Underground Church Growing in Muslim-Dominated Indonesia
Pentecostals on the tsunami-ravaged coast of Indonesia are experiencing a wave of conversions and healings.
In the strongly Muslim Aceh province of northern Sumatra—where 167,000 people died in the 2004 tsunamiâ—the underground church movement is growing, with Pentecostal congregations thriving.
Indonesia has an official policy of religious tolerance, but in Muslim-dominated areas Christians face open hostility and persecution. In Aceh province, churches must register with the authorities and are not permitted to evangelize. Many Christians choose to meet in unregistered—or underground—churches.