Uion of Catholic Asian News (http://www.ucanews.com)
‘Aggressive’ evangelical groups provoke radicals , 22 July 2010
by Konradus Epa, Jakarta
Father Antonius Benny Susetyo (seen here at a religious leaders function, extreme left), says that evangelical groups’ aggressive spreading of Christianity has caused problems
A Catholic official has warned that “aggressive” tactics by evangelical groups are creating trouble for Indonesia’s mainstream Christian Churches.
“Evangelical groups become a problem for Catholic and Protestant Churches because their ways of spreading the Gospel are too aggressive and lack respect for culture,” Father Antonius Benny Susetyo, executive secretary of the Commission for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference (KWI), told ucanews.com on July 20.
Such tactics provoke radical Muslim groups to attack churches, Father Susetyo said, referring to the disruption of activities at two Protestant churches in West Java two days earlier.
He also lamented the difficulties that Catholic and Protestant Churches say they have in communicating with the 300 evangelical groups that do not belong to the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI).
Both KWI and PGI have been in contact with the evangelical groups, he noted.
“But we have difficulty dialoguing because they are not organized,” he said.
Moreover, it is difficult to find a common meeting point, Father Susyeto continued.
“In their minds, baptism is a [mandatory] task” based on Jesus’ command in Matthew’s Gospel to “make disciples of all nations” and “baptizing them,” Father Susyeto explained.
Catholics, however, regard baptism as the work of the Holy Spirit, he continued.
“Our task is to spread the Good News of peace, love and justice,” he said.
Citing recent research by the Wahid Institute, Father Susyeto said that the Catholic Church generally has good relations with local people.
In some regions, Catholics even serve as treasurers of local mosques, he pointed out.
Indonesian media had earlier reported that personnel from the Public Order Agency had damaged a Pentecost church in Cileungsi, West Java, because the church allegedly had no building permit.
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