The Existence and Revitalization of Christian Education in Indonesia

A Historical-Theological Review in the Contemporary Era

Abstract

This article examines the position and role of the church and Christian education in Indonesia in the contemporary era from the perspective of church history. Using a historical-descriptive literature study, it traces Christian education from the arrival of the Roman Catholic Church with the Portuguese in the sixteenth century, through the VOC period, the nineteenth-century mission era, the Japanese occupation, and the Old Order, New Order, and Reformation periods. It also maps the development of Christian educational thought from the sixteenth-century reformers to four Indonesian educators: J. Drost, Aris Pongtuluran, H.A.R. Tilaar, and Andar Ismail. This historical tracing is not meant as a mere chronicle; it shows how historical patterns – the link between education and evangelism, education as a path of social mobility, and the negotiation of identity with the state – have shaped present-day problems. The study finds that Christian education inherits considerable assets, yet faces serious challenges: Article 12 of Law No. 20 of 2003 on the National Education System, the segregative and commercial orientation of “excellent schools,” declining teacher quality, and widespread plagiarism. The novelty of this study lies in integrating the historical thought of these four figures to formulate responsive strategies toward contemporary ethical and regulatory challenges, and in reframing the present crisis not as an end but as a moment of revitalization. It concludes that the identity of Christian education can no longer rest solely on religious instruction or academic achievement, but on the value ecology of the school, the quality and integrity of educators, and partiality toward the weak – a shift from the Christianization paradigm inherited from the missions to a paradigm of witness (testimonium) in a plural society.