Protestants and Catholics in Indonesia in the 20th Century

Protestants and Catholics in Indonesia in the 20th Century
Kristanto Budiprabowo (Tatok)

The ‘official’ history of Protestants and Catholics in Indonesia mostly is based on the structure of historiography of whether foreign (western) or local missionaries story. The subject of the history focused on the missionaries’ struggle to convert non-Christian indigenous people, their success and their failed, an also their effort to use many ways to get non-Christian people impression. Still, in history of Protestants and Catholics, the ‘hero’ or the most important person who successfully introduces and spreads these new religions are missionaries.

Recently, much research has been done to see history of Protestants and Catholics using various perspectives. Here are some of the alternatives to see how Protestants and Catholics convert Indonesian people. First, it is about the history of people who want to be “modernized” to the western culture. It can be sign that colonialism not only effect the anti colonialism movement but also transferred of knowledge and way of live. The coming of Christianity as a cultural intervention influences local people way of life, art, music, and live stile. However, in some cases, there is an economical reason rather than cultural reason. If we can analyze that the reason of anti-colonialism movement is economic and socio-political, this same reason can also be the strong motive why local people touch with Christianity.

Second, history of Protestants and Catholics in Indonesia is about the story of local peoples who want practice Christianity using their own culture and way of life. It is about the story of Javanese people who always seek the most useful reason to understand their local belief. From the Christian perspective it can be the effort of contextualization but from the Javanese perspective something that can organize them in more holistic life will impress them. Social cohesion using particular religion is very useful especially in order to against another group. From the case of Sadrach in central Java and Coolen in east Java we see that religious movement never stand only in the reason of theological authenticity. Behind the religious movement there are practical causes such as land owner, culturally community development, and politic.

Third, correlating with politic, it history is also full with struggle on identity, especially in the moment when many groups of Indonesian people against colonialism and anti-Dutch sentiment was spreading. In my opinion there are two reasons why the identity struggle became necessary to know the history of Christianity in Indonesia. On one side most of the Protestant denominations closely connected with their mother organization which the office is in Europe. It can give an opportunity to make political negotiation. On the other side, as an Indonesians organization they have many relationships with another religion organization in the discussion to build a nation.

These three approaches are at least can convince us that there is another ways to describe history of Protestants and Catholics in Indonesia. Orienting only to the “missionaries perspective” is not only Church-centrism but also avoid the trajectory of the real story such as the effort of the adherent in their encounter with their need to create an organization, their personal struggle with their families and neighbor, and their effort to get their right in economy, social, and political circle.