By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
JAKARTA (Worthy News) - An evangelical pastor in Indonesia says he is resuming worship services despite being removed from a store where his congregation had been meeting in a show of defiance toward authorities of the world’s largest Muslim nation.
Pastor Herri Soesanto and his Good God Church (Gereja Gembala Baik, or GAB) were forced to leave the Simpang Tiga Shopping Compound in the Jombang Regency in East Java province.
Christians said about 50 government officials sealed the shop where the church gathered on August 19.
However, photos obtained by Worthy News on Thursday showed Christians holding their regular worship service outside on the shop's terrace, sitting on makeshift mats in soaring temperatures.
“Even in conditions like this, we continue to fight because we believe that everything we do is based on Truth," said Pastor Soesanto in a message shared with Worthy News.
He added that “the legal process is ongoing. As a result of this locking, our congregation cannot worship solemnly.”
GROWING ISLAM
Christians told Worthy News his difficulties highlight the growing influence of Islamic extremists in the region.
“Many terrorists are coming from there, including those linked to the Bali bombings in 2002 that killed more than 200 people,” said a house church leader whose name is known to Worthy News.
News of the standoff came as Pope Francis visited Indonesia in part to promote what he calls “interreligious dialogue.”
Mosques in the area of Jakarta where the pope held meetings were told not to issue their noisy call for prayers. But elsewhere, mosques remained far from silent, including in the Jombang Regency, where Soesanto and his church struggle to worship, noted Victoria, a church worker.
“The opposition is interesting as Jombang Regency was among the first places where Dutch missionaries preached Christ during the colonial era.”
Indonesia ranks 42th on the annual World Watch List of 50 countries, where advocacy group Open Doors says Christians suffer most for their faith in Christ.
“The situation for Christians has been deteriorating in recent years, with Indonesian society increasingly influenced by conservative interpretations of Islam. Polls regularly show that especially young people hold conservative views, and by-laws on Islamic dress are becoming more common,” Open Doors warned.