The week of prayer for Christian Unity, from 18 to 25 January, is this year entitled ‘Justice and justice only you shall pursue’, based on Deuteronomy 16: 11-20. It has been prepared by Christians in Indonesia, who make up roughly 10% of the 265 million strong population, whilst 86% are Muslim. The nation consists of over 17,000 islands and 740 languages, but shares the national language Bahasa Indonesia and their motto Bhineka Tunggal Ika – unity in diversity.
Christianity came to Indonesia as early as the 7th century to North Sumatra, in the form of Nestorianism which did not survive. Catholic missionaries who came in the early 16th century were followed by the Dutch in the 17th century, who introduced Protestantism, and Catholicism was suppressed until 1807. In the last century evangelical and charismatic Christianity came to Indonesia and more recently Orthodox Christianity. The islands of Indonesia present a wide variety of denominations.
Christians have sought greater unity to give a common response to the corruption and inequality that they see in their country, summed up in the Indonesian saying ‘a mouse dies of hunger in the barn full of rice’. Christians of Indonesia chose the phrase ‘Justice and justice only you shall pursue’, as it spoke of their aim to combat injustice and their greater ability to do so when they pursued their own unity and the healing of divisions.
May we continue our journey, alongside so many other countries, seeking a unity from our diversity, helping us to pursue justice.
Georgie Illingworth
This and further information on the week of prayer and daily reflections written by Christians in Indonesia are available from the World Council of Churches website, in their Resources section, or from the Churches Together in Britain and Ireland website, in the Spirituality and Reflection section.
