A History of Christianity in Indonesia

Aritonang (Theological College of Jakarta, Indonesia) and Steenbrink (intercultural theology, Utrecht U., the Netherlands) present 21 chapters intended to collectively provide an encyclopedic survey of the history of Christianity in Indonesia from the precolonial period through 2005. The volume has been put together with the intention of highlighting the diversity of the Indonesian Christian experience, both in terms of regional differences and in terms of the three major streams of Christianity: the classical Reformed and Lutheran traditions, the newer Evangelical and Pentecostal Churches, and the Catholic Church. Institutional developments take center stage, but spiritual, moral, and theological issues also receive treatment. The bulk of the volume is comprised of regional studies, but essays are also included on such topics as the theological thinking of Indonesian Christianity as a whole, the National Council of Churches, Chinese Christian communities in Indonesia, Christian art in Indonesia, and Christian media in Indonesia. Annotation c2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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.