Emergence and establishment of a charismatic church within the framework of Javanese self-perception in Surakarta, Indonesia

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe article focuses on the Javanese Christian community in Surakarta and that of the charismatic Gereja Keluarga Allah (Family of God Church). Until recently, Surakarta was known for its mix of Javanese traditional court life with a Javanese way of Islam (abangan) as well as its radical Muslim community. Less known is that about 40% of Surakarta’s inhabitants are Christians and the biggest Christian church there is Gereja Keluarga Allah. Some 20 years ago, this church was dominated by Indonesian Chinese, as were most Pentecostal and charismatic churches in all Indonesia, but within Gereja Keluarga Allah in Surakarta, there has been an increasing number of Javanese and now it has more Javanese than Chinese members. As a result the Javanese cultural norm of harmoniously living together (rukun dan hormat) is frequently strained by members of this church because of their refusal to join in other aspects of Javanese ritual life. However, many Javanese church members regard this church as especially attractive because they are experiencing rasa for the first time in their lives. By mentioning rasa they intend to put their transcendental church experience on a level with Javanese mysticism.