ‘1945 Constitution’ is based on a set of five principles called Pancasila. It is taught in all schools and universities as the foundation for national, religious and social life. The national motto is ‘Unity in Diversity’.

By the 1960s, inflation had spiralled out of control and there were food shortages. After a failed Communist coup in 1965 Soekarno was displaced. General Suharto became the second president. Under him, Indonesia prospered and developed but there was also corruption and oppression. Following the East Asian economic downturn of the late 1990s and under intense popular pressure, Suharto resigned. His vice-president, Habibie, became Indonesia’s third president in 1998 and sought to move the country towards democracy. In 1999, Habibie authorised a referendum in East Timor. Its overwhelming vote for independence was reluctantly accepted by Indonesia. The army destroyed much of the infrastructure before leaving.

Indonesia’s first genuine democratic elections were held in 1999. Over the next two years the presidency moved from Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) to Megawati Soekarnoputri. In 2005 Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was elected president in Indonesia’s first direct presidential elections.

These have also been years of social upheaval. Over 500 churches have been burned down and many more have been closed. There has been inter-communal fighting between Muslim and Christian groups in Maluku and Central Sulawesi. Frequently conflicts have been initiated by outside ‘jihad’ warriors demanding that the local Muslim communities take control of mixed or Christian land areas. The Bali bombings have led to a government clampdown on the activities of these jihad groups, to the relief of local minority peoples.

The provinces of Papua and Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam have battled for independence. The earthquake and tsunami on 26 December 2004 checked the long-running war in Aceh, where over 230,000 people died. Relief agencies (foreign, national, Christian and non-Christian) are now active in the community.

Christianity in Indonesia

The Portuguese brought Roman Catholicism to Indonesia in the 16th century and Dutch traders brought Protestant Christianity in the 17th century. There was some missionary effort and the Dutch Bible Society translated the Bible into Malay. However, the Dutch were primarily interested in the economic exploitation of Indonesia and forbade all missionary work among Muslim peoples until 1855.

In the 19th century, the evangelical movement in Europe mobilised new missionaries to Indonesia. Whole ethnic groups turned to Christ from their traditional religions. Nowhere else in the world has so large a Christian community been established in the midst of Islam. So far, however, the Church has had little impact on the many Islamic ethnic groups.

In the mid-20th century, Japanese ‘liberation’ led the churches to independence and thus a recognised place in the national’s affairs. Revival came to some places in the 1960s and 1970s, when tens of thousands of people joined the churches, including many from Muslim backgrounds.

In the early 1950s, members of the China Inland Mission (now OMF) who had to leave China made contact with Chinese-speaking churches in Kalimantan. Links were then made with established Indonesian churches. They invited OMF to help encourage and teach their members and to mobilise them for evangelism.

Today there remain over 100 distinct ethnic groups without the gospel in Indonesia.

OMF’s priorities

  • Breaking down cultural barriers to the gospel among the unreached people groups through cultural immersion and genuine love.
  • Evangelising, discipling and passing on a missionary vision to the nominal Christian population, particularly amongst university and theological students.
  • Equipping future church leaders with a mission-centred theology and a heart for the unreached peoples of Indonesia.
  • Demonstrating God’s love to the disadvantaged through crisis relief, children’s ministries and enterprise development.

Opportunities

  • University lecturing
  • Teaching English
  • Theological lecturing
  • Education in the health services
  • Secular business openings
  • Social work
  • Literature and media work

October 2006