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6. BERNARD NABABAN This is the story of Bernard Nababan, born at Tebing Tinggi, North Sumatra, Indonesia, on 10 November, 1966.1 He was the third among seven children of a Christian family who wished him to be a clergyman. His father was a clergyman at Huria Batak Protestant Church and his mother was a conductress of hymns song in that church. After finishing his study at Christian Teaching Education School, he was admitted to Nomensen High School of Theology, a school for prospective clergymen in Medan. Bernard in this High School of Theology he was active in attending seminaries, and eventually he was appointed to be an Evanglist for three and a half years at the church where his father was a clergyman. As an Evangelist he was also active outside his chool. In 1989 Bernard Nababan and some of his friends were sent to a Muslim area to assist its people as well as to spread Biblical teachings, as Christianity stresses the significance of love and compassion towards fellow human beings. He was very optimistic in his mission, and explained it to the community leaders who offered him to conduct a dialogue. In the dialogue they appreciated his activity in assisting them materially, but not to spread Christianity, and to convert them to Christianity The community leaders said that Christianity was not for them, but solely for the Children of Israel, as Jesus said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel” (Matthew 15:24).2 They started opening various versions of the Bible, and mentioned the weakness of the Bible one by one. They also discussed the 1
The date 10th of November is coincident with the Indonesian Hari Pahlawan (Heroes’ Day), observed every year to commemorate heavy fighting between Indonesian and British Allied forces at Surabaya on 10 November 1945. This was less than three months after Indonesia’s Proclamation of Independence. 2 It was Paul who propagated Christianity to non-Jews, violating the teaching of Jesus, in his letters to the Corinthians (see 1 Corinthians 12:13). No wonder if we say that the present Christianity is actually “Pauline Christianity”.