Nearly a thousand Bible school students in Indonesia are facing eviction by government officials.
According to Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), students at the school in Jakarta began facing persecution when it was violently attacked by radical Muslims in July 2008. Neighbors complained, asking government authorities to evict the students due to supposed safety concerns. Now students at the Arastamar Bible School face eviction from a west Jakarta mayor's office building, where they were living temporarily. Todd Nettleton of VOM says persecution is commonplace in Muslim nations. "It's interesting to also note the response of the students," notes Nettleton. "These are theology students. They're future pastors and mission workers in Indonesia, and they see this very much as a part of their training. As they look ahead to their ministry life, they know that they'll face persecution. They know that they'll face hardships, and so they simply say, 'Hey, this is great preparation because when we go out and begin to minister, we're going to face situations like this all the time.'" Nettleton says it is still unclear whether the seminary students will be allowed to stay at their present location or if they will once again be forced to leave.
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