International Christian Concern has reported that late last week, local government in South Sulawesi told the members of South Sulawesi Christian Church to stop all worship services. They then began demolishing the church on Wednesday. When the church was built in 1989, a permit was not required because “it was… Read more

A volcano in North Sumatra, Mount Sinabung, has been erupting all weekend. The volcano’s alert level was raised to a level three on November third. From Saturday evening through Sunday morning, the volcano erupted at least nine times, and then erupted six more times by Monday morning. Now the alert… Read more

Agus and Tina (not real names) began ministering to Muslims in East Java in 2009. They began by sharing the Gospel with their neighbors, and began a Bible Study for Muslim Background Believers. It wasn’t long before they decided to begin visiting Muslim HIV patients. Most HIV patients are cut… Read more

The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) is stirring up controversy again over Christian and Catholic schools not teaching Islam. Last year, the same thing happened in Central and East Java, until parents defended the schools, saying the quality of education their children were getting was more important. The local association of… Read more

Indonesian Christians have united together for an intercessory prayer movement. They hope it will improve relations between Muslims and Christians. Five million Christians are participating in non-stop prayer throughout hundreds of cities. Jeffrey Petrus, an organizer of the movement, said, “24 hours a day, we are praying for the churches… Read more

Eid Al-Adha was celebrated throughout the Muslim world this past Friday. Traditionally, an animal is sacrificed, and the meat is given to poor people. Singapore is such a wealthy country that a group of Muslims went to neighboring Indonesia to perform the ritual. They donated animals on the nearby island… Read more

Sunni and Shia Muslims in Sampang, Madura, have signed a peace deal allowing the Shiites who have been displaced to return to their villages. The conflict between Sunni and Shia began on August 27, 2012. On that day, dozens of homes were burned, and two people were killed. As a… Read more

Wilfrida Soik, a 20-year old Indonesian migrant worker, could face the death penalty if found guilty of killing her employer. Originally the court was expected to give its verdict on Monday, but has now been adjourned to November 17th because of new evidence. One of the new pieces of evidence… Read more

The Islamic Solidarity Games are going on in Indonesia right now. After changing the location several times, it was finally decided to hold them in Palembang, South Sumatra. Some have expressed concern over the Palembang complex, which was used for the Southeast Asian Games in 2011, where many athletes suffered… Read more

The Miss World competition is going on in Bali right now. Originally, part of it was going to take part in Bali and part in the outskirts of Jakarta. But because of protests in Jakarta against the competition, the organizers decided to keep the pageant in Bali the entire time.… Read more

Two Christians in Indonesia have been given a three-year sentence in jail for evangelizing Muslims. Their lawyer insisted that the trial violated the men’s human rights, but Kashfi Rasyid and Jalaudin were still convicted. There was much debate during the trial on whether the men were Christians or Muslims. The… Read more

Peter Youngren had a successful Gospel festival in Makassar last week, despite death threats, last-minute location changes, and blasphemy charges. Just three days before the festival was to begin, the mayor pulled the location permit for the festival. After a couple of other locations fell through, a large church finally… Read more

A Sufi Muslim religious school in southern Aceh is now facing discrimination along with the rest of the religious minorities in Indonesia. Sufism is an expression of Islam focused on more mystical practices. On July 5, a dorm was burned down due to arson. Less than a month later, on… Read more

A prayer movement is rising in Indonesia. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, Indonesian Christians are praying for their country. In the Jakarta area a building is being used specifically for around the clock intervention. One of the prayer leaders there said the rooms are packed with people… Read more

Nahdlatul Ulama (NU)  is criticizing Islamic Defender’s Front (FPI) for conducting raids in places they deem immoral during the month of Ramadan. Last week one of those raids ended with a pregnant woman being killed in a vehicle accident. Just a few days later, FPI trashed a store in Makassar… Read more

Islamic pressures in Aceh, which is in Northern Sumatra, are becoming intolerable. Within a year, seventeen house churches have been closed, including two Catholic chapels. Threats against Protestant congregations have also been made. Favor Bancin, part of the Indonesian Synod, said, “The behavior of local authorities is a potential threat… Read more

It is illegal to be an atheist in Indonesia. So, how does someone survive as an atheist parent there? The Indonesian Atheist Parents Facebook group was started in April as a result of the growing atheist movement in Indonesia. There are now over seventy members of the group, who discuss… Read more

Last August, the Sampang Shi’ite community were displaced from their homes after their village was attacked. They were then forced to move into the town sports hall. The government has now provided small apartments for the refugees 100 kilometers from their homes. While the apartments are better than the sports… Read more