RTE No 20 Interior - Road to Emmaus Journal

Orthodoxy in IndonesiaAn Interview withArchimandrite Daniel Bambang Dwi Byantoroby Thomas HulbertWhen Archimandrite Daniel, the founder of the Orthodox Missionin Indonesia, came into the little bookstore in Amsterdam where wehad arranged to meet, he was fresh off the plane from Jakarta, a fl ightof many long hours. Although he was tired, I could not persuade himto sit down; instead he inspected everything in the bookshop, visiblytaking great joy in small things. Father Daniel’s incredible journeyfrom Islam to Orthodoxy has taken him from Indonesia to Korea,Mt. Athos, the United States and Europe. The very idea of traditionalChristianity in Indonesia, long a Moslem-dominated country, bringsup clashing images – the colorful southeast Asian culture watered forcenturies with devout Islamic practices, now nurturing the strugglingseed of Orthodoxy. Indeed, Fr. Daniel’s own story is like one out of theGospel itself, its disparate elements reaching harmony in Christ.Fr. Daniel Bambang Dwi ByantoroI had imagined that he would be a tall, emaciated ascetic, whosedoctoral education and theological studies would make me strain tofollow his thought. Instead he is short and round with an angelic facewide enough to contain his almost continual smile and a wisp of a beardthat reminded me of an Oriental sage. I was immediately disarmed byhis down-to-earth accessibility – he took off his shoes and put them bythe door, and we promptly sat down to lunch. We had not been togethermore than a few moments before I felt that a good friend had cometo visit after a long journey. Soon, a different side of him appeared,the ceaseless activity of a missionary. He made telephone calls in avariety of languages, quickly prepared his bags for the next phase of hisjourney, and checked his e-mail for missionary correspondence. It toowas varied: leaders of various Christian groups asking for informationon Orthodoxy, meetings to be arranged, requests for pastoral counseling,and, of course, news about the current frightening persecution ofChristians in Indonesia. Yet he never lost his childlike brightness andrelaxed manner.Thomas: How do you approach the souls that come to you? If they areMoslem how do you work with them and how do you explain the differenceThomas Hulbert is the Western European correspondent for Road to Emmaus