EVANGELICALS HAVE ROUGH TIME IN RUSSIA
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
Evangelicals in America are used to freedom of speech and movement. They preach and teach “the gospel,” that is, that salvation is available by faith in Christ as Savior.
Evangelicals are theological conservatives in that they believe the Bible to be divine revelation. They do not attempt to scissor out “inconvenient” passages in order to be politically correct as theological liberals do.
Evangelicals work hard at their faith expression, desiring to love others to God through Bible distributions and helpful endeavors. They pray regularly, worship faithfully, study the Holy Scriptures individually and in groups, testifying that God is alive and well in their individual lives.
They believe that salvation through Christ brings heaven’s eternal beatitude at death, that there is hope in this life via the Holy Spirit’s daily strength, and that faith in the biblical God is the key to overcome life’s difficulties.
This kind of religious foundation is having a rough time of it in Russia — not a new thing. Evangelicals in Russia do not have the same democracy base as in America. However, they wish they did.
What then are the obstacles to overcome for evangelicals in Russia? They appear to be mainly three. One is the inefficient Russian government that can be hostile to all and any religion, especially Christian evangelicals.
Another is the Russian Orthodox Church which considers itself the true faith, ensconced over time, and thereby the only needful venue for Christian faith and practice.
Still another is what evangelicals would consider a spiritual war waged by Satan against their holding to Christ as divine.
According to the Moscow Times’ Stephen Boykewich, staff writer: “Evangelical Christians fight for a church.” In his report, he relates fine line detail of a large evangelical congregation — numbering more than a thousand — who have waited long enough for space on which to construct a church building.
Therefore, these Christians have gone to the street to demonstrate their consternation. They have also been accosted by Russian police, some thrown to the ground, others manhandled and still others hauled off to the cells.
The pastor and parishioners have continued to protest against governmental lethargy and mistreatment, even against purported Russian Orthodox Church schemes, though the latter informs press that they are innocent of hampering the evangelical causes.
Many other organizations in Moscow are asking for space for buildings, the authorities state to the press. Therefore, it is not just that one evangelical congregation that waits and waits and waits some more. There is not enough space for many other proposed buildings registered.
Then of course there is the inefficiency of governmental doings in Moscow and throughout Russia. That leads evangelicals to lose patience with the system. However, the system then responds by stating that evangelicals’ real motives are not so much religious as political. That is, they are trying to found a democracy government way of life alongside their biblical preaching and teaching.
Russia is not fond of democracy, as has come to the fore in press releases detailing dialogue between the leadership of America and Russia. Russia is mired in its own history of dictatorship, power struggle and secrecy. Therefore, to let go of all that in trusting the grassroots with democracy powers seems difficult for the power structure in place.
“The church had sought -- and thought it received -- permission to hold a weeklong demonstration across from City Hall over the loss of land that it had hoped to use to build a house of worship.
“But on May 30 and June 1, police and OMON special forces violently broke up the demonstrations, throwing women and children to the ground and swearing at them, parishioners said. One of them, Marina Karandayeva, raised her sleeve to show an ugly ring of bruises around her arm.
“For Emmanuel's believers, it was the latest indignity in a decade-long struggle to build a church for their 1,000-member Moscow parish. For some religious liberty organizations, it was further evidence of a mounting, and in some cases violent, trend to persecute Protestant religious minorities.
“In mid-May, a group of young men stormed into the Moscow office of the Russian Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith, a main umbrella organization for evangelical churches in Russia, and announced that they had been sent to ’beat sectarians.’
“At about the same time, Perm regional authorities said they wanted to buy back a former palace of culture building that had been sold to an evangelical church -- a decision that came after the church was criticized by the local Russian Orthodox bishop, the mayor of Perm and city legislators.
“A Baptist home church went up in flames in an apparent arson attack in the Moscow region town of Lyubuchany in September.”
So, does it ever end? Apparently not.
Evangelicals in America are used to freedom of speech and movement. They preach and teach “the gospel,” that is, that salvation is available by faith in Christ as Savior.
Evangelicals are theological conservatives in that they believe the Bible to be divine revelation. They do not attempt to scissor out “inconvenient” passages in order to be politically correct as theological liberals do.
Evangelicals work hard at their faith expression, desiring to love others to God through Bible distributions and helpful endeavors. They pray regularly, worship faithfully, study the Holy Scriptures individually and in groups, testifying that God is alive and well in their individual lives.
They believe that salvation through Christ brings heaven’s eternal beatitude at death, that there is hope in this life via the Holy Spirit’s daily strength, and that faith in the biblical God is the key to overcome life’s difficulties.
This kind of religious foundation is having a rough time of it in Russia — not a new thing. Evangelicals in Russia do not have the same democracy base as in America. However, they wish they did.
What then are the obstacles to overcome for evangelicals in Russia? They appear to be mainly three. One is the inefficient Russian government that can be hostile to all and any religion, especially Christian evangelicals.
Another is the Russian Orthodox Church which considers itself the true faith, ensconced over time, and thereby the only needful venue for Christian faith and practice.
Still another is what evangelicals would consider a spiritual war waged by Satan against their holding to Christ as divine.
According to the Moscow Times’ Stephen Boykewich, staff writer: “Evangelical Christians fight for a church.” In his report, he relates fine line detail of a large evangelical congregation — numbering more than a thousand — who have waited long enough for space on which to construct a church building.
Therefore, these Christians have gone to the street to demonstrate their consternation. They have also been accosted by Russian police, some thrown to the ground, others manhandled and still others hauled off to the cells.
The pastor and parishioners have continued to protest against governmental lethargy and mistreatment, even against purported Russian Orthodox Church schemes, though the latter informs press that they are innocent of hampering the evangelical causes.
Many other organizations in Moscow are asking for space for buildings, the authorities state to the press. Therefore, it is not just that one evangelical congregation that waits and waits and waits some more. There is not enough space for many other proposed buildings registered.
Then of course there is the inefficiency of governmental doings in Moscow and throughout Russia. That leads evangelicals to lose patience with the system. However, the system then responds by stating that evangelicals’ real motives are not so much religious as political. That is, they are trying to found a democracy government way of life alongside their biblical preaching and teaching.
Russia is not fond of democracy, as has come to the fore in press releases detailing dialogue between the leadership of America and Russia. Russia is mired in its own history of dictatorship, power struggle and secrecy. Therefore, to let go of all that in trusting the grassroots with democracy powers seems difficult for the power structure in place.
“The church had sought -- and thought it received -- permission to hold a weeklong demonstration across from City Hall over the loss of land that it had hoped to use to build a house of worship.
“But on May 30 and June 1, police and OMON special forces violently broke up the demonstrations, throwing women and children to the ground and swearing at them, parishioners said. One of them, Marina Karandayeva, raised her sleeve to show an ugly ring of bruises around her arm.
“For Emmanuel's believers, it was the latest indignity in a decade-long struggle to build a church for their 1,000-member Moscow parish. For some religious liberty organizations, it was further evidence of a mounting, and in some cases violent, trend to persecute Protestant religious minorities.
“In mid-May, a group of young men stormed into the Moscow office of the Russian Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith, a main umbrella organization for evangelical churches in Russia, and announced that they had been sent to ’beat sectarians.’
“At about the same time, Perm regional authorities said they wanted to buy back a former palace of culture building that had been sold to an evangelical church -- a decision that came after the church was criticized by the local Russian Orthodox bishop, the mayor of Perm and city legislators.
“A Baptist home church went up in flames in an apparent arson attack in the Moscow region town of Lyubuchany in September.”
So, does it ever end? Apparently not.
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