From the Reformed Quarterly Spring 1988 Bulletin.
Indonesia — the largest Muslim country in the world. Does that surprise you? Although the Arab countries are ninety-nine percent Muslim, their populations are a great deal smaller than Indonesia’s 175 million (the fifth largest country in the world).
Out of those millions, Christianity and other religions account for only about eighteen percent of the population; the rest are Muslims. In some of the over 13,500 islands which make up Indonesia, several heavy pockets of Christianity can be found; but some areas, like the island of Sumatra, are virtually untouched by the gospel. Moreover, although the evangelical witness is growing (as evidenced by the students in this article), many of Indonesia’s churches are only nominally Christian.
This evangelical witness is now being threatened by government attempts to drive out some of the 1500 missionaries currently in the country. A recent law has stamped “Final Passport” for those who have been in Indonesia for more than ten years. Meanwhile, it is difficult for missionaries even to enter Indonesia; some 60 are waiting for visas now.
The reason for such action lies in the country’s fragile political structure. Three factions exist in Indonesia: the government party (Muslims who run the country as a secular state); the Muslim party (Muslims who would like to run the country as an Islamic state); and the Christians. The government party in control tries to strike a precarious balance between Christianity and the Muslim party, giving each a little freedom to grow, but never allowing either to achieve much power. It is the Muslims now who are pressuring government officials, complaining that the missionaries are causing too much Christian growth and their number must be pruned.
If the current policy continues, the missionary population will continue to deteriorate. In that case, the evangelization of Indonesia could well depend upon students like Budi and Mary — those willing to sacrifice for a quality education outside Indonesia in order to help those trapped in the darkness within Indonesia.
If you would like to know more about the status of Christian missions in countries around the world, consult David Barrett’s “World Christian Encyclopedia (1982, Oxford University Press, New York).