Church bombed in Central Java


Government sent bulldozers to destroy church buildings
in Indonesia’s Tangerang county in 2005.

On Sunday, September 25, a suicide bomber detonated eight pipe bombs by the main door of the Bethel Full Gospel Church in Solo, Central Java as worshippers were leaving the morning service. Over 20 believers were injured, one of whom later died in hospital. The bomber was reportedly a member of an Islamist militant cell in Cirebon, West Java. Security has been heightened and police will now screen all church visitors. The following day, police found a similar bomb outside the Maranatha Church in Ambon city, on the island of Ambon.

With a lack of will on the part of the government, extremism has constantly grown in Indonesia since the fall of the authoritarian President Suharto in 1999, who kept radical groups under control.

Please pray for healing for those injured. Pray for God's comfort for those grieving. Pray the Lord will give wisdom to the church leaders to know how to comfort their church members. Pray against further unrest in this nation.

To learn more about the persecuted Church in Indonesia, go to the Indonesia Country Report.

  • Country Information

    Population
    279,476,346 (2023 est.)

    Ethnicity (%)
    Javanese (40.1), Sundanese (15.5), Malay (3.7), Balak (3.6), Madurese (3), Betawi (2.9), Minangkabau (2.7), Buginese (2.7), Bantenese (2), Other (23.8)

    Religion (%)
    Muslim (87.2), Christian (9.9), Hindu (1.7), Other (0.9), Unspecified (0.4)

    Leader
    President Joko Widodo (2014)

    Government type
    Presidential republic

    Legal system
    Civil law system based on the Roman-Dutch model and influenced by customary law

    Sources: CIA World Factbook.

  • Pray for Indonesia

    Pray for the continued growth of the church in Indonesia, despite the intense opposition and persecution that has taken place. May the destructive plans of the enemy to eradicate Christianity be frustrated and nullified.

    Pray that whatever is intended for evil, God will turn around for good – causing such hatred and violence to not only discredit extremism, but to also compel many to seek salvation in Christ... including the perpetrators of persecution.

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Indonesia News

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    Photo: Wikimedia / F-GSPY (cc)

    Two young women were slightly wounded when a mob attacked a Catholic prayer meeting on May 5th in the city of Tangerang, Banten Province. The group meeting, which consisted of 15 Catholic students who had gathered in a home for prayer, was disrupted when armed assailants forced their way into the residence, injuring two females during the intrusion. Some concerned local Muslims attempted to defend the students, with one of them sustaining a minor cut from the attack.

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