Bali resisted political and religious conquest by Islam. Only here in the Indonesian archipelago does Hinduism still dominate society and daily life. The island had been in contact with the Dutch since 1597, but not until 1864 was a mission post established there. Until 1881 only one Balinese was baptized, but then the missionary was murdered. As a result, the colonial government banned missionary work on Bali. In 1929 Tsang To Hang, a Chinese CAMA missionary, entered Bali, and on November 11, 1931, a group of Balinese were baptized. In 1933 Tsang To Hang was banished. The Dutch mission in neighboring East Java was not permitted to care for the Balinese Christians, but then the Christian Church in East Java (GKJW) took over. Pressure from the closed village societies was heavy; nevertheless, in 1947 there were 1,700 Balinese Christians. In 1949 the church became independent. Growth remained slow, but, of the Balinese who emigrated from the densely populated island to other parts of Indonesia, thousands entered churches there. Since the 1970s the Balinese church has made serious attempts to adapt its forms to Balinese culture. For example, the pastors do not don a black gown when leading the church service, black symbolizing evil, but a white gown instead. In several places elements of Balinese architectural style have been applied. Other Christian bodies on Bali are the RCath Church (8,000) and a number of Pentecostal and CAMA congr. The church has a small number of primary and secondary schools, a training school for the tourist industry, a hospital, and several health care centers. It publishes a magazine every four months under the name Galang Kangin.The GKPB considers August 11, 1949, its birth date.
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