CHRISTIANITY
Christians make up around nine per cent of Malaysia's population and come from many different denominations. A little over half are Roman Catholics, while the rest are from Protestant groupings, although a small Eastern Orthodox Church also exists. While in Peninsula Malaysia only two to three per cent of the population are Christians, in East Malaysia this figure rises to about twenty to thirty per cent. Most Christians in Sabah and Sarawak are members of the indigenous tribes, such as the Kadazandusun and Iban.
There is some evidence to support the theory that Nestorian Christians were amongst Persian traders in the region as early as the 7th century. The coming of Christianity to Malaysia, however, is generally dated to the period of the Portuguese conquest of Melaka in 1511. The Portuguese were Roman Catholics. Later, under Dutch colonial rule, from 1641, Protestantism came into ascendancy while Catholicism was suppressed. Under British colonial rule, from the 19th century, Protestant missions flourished alongside the spread of Catholicism. With the influx of immigrant Chinese and Indian workers to Malaysia more Christian missionaries were imported to take care of their spiritual needs. In Sabah, for example, the Basel Mission Society began work among migrant Hakka Chinese in 1882.
Now the majority of Christian churches in Malaysia, are small and independent churches. Among the larger Protestant churches are the Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian, Brethren, Lutheran, Baptist, the Assemblies of God and the Salvation Army. While most churches have their roots in foreign missionary activities, some, for example the Latter Rain Church, are completely indigenous to Malaysia.
By the middle of the 20th century, the Roman Catholics had organized themselves into various dioceses under the umbrella of the Catholic Bishops' Conference. The mainstream Protestant churches came together in 1948 to form the Malayan Christian Council (which later became the Council of Churches of Malaysia). The other grouping, comprising pentecostal and charismatic leaning churches, joined together in 1983 to form the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship. In 1985, these three major Christian national bodies came together to establish the Christian Federation of Malaysia.
An integral part of being Christian is membership in a church where, through regular worship and teaching, Christians are called to be disciples of Christ. Just as the historical Jesus went about healing the lepers, giving sight to the blind, forgiving sinners and eating with beggars and outcasts, Christians in Malaysia today are challenged to be actively involved in such salvific mission activities. This is why Christians have established numerous social services throughout Malaysia, such as kindergartens and schools, welfare homes for drug addicts, unwed mothers or orphans, and hospitals and clinics for the poor and marginalized. They draw their inspiration from the preaching and teachings of Jesus Christ as discerned through the reading of the Holy Bible.
