After a short sketch of the political-cultural context of Indonesian Christianity, we will look at a number of examples from the Moluccas so that we can map the specifics of the inculturation of the gospel in largely Muslim Indonesia. To that end, we will also offer a brief overview of the way in which the Qur'an talks about Jesus. Two divergent approaches will serve to illustrate how, in their interpretation of the meaning of Jesus, Indonesian theologians draw from both their common pre-Islamic and pre-Christian past and make their own contribution to the Christian–Muslim dialogue. Each overview of the “Indonesian Jesus” thus always leads us not only to the treasures of Indonesian culture but also to those in international Christian–Muslim dialogue.

The old Indonesian, religious stories lead us to the guru who paves the way to the water of life with his own life. The question of how such a life can be a “sign” of God's presence among us brings us immediately to the unique Indonesian contribution to the international Christian–Muslim dialogue.