History of Christianity in Indonesia

Indonesia is the home of the largest single Muslim community of the world. Its Christian community, about 10% of the population, has until now received no overall description in English. Through cooperation of 26 Indonesian and European scholars, Protestants and Catholics, a broad and balanced picture is given of its 24 million Christians. This book sketches the growth of Christianity during the Portuguese period (1511-1605), it presents a fair account of developments under the Dutch colonial administration (1605-1942) and is more elaborate for the period of the Indonesian Republic (since 1945). It emphasizes the regional differences in this huge country, because most Christians live outside the main island of Java. Muslim-Christian relations, as well as the tensions between foreign missionaries and local theology, receive special attention.

This history of Indonesian Christianity is an extremely useful and well-documented reference resource which will be welcome to scholars of any discipline with a professional interest in Indonesia. - R.H. Barnes, University of Oxford in: ASEASUK News 45 (2009).

Jan Sihar Aritonang, Ph.D. (2000) in History of Christianity, Utrecht University, is Lecturer of Church History at the Theological College of Jakarta, Indonesia. He has already published a great number of books, most in Indonesian, on religious development in his country, including Mission Schools in Batakland (Indonesia), 1861-1940, Leiden: Brill. Karel Steenbrink, Ph.D. (1974) in Religious Studies, Radboud University, Nijmegen, is Professor of Intercultural Theology at Utrecht University. He has published extensively on religions in Indonesia, both Islam and Christianity, including Catholics in Indonesia, 1808-1942, A Documented History, Leiden: KITLV 2 vols, 2003-6.