Christianity is the second most widespread religion in Indonesia, after Islam. Approximately 7% of the Indonesian population are Christian. A large majority are Protestant, and the rest remain Catholic. Both religions are among those officially recognized by the Indonesian State in 1945. They thus fit within the philosophy of Pancasila.

The arrival of European colonists and Christianity in Indonesia:

Christianity arrived in Southeast Asia alongside European explorers, notably the Portuguese and the Dutch. The Portuguese spread Catholicism in the 16th century to select areas of the archipelago, such as Nusa Tenggara and Timor.

The Dutch arrived in the 19th century with missionaries intent on converting populations to Protestantism. Their primary goal was to erase Portuguese presence from the territory. Additionally, during this period, Catholicism was forbidden and replaced by Protestantism. During the Indonesian colonization, several regions, such as Sulawesi, the Moluccas, Papua, and Kalimantan, adopted this religion.

It is not uncommon for religious tensions between Christian and Muslim communities to arise in certain sensitive areas of Indonesia, though they are typically strongly condemned by religious leaders from both communities.