Editorials
Pentecostal challenge addressed in Indonesia
January 27, 2010
During his visit to Indonesia from 18 to 22 January, 2010 Bishop Martin Schindehütte, head of the EKD's department of ecumenical and international relations, met with leaders of several Protestant churches of North Sumatra at the Church Center of the Simalungun Protestant Christian Church (GKPS) in Pematang Siantar. Bishop Schindehütte described his journey as a fact finding mission. After visits to China and Thailand his trip to Indonesia was mainly designed to obtain a better understanding of the situation of the churches in Indonesia and their relationship with Islam. Church leaders insisted that the overall situation was satisfactory although congregations in various locations experienced difficulties due to the intolerance of radical Moslem groups. The closing or demolition of church buildings, which occurred occasionally, did not reflect the general climate which was in line with the official government policy of "Pancasila" which called for harmonious co-existence of the six recognized monotheistic religions.
Following the gathering with church leaders and a tree-planting ceremony on the premises of the GKPS headquarters, Bishop Schindehütte addressed students at the Theological College of the Batak Protestant Christian Church (HKBP). In his lecture entitled "Do not put out the Spirit's fire", he described the growing charismatic and Pentecostal movement as a major challenge to the so-called "historic churches" in Germany as well as in Indonesia. He called for a positive approach to the phenomenon of Pentecostal spirituality and concluded that there are "increasing chances to enter into productive dialogue with "more mature" parts of the Pentecostal churches."