Last June, I attended the International Reformed Theological Institute Conference at our alma mater in Yogyakarta. In a conversation with one of the participants from the Netherlands, we turned to the state of the church in our respective countries. The person showed me data showing that in his country, 51% of people aged 15 and over declared themselves unaffiliated with any religious belief. What about the situation in Indonesia? In general, Indonesians identify themselves as a religious nation. True, church attendance is still quite good. However, the trend of declining attendance is getting stronger day by day.<\/p>\n
Research conducted by the Bilangan Research Center (BRC) in 2018 on the young generation of Christians in Indonesia found that 7.7% of teenagers aged 15-18 had left the church, 10.2% of those aged 19-22, and 13.7% of those aged 23-25.[1]<\/a> These young people have their reasons for leaving the church. The BRC study revealed that 21.2% said church leadership was terrible, while the other 11.2% felt pretence or hypocrisy in the church.[2]<\/a> If Christian and church leaders in Indonesia are not sensitive to this phenomenon, the number of young people leaving the church in Indonesia will undoubtedly increase in the future.<\/p>\n Russel Moore in this book reminds us firmly in the first part of his book about the phenomenon of churches that have lost their \u201cspirit of evangelization\u201d so that they no longer have credibility in the eyes of some people because of various problems that are not handled seriously by the church, especially those concerning the issue of sexual abuse that occurs within it. Therefore, Moore intends to warn Christianity and churches, especially in the American context. Moore insist, \u201cThe problem is not that they reject the idea that God could send anyone to hell but that, when they see the church covering up predatory behavior in its institutions, they have evidence that the church believes God would not send \u201cour kind of people\u201d to hell. If people reject the church because they reject Jesus and the gospel, we should be saddened but not surprised. But what happens when people reject the church because they think we reject Jesus and the gospel?\u201d[3]<\/a><\/p>\n If the church loses credibility, it will lose authority. Many people will not only leave the church but also look down on it. Meanwhile, God sent the church to carry out God’s mission. Moore even harshly criticized church leaders who use God’s name to protect their good name and their institution rather than think of solutions to overcome the problems that destroy the church’s credibility. Moore warns, \u201cHow much worse is it when this horror is committed\u2014or is covered up\u2014not just by leveraging personal or institutional trust but by using the very name of Jesus to carry out such wickedness, against those he has shown repeatedly that he loves and values? When sexual abuse happens within a church, violence is added to violence\u2014sexual, physical, emotional, and spiritual. Predators know this power is great, which is why predators and would-be authoritarians use even the most beautiful concepts\u2014grace or forgiveness or Matthew 18 or the life of David\u2014to cover up their crimes or as weapons to victimize the vulnerable.\u201d[4]<\/a> Moore also criticized church institutions that protect and cover up crimes, including sexual crimes, within the church as blasphemy against the holiness of God’s name. Moore asserts, \u201cAnd that\u2019s why institutions seeking to protect themselves will take on the name of Jesus, in order to say that victims, survivors, or whistleblowers are compromising \u201cthe mission\u201d or creating \u201cdisunity in the Body\u201d when they point out the horrors behind the veil. This\u2014not \u201ccussing\u201d\u2014is what the Bible means when it says, \u201cDo not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.\u201d[5]<\/a><\/p>\n In this situation, Christian leaders and churches need to speak with a prophetic voice and call for repentance to return to the truth of Christ in the Bible. Otherwise, Christianity must prepare to be abandoned. Moore, in this case, places a strong emphasis on integrity. He insists, \u201cThe way of Christ demands an integrity, a \u201cholding together\u201d of the inner and the outer, of what one believes to be true internally and what one says publicly. This is what it means to \u201cLet your \u2018yes\u2019 be yes and your \u2018no\u2019 be no.\u201d[6]<\/a> Moore emphasized that Christianity and the church must return to placing Christ as the highest priority in life so that they can live on God’s path and regain credibility and authority. Moore writes, \u201cPrioritize Long-Term Integrity Over Short-Term Success. Are the moral compromises described here worth it in order to have influence in a culture war? Only if social conformity to a set of rules is more important than a person\u2019s conscience before the Judgment Seat of Christ.\u201d[7]<\/a> Hopefully, crimes, including sexual abuse, that occur within and are protected by the church are not classified as wicked problems. Because Joseph Bentley and Michael Toth say, \u201cWicked problems can never be truly solved.\u201d[8]<\/a> However, true Christian leaders must always be optimistic and hopeful in God. When the church is willing to return to the right path, God will show His truth’s light. This reminds me of Matthew Petrusek, who says, \u201cIf evangelists can effectively give evidence that the Church has a solid political perspective\u2014specifically, a vision firmly established in objective truth\u2014then we should be willing to explore if the Church also has a well-founded theological viewpoint. This attitude, he believes, would result from objective love.\u201d[9]<\/a> Are Christian leaders willing to humbly do so? This is indeed a big job that is two-way, as Bentley and Toth insist, \u201cOur challenge is twofold: to make changes in ourselves while at the same time we are making changes in the world.\u201d[10]<\/a><\/p>\n [1]<\/a> https:\/\/www.bilanganresearch.com\/artikel\/gereja-sudah-tidak-menarik<\/a>. Accessed October 29, 2024.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> https:\/\/www.bilanganresearch.com\/artikel\/gereja-sudah-tidak-menarik<\/a>. Accessed October 29, 2024.<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> Russell Moore, Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America<\/em> (New York: Sentinel, 2023), Chapter 1.<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> Russell Moore, Losing Our Religion<\/em>, Chapter 2.<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> Russell Moore, Losing Our Religion<\/em>, Chapter 2.<\/p>\n [6]<\/a> Russell Moore, Losing Our Religion<\/em>, Chapter 2.<\/p>\n [7]<\/a> Russell Moore, Losing Our Religion<\/em>, Chapter 4.<\/p>\n [8]<\/a> Joseph Bentley and Michael Toth,\u00a0Exploring Wicked Problem: What They are and Why They are Important<\/em>\u00a0(Bloomington, IN: Archway Publishing, 2020), 2.<\/p>\n