SIGIT HERU SUKOCO AND LAWRENCE M. YODER. Gospel in the World of Java: A History of the Muria Javanese Mennonite Church GITJ. Institute for the Study of Global Anabaptism. Goshen, IN: Goshen College, 2020. Pp. 448 (pdf version). $US 20.
I applaud the work of Sukoco and Yoder in compiling this excellent history of the Mennonite church in Indonesia. It is difficult to sift through all the possible details of history and focus on those that really tell the heart of a story. These authors have done an admirable job. They have focused their attention on the Mennonite congregations in the Mount Muria area but include outlines of other Mennonite work throughout Indonesia. Having spent two terms as a missionary in Indonesia, one in Central Java and one in East Java, I found many of the city names and pictures to bring back good memories. The growth of the Christian church in Indonesia has not been easy or quick, but it has often been inspiring. The cultural differences between East and West are often daunting, and the age-old question is asked again, what does authentic Christianity look like in this culture?
The authors have done an admirable job in grappling with this question. The story of Ibrahim Tunggul Wulung who rejects “Dutch Christianity” for “Javanese Christianity” is contrasted with the story of the Pieters, father and son—missionaries who are not sure when the Javanese will be ready for leadership. And then history steps in, the Japanese occupation forces Westerners out and the Javanese Christians must take up leadership. The book begins with an introduction that is an excellent, compact history of the island of Java. The authors mention possible Christian congregations from the eighth century and the religious movements from native animism to Hindu-Buddhism to Islam, as well as the international political history which involved India, China, Arabia, Portugal and the Netherlands. They then narrow the focus to the history of the Mennonite movement and the circumstances leading to the birth of the Mennonite church in Java. The rest of the book is divided into four parts: The Four Fathers of the Muria Mennonite Church, Under the Direction of the Mennonite Mission, A Church Standing on its Own Feet, and Fulfilling the Promises of Freedom.
The first section outlines the contributions of four early leaders or fathers of the Muria Javanese Mennonite Church. These stories are not strictly chronological, but rather are people- or theme-driven. The authors tell the story of one leader or theme, then circle back and share the story of another leader that overlaps the first so that the reader sees the same chronological landscape from different angles. With each story this chronological landscape becomes sharper and better defined. In this first section they focus on the last half of the nineteenth century.
The first leader listed was Ibrahim Tunggul Wulung, an early Javanese leader who adopted Christianity later in life but saw it through Javanese eyes. Wulung eventually developed three Christian villages/communities in the Mount Muria region that became part of the Mennonite group. The second and third “fathers” are Pasrah Karso and Pasrah Noeriman. Karso first met Jesus in a dream and only later learned more about Christianity from some Javanese evangelists and then Mennonite missionaries. Noeriman was a man in search of spiritual truth, beginning within Islam, but when Christianity was introduced to his area, he became interested and then convinced. As a natural leader, he brought others with him in his investigation of Christianity and became their leader when a number converted and were baptized. The fourth, and only non-Javanese, father of the Muria Mennonite Church is Pieter Jansz. Jansz was a Dutch missionary sent by the Dutch Mennonite Mission. He was the first Mennonite missionary sent outside of Europe/North America. Jansz served the Mennonite church faithfully in Java for about 50 years, dying in Java without ever returning home for a furlough. From teaching to church planting to Bible translation, he and his family were greatly used by God in establishing the Muria Javanese Mennonite Church.
The second section of this fascinating story, “Under the Direction of the Mennonite Mission,” covers the first half of the twentieth century. By the end of the nineteenth century, all of these strands of beginning congregations were brought together and became more institutionalized under the Dutch Mennonite Mission Board. Working together they were able to develop more ministries in the areas of agriculture, education and medicine. With this growth in ministry began the need for better organization, and the question of leadership arose. The Javanese Mennonite Church did not ordain its first pastor until 1929, over 70 years after the first baptism. Though the missionaries were beginning to develop structures and constitutions in which the Javanese participated, major decisions were still in the hands of the missionaries. This period ended with the coming of the Japanese in World War II.
Section three is entitled “A Church Standing on its Own Feet.” Steps toward maturity were beginning by the 1940s and some leaders were sent for higher education which would prepare them for leadership; however, missionaries were still in charge. This section describes the growth of pastoral training institutions, the move to the cities and the formation of a synod. But this slow national leadership growth was greatly escalated at the coming of World War II. In 1939, with Germany’s takeover of the Netherlands, all communication and financial assistance between the Muria Javanese Mennonite Church and its mission board suddenly ceased. The first official “synod” meeting happened on Java in 1940 and new patterns of church leadership were begun. In May 1942, the Japanese arrived and local Muslim groups used the opportunity to attack the Chinese and Christian churches. They stole property, burned churches and hospitals, and tried to force leadership to convert to Islam. This devastated most of the biggest/strongest churches. This calamity was followed by the Indonesian war for independence which lasted from 1945-1949. The war was a religious as well as political crisis because the Mennonite church, which is normally pacifist, was filled with young people who wanted to end the injustices of the Dutch colonial government. But issue by issue, and congregation by congregation, the new Javanese leadership drew on the power of God and each other to rebuild their churches.
The final section, entitled “Fulfilling the Promises of Freedom,” outlines how this new leadership, formed through the fires of adversity, moved into the second half of the twentieth century. They formed new partnerships, made bold new plans and looked for ways to spread God’s love to the Indonesian people. In many ways these were both challenging and exciting times as the church found its place in a new nation, forged new ecumenical and financial partnerships, and really found its place in the world. This last section outlines how educational and medical systems were rebuilt, and sketches the successes and failures of various economic projects and spiritual renewal that took place among the churches. The one shortcoming in this narrative is a lack of statistical data. The Muria Javanese Mennonite Church has survived, but what was its strength at the end of the story? It would have been helpful to have lists of churches, schools and hospitals/clinics in each decade. But overall, this is a story that needed to be told—a story that is both inspiring and challenging. The growth of a Christian church within the largest Muslim country (by population) in the world is a wonderful testimony to the activity of our loving Heavenly Father.