Concluding her 4-part series, Monica Brand shares the impact that the largest Muslim nation in the world— Indonesia—had on her American Christian faith.

Demons lived in a tree in Ujung Pandang.

Let me back up a bit and explain. In the middle of the city, there was a large park, kind of like Central Park, only Indonesian style. In one corner of the park, was a large tree and rumor had it that demons lived among the branches.

An American expat living in Ujung Pandang told me how the Indonesians he knew all believed it. I don't recall the species, but it was one of the biggest trees I'd ever seen. Wide trunk, tall with long
heavy branches reaching up, out and green. It's just a tree. But walk past the tree at night and feel
the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Easy to believe at night, that rumor of demons. There are
demons in that tree, the story goes. Freaks a girl out.

Were there demons in that tree? Maybe. I saw no evidence of demonic activity, but why not? If Jesus drove demons out of pigs and people, why not a tree? Maybe all the demons were on their best behavior when I walked past it. My point here is not to argue whether the tree needed an exorcism, what struck me about the supposed Demon Tree was that it was locally accepted. Demons live there? No big deal.  

Now finally to my point:

We Americans are so caught up in the clutter of life, the temporal, we miss the demons living in the tree. This is what we see: keyboard, monitor, desk, room, house, and Earth it rests on. The spiritual world is just as real as this one, this world that we can see and touch. I believe that. I bet you believe that too if you take the name of Christ.

Then why don't we act like we really believe it? Why do we chase after things that will only pass away? I'm not saying we should go looking for nasty demons under every rock and pew, but to live mentally conscience in that releam. That was one of the great things about living in Indonesia, with the consistent call to prayer for Muslims, the spiritual rarely was forgotten. There was a feeling of possibly in a spiritual sense. Maybe it's just me, but I don't feel that in American churches.

I may not see evidence of demons in the tree, but I do see a lack of evidence in the American church in belief in the supernatural. That's scarier than rumored demons in a tree.

Previous Articles:

• Remembering Indonesia, Part 3
  
• Remembering Indonesia, Part 2
• Remembering Indonesia, Part 1 
  

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Travis Griffith   |2008-06-07 21:10:50 This is perhaps the best blog of the Indonesia series. Monica makes a great point... let's not forget the spiritual realm that lies just beyond our everyday eyesight. Reply | Quote 0   0

Michelle Pendergrass  - You are so right     |2008-06-08 17:27:37 "I may not see evidence of demons in the tree, but I do see a lack of evidence in the American church in belief in the supernatural. That's scarier than rumored demons in a tree." I agree over an over. Reply | Quote 0   0

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