Evangelical Christians-Baptists Research Articles

Educational and Charitable Activities of Baptist Christians: On the Example of the Religious Organization of Evangelical Christians Baptists, Called 'Church of the Nativity,' in Zhytomyr

Educational and Charitable Activities of Baptist Christians: On the Example of the Religious Organization of Evangelical Christians Baptists, Called 'Church of the Nativity,' in Zhytomyr

К ВОПРОСАМ О ДУХОВНОЙ КУЛЬТУРЕ В СЕВЕРОКИТАЙСКОЙ ПРОВИНЦИИ МАНЧЖУРИИ В НАЧАЛЕ XX в.

The paper touches on the processes of formation of the Russian population on the border territory of North-East China in the exclusion zone of the Chinese Eastern Railway, and reveals aspects of spiritual culture. The main emphasis is on creating a religiously tolerant environment for settlers in Manchuria, which was a common policy for the entire population of the Far Eastern Region. Particular attention is paid to Baptists, which took an active position in the Far East. Research is based on a wide range of sources, archival funds, personal archives, newspaper articles, research and general scientific literature. Some aspects of the work of Protestant missionaries are reflected only in confessional sources (in the books of V.I. Franchuk, Y.F. Sablin, G.P. Vince). Historical-systemic, comparative chronological, statistical and other methods made it possible to examine part of the spiritual culture in the designated area. The article examines aspects of the spread of evangelical doctrine at the beginning of the 20th century. As a result of the active work of Baptist churches and missionaries, the Far Eastern Union of Baptists (FEBL) was formed, which extended its activities to the border areas. Foreign missions provided personnel and financial support to fellow believers, this contributed to the spread of the gospel message in the 10s of the 20th century, but by the end of the 20s and 30s the situation had changed, and cooperation with foreign organizations was unfavorable. According to the author, the activities of the Manchu Baptist communities were closely connected with the Russian Far East, on the territory of which the governing body of the DVSB was located (initially in Blagoveshchensk, and then in Khabarovsk). The adherents of Evangelical Christian Baptists were mostly Russian-speaking, but work was also carried out with the Chinese population. In turn, the Far Eastern Union of Baptists, through the territory of Northern China, had the opportunity to more quickly and without control receive various types of assistance from European and American churches: funds and spiritual literature for the development of missionary activities.

Diversity of Shades of Silence: Russian Evangelicals during the War in Ukraine

Abstract This article analyses the range of positions among Evangelicals in the context of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The “silence” characterizes evidence of the evangelicals’ strategies that had long been developed in the context of continued marginalization of religious minorities by the Russian authorities, with the state’s determination to create a loyal contingent of religious leaders. Some of the Evangelical leaders who were close to the centres of power were caught in a so-called trap of patriotism and have been compelled to demonstrate their support and solidarity to officials. However, public silence is far from heterogeneous and has many shades and nuances. This article analyses the anti-war statements of Evangelical leaders and shadow communication strategies in different evangelical communities. Particular attention is paid to a “guide” who suggested that Evangelical Christians-Baptists in Russia should take a consistent position, based on theological and political arguments, in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

«Как они меня заставляли отказаться от Бога…»: казус советского верующего 1960-х годов

The article reconstructs the events of the late 1950s and early 1960s on the basis of archival materials and publications in the Soviet periodical press. They took place in the town of Ocher, Perm region. A small group of Evangelical Christian Baptists gathered in the town. At the end of 1959, a schism occurred within the community. Several women experienced a new religious conversion. They became followers of the Pentecostals. The schism proceeded against the backdrop of intense religious experiences. One of the believers described her experiences in letters and sent them to the Ocher District Committee, then to the Perm Regional Committee of the CPSU. As part of the anti-religious campaign, these letters were provided. Friendly courts were held. Feuilletons and accusations were published in the regional periodical press. The destinies of believers were to be decided by the local atheistic community. The purpose of the study is to identify the socio-cultural circumstances of the life of believers in the local community of the town of Ocher, and to see it through the prism of the small social and cultural technologies of Soviet life. The methodological basis of the study is a microhistorical approach focusing on the context and details of everyday life. The author shows the believer's ability to intertwine in his or her own mind and emotional experiences his or her religious experience and the figurative world of the Soviet everyday life. This ability is considered as an essential characteristic of Soviet religiosity, which had been formed by the middle of the 20th century. The biographical incident of Natalya Ershova, the vicissitudes of her fate allow us to notice the breaks in the social reality in which the 'ordinary' Soviet person lived. Due to this, one can identify and describe the character and specific subjectivity of the Soviet believer.

ИСТОРИЧЕСКИЙ ОПЫТ ПАЦИФИЗМА СОВЕТСКОГО ЕВАНГЕЛЬСКОГО СООБЩЕСТВА: ЗАЯВЛЕНИЯ ЦЕРКВИ И ВЫБОР ВЕРУЮЩИХ

The paper presents the historical experience of pacifism of evangelical believersб specifically Evangelical Christians-Baptists and Pentecostals, in the USSR. The main postulates of evangelical pacifist convictions were for-mulated in the early 20th century, with doctrinal provisions emerging in the 1920s and subsequently becoming wide-spread. The article analyzes the changes of state policy regarding pacifism, as well as the reaction of the evangelical community to the pressure of the authorities. Initially, the Soviet state granted believers the right to replace military service with alternative civil service. However, in the 1930s, this option was revoked. Despite the proclamation of freedom of conscience, the Soviet state forced evangelical structures to perform civil duties, including bearing arms for military service. . The evangelical community has developed a flexible position on pacifism, officially declaring the requirement to comply with state laws and personal responsibility for choice. During the Soviet period, the evan-gelical community developed several strategies of action in relation to participation in military operations and mili-tary service: from categorical refusal to total acceptance of the need for army service. Different evangelical churches have their own traditions of attitudes towards military service. In illegal communities, there were often cases of re-fusal to take the military oath with weapons in their hands. In the late Soviet period, for most believers, military ser-vice was a way to test the "steadfastness of their faith" and a demonstration of law-abiding and inclusion in the life of Soviet society.

The Dilemmas of the Post-War Transition for the Transcarpathian Calvinists in the Soviet Empire (1944–1949)

Abstract The present study examines the dilemma of the Calvinists living in Transcarpathia (which became part of the Soviet Union in 1946) that arose following its annexation to the Soviet Empire. The problem was caused by the fact that among the Protestant denominations in the Soviet Union in 1946-47, only Evangelical Christians-Baptists (ECB) had state registration, i.e. a legal operating licence. The study aims at revealing the dialectics of the dilemma arising among the Calvinists, according to which, in order to survive, they should either align with the ECB (i.e. imperial expectations) or, alternatively, even take the risk of termination and maintain their denominational separation. In addition, the research brings insights into how the choice of the Calvinists was influenced by the denominational autonomy and national traditions that had been enjoyed until then. The state authorities would have provided a chance for an easier and routine-like solution of the problem and classify the nearly 80,000 Reformed community members in Transcarpathia as ECB. However, the case generated an unexpected problem even in the Soviet bureaucratic system as the denominational affiliation was also linked to the issue of nationality. Therefore, at the state level, it was a problem of both a religious belief and national belonging. Likewise, the study highlights the extent to which the response of the religious minority in the present case was about religious affiliation and ethnicity. Finally, the present paper considers how the state’s primary project had ultimately changed when exploring the dilemma and what conclusions and outcomes it entailed.

«Воинствующий баптизм» в оценке группы исследователей для Отдела пропаганды и агитации ЦК КПСС

Draft document, currently stored in a single copy in the personal fund of A.I. Klibanov in the Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences, is published in the article. The document consists of 31 sheets of typewritten text, prepared in June 1966 by a group of scientists (A.I. Klibanov, P.K. Kurochkin, L.N. Mitrokhin, E.G. Filimonov and G.S. Lyalina) for the Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Central Committee of the Soviet Union Communist Party. The authors analyze a lot of material, on the basis of which the first part of the document gives an assessment of the internal schism taking place in the Soviet Baptist Church. A special narrative is given to the activities of Council of Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (CC ECB) and its May protest action, held in the center of Moscow, in which several hundred believers took part. Emphasizing the anti-Soviet sentiments among the followers of the SC ECB, the authors of the document refer to this religious organization first as a «militant church», and later clarify this name in the form «militant Baptism». In the final part, the document contains nine constructive proposals to suppress the conflict between the CC ECB and the state, as well as to normalize interaction between the authorities and various religious organizations. The surviving copy of the document has several losses that could not be replenished. Attempts to find a complete document in various archives and personal funds did not bring any result. Parts of the published document have become the basis for a number of books, pamphlets and articles written by members of the research group who prepared the document. The May protest action and the document published in this article played an important role in the publication of the entire popular science publishing series «Library “Modern Religions”».

Обрання обласного уповноваженого від Закарпатської реформатської церкви та наслідки цього процесу

Метою статті є реконструювати процес налагодження контактів між Закарпатською реформатською церквою та органом нової радянської влади – Радою у справах релігійних культів (РСРК), визначення так званої контактної особи між державою та конфесією, а також наслідки безуспішних виборів такої особи. Методологія дослідження базується на аналізі маловідомих і невідомих архівних джерел Синодського архіву Реформатської церкви Угорщини, Державного архіву Закарпатської області та Центрального державного архіву вищих органів влади та управління України. Наукова новизна роботи полягає в тому, що в українських дослідженнях історії церков проблематика реформатів Закарпаття досліджувалася лише частково і не в хронологічній послідовності, хоча загалом історії протестантів приділялася широка увага. Висновки. Авторка дійшла висновку, що після приходу радянських військ на Закарпаття церковна структура реформатів (кальвіністів) зазнала значних втрат, оскільки з трьох пробстів (благочинних) місце служби залишили двоє, а зі 113 священників – 25. Орієнтовно 20–25 % членів релігійних громад (чоловіків) депортували, повідомляючи, що нібито ведуть їх на триденні відновлювальні роботи. Хаотичність ситуації посилило й те, що Рада у справах релігійних культів не дозволила в 1946 році державну реєстрацію реформатів, поки вони не мають так званого обласного уповноваженого. Очевидно, що РСРК не володіло інформацією ні стосовно структурної побудови реформатів, ні стосовно їх адміністративно-територіального поділу, ні стосовно кількості вірян. Коли ж відбулися вибори обласного уповноваженого, проблема виникла через те, що його особу не узгодили з уповноваженим у справах релігій у Закарпатській області. У відсутності погоджувальних консультацій органи влади вбачали удар по своєму авторитету, тож РСРК вирішила відновити його так, що визнала недійсними результати виборів й одночасно доручила КДБ організувати стеження за обраним Іштваном Дьорке та близькою до нього організацією «Коло східних братів». КДБ кваліфікував діяльність І. Дьорке як антидержавну. Рада у справах релігійних культів бажала бачити обласним уповноваженим Дюлу Барі, оскільки вбачала в ньому не просто компромісну фігуру, а й людину, яка буде служити інтересам влади. Зрештою, РСРК також визнала, що не має достатньо інформації стосовно реформатів, тож розпочала процес їх повного перепису, не виключаючи і можливості злиття реформатської церкви із Всесоюзною радою Євангельських християн-баптистів.

A SITUATION OF THE TRANSCARPATHIAN REFORMED CHURCH IN THE LATE STALINISM PERIOD AND ITS REFLECTION IN THE PRESS OF THE TIME

The study aims at chronological and logical reconstruction of the situation the Transcarpathian Reformed (Calvinists) and the Transcarpathian Reformed Church found themselves in the period after the Soviet troops entered the region until Stalin’s death. It shows the ambivalent and at the same time chaotic situation the confession was in after the territory was annexed to the Soviet Union. Furthermore, it analyses the authorities’ narrative on the issue in the local media of the time. The narrative was the new regime’s political propaganda campaign that tried to legitimize its own ideology in the language of the region’s Reformed. Research methodology is based on the analysis of little-known and unknown archive sources of the Synodal Archives of the Reformed Church of Hungary, State Archives of the Transcarpathian Region, Central State Archives of the Highest Bodies of Power and Administration of Ukraine, State Security Service of Ukraine Administration in the Transcarpathian region, as well as recollections of participants of those events and articles in the local media. The scientific novelty of the paper lies in the fact that in the Ukrainian ecclesiastical history researches the problem area of the Transcarpathian Reformed was studied in a rather partial, fragmented way, touching upon separate questions, not in a chronological order, though the history of the Protestants as a collective theme, or of the Baptists as the Protestant confession with the largest organization, acquired broad attention of the researchers. The research was guided by historical chronology and covered the evolution of the Soviet regime’s anticlerical political propaganda campaign in the local media. It has been revealed that after the Soviet troops entered Transcarpathia, the church structure of the Reformed suffered significant damages; moreover, 20–25 % of the congregation’s male population was deported to the so-called three-day salvage work. The troubled situation was intensified by the fact that the state registration of the Reformed was not approved by the Council for the Affairs of Religious Cults (CARC) in 1946; instead, it wanted to assimilate the Reformed into the Evangelical Christian-Baptists’ (ECB) organization. It also turned out that in late 1946 CARC was not aware of the organizational structure, territorial division, as well as the number of believers of the Reformed. After it came to light, the community’s complete inspection was initiated followed by bureaucratic suspicion and the invitation of the KGB to help in the case of head Reformed Church pastors. After the KGB’s report the Soviet regime did not strive for the union of the Reformed and ECB, it let them be a separate confession, however this was the time when a wave of arrests of the Reformed Church pastors started. As a result, CARC wanted a man to head the Reformed who would be ready to compromise, serve the interests of the state authorities, as well as deviate from the traditional synodal-presbyter principle and organizational structure. In December 1949, Gencsy Béla was appointed head of the church. He behaved loyally (from the point of view of the state authorities) and at the same time made every effort to keep unregistered parishes from elimination.

Activism in the Communities of Evangelical Christians–Baptists in the Late USSR: Gender Aspects of Narrative Construction

This article analyzes the forms of protest activism in the community of unregistered congregations of Evangelical Christians-Baptists of the USSR in the 1960–80s. Belonging to the illegal movement of Evangelical Christians–Baptists was a peculiar form of religious activism. Funerals and weddings of members of Baptist congregations, trials and exits from prison were all turned into manifestations of their faith. However, a closer look at samizdat reports and memories of believers, which constituted the main source base for this study, reveals gender specificities in the representation of activism. The author notes that men were the most visible "heroes of faith". At the same time, while men's activism was aimed primarily at maintaining the internal stability of the community (and constructing an identity through conflict with the leadership of the registered official Baptist structure in the USSR), a significant proportion of women's activism provided opportunities for the representation of male activism in the external environment, enhancing its visibility and creating a heroic narrative of suffering. The invisibility of many forms of women's activism is interpreted not only as the dominance of patriarchal attitudes, but also as part of women's piety. At the same time, women, while adhering to patriarchal patterns of behaviour with-in the community, were aware of their full subjectivity in the secular legal system. Women acted as fighters for religious freedom through petitions and appeals, claiming infringement and discrimination not only on their rights, but also on those of their families.

Anti-Communism and Soviet Evangelicals in the 1960–1970s: Metamorphoses of Relations during the Cold War

The article examines the international activity of the leaders of the official All-Union Council of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (VSKHB) at the turn of the 1960s–1970s, which was carried out under the conditions of control and regulation by state authorities. The leadership of the denomination was forced to prove the “usefulness” of its existence; contacts of Baptist Christians from different countries could bring such benefits. The main form of presentation of the international work of VSKHB was the compilation of reports both on foreign business trips and on communication with foreigners inside the USSR. These reports were sent to the Council for Religious Affairs under the Council of Ministers of the USSR, where they were used to compile summary analytical notes for higher authorities on the success of the international activities of the leadership of the confessions of the USSR. The author concludes that the struggle against the international anti-communist movement led to the development of international contacts by the leadership of the official Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. For Soviet Baptists, the key figure in global evangelical anti-communism at the turn of the 1960s and 1970s was Richard Wurmbrand, a preacher. He was organising actions in support of Christians in communist countries, persecuted not only by the state but also by the official church leadership compromising with the authorities. Such actions threatened the legitimacy of the VSKHB, since in the early 1960s a Baptist initiative movement opposed to the official union emerged in the USSR. The struggle of all of them with the international evangelical anti-communist movement had an unexpected effect for evangelical Baptist Christians inside the USSR: it contributed to the stabilization of the existing associations of evangelical Baptist Christians and even the emergence of new communities.

KGB Agents in the Illegal Evangelical Communities of the Late USSR: the Experience of Microhistoric Research

This study analyzes the experience of KGB agents among unregistered evangelical Christians-Baptists. The article systematically examines the materials formed as a result of the activity of “Topsy” female agent who lived in Kiev and collaborated with the KGB from 1963 to 1981. In the study, based on a specific agent case, the algorithm of work of KGB representatives with an agent recruited in an illegal religious community was described, the types of documents that were postponed as a result of this cooperation were analyzed from the point of view of their potential as a historical source, the management of clerical documentation when working with the agency was clarified. The article showed the family circle and the directions of the agent's activity: she reported on preachers and guests of illegal worship services in the forest near Kiev, watched the family Vins — leaders of the illegal movement, about work in the community with children and youth, internal conflicts of the community. The materials of the archival record the participation of “Topsy” in the identification of print outlets of the ECB, meetings of the leaders of the movement, the “exposure” of emissaries of foreign religious centers. The study concluded that the KGB’s task was to control and monitor the ongoing processes in the religious community, conducting local operations to temporarily suppress the activity of individual activists, while the initiative and strategy were in the hands of religious activists. The analyzed activity of the “Topsy” agent was not aimed at eliminating the illegal movement — she herself was an important element of the social structuring of the community: she created a “musical space” for young people and children — but at “exposing” individual actions and characters.

Features of emigrant Baptist communities existence in the west, north and northeast of China in the second half of the 1940s

The paper analyzes the processes that took place in the emigrant religious groups of Baptists in western, northeastern and northern China in the second half of the 1940s. The authors note that the problems of the history of the existence and activities of the Baptists who emigrated to the West (in 19441949 the East Turkestan Republic), North-East and North China from the territory of Soviet Russia, the Far East of the USSR has not become the subject of a serious scientific analysis yet. There are not many scientific publications on the topic. This predetermined that the basis of the study was made up of archival sources. These are documents, documents of the State Archives of the Russian Federation (SA RF). It is noted that until the considered time the Baptist communities on the considered territories lived in isolation. The impetus for a change in the situation was the creation of the All-Union Council of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (AUCECB) in the USSR. This led to the stirring up of Baptist believers in the west, north and northeast of China. Some of the communities joined the AUCECB, some established contacts with it. There was correspondence with relatives and friends in the Soviet Union. There is a clear need for further study of the history of the emigrant Baptist communities in China.

Sergey Nikitovich Savinsky (1924-2021) and the Historical Self-Awareness of Evangelical Christians-Baptists

The article presents biographical information about the first confessional historian of Russian Evangelical Christians-Baptists, S. N. Savinsky. He authored a number of chapters on the Russian-Ukrainian Evangelical-Baptist community in a book titled “History of Evangelical Christians-Baptists in the USSR” (1989), until that time the only book on the history of his own denomination published during Soviet times. Described is his work as member of the Historical Commission of the All-Union Council of the Evangelical Christians-Baptists. The article traces four trajectories of the worldwide evangelical revival into Russia: the late German Pietism, the North America revival movement, the influence of the worldwide Evangelical Alliance, and the early German Pietism. S. N. Savinsky basic concepts of evangelical revival and uniqueness of the Russian Evangelical-Baptist community are analyzed.

In the Siberian Palestine. History of the Omsk Church of Evangelical Christian Baptists (1890s-1941).

In the Siberian Palestine. History of the Omsk Church of Evangelical Christian Baptists (1890s-1941).

Educational Quality Assurance Principles in the ‘Faith-based’ Educational Institutions of Ukraine (with the Emphasis on the Educational Institutions that Belong to the All-Ukrainian Union of the Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists)

Kunderenko, Ivan. “Educational Quality Assurance Principles in the ‘Faith-based’ Educational Institutions of Ukraine (with the Emphasis on the Educational Institutions that Belong to the All-Ukrainian Union of the Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists).” Dissertation for the degree of the candidate of philosophical sciences – 09.00.14 (041 – Theology). Dissertation focuses on studying the principles of quality assurance in the faith-based higher education institutions of Ukraine. ‘Faith-based’ education has been scaling lately and is now an integral part of the educational landscape of Ukraine. NGO “EATA”’s perspective models were identified and introduced. Models of educational quality assurance systems management were established, along with transitional suggestions for constructing wholistic strategy and coordination of the All-Ukrainian Union of the churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (theological and ecclesiological distinctives are addressed).

Connection between spiritual involvement and psychological well-being among the congregation of the Church of Evangelical Christians-Baptists

The article focuses on the study of the interaction of spiritual involvement, topical religious feelings, the specifics of religious motivation and subjective well-being among parishioners of the Church of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. The experimental data consisted of 80 respondents from the congregation of the churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists with 40 men and 40 women involved. We have used a self-designed questionnaire to measure religious involvement, INSPIRIT test made by Jared Kass to measure the topicality of spiritual experiences, a religious motivation questionnaire constructed by Irena Stojković & Jovan Mirić to study motivation and Subjective Well-Being Scale method to measure subjunctive well-being. The mathematical analysis of the results included Pearson's correlation coefficient with bilateral rotation, Student's t-test was used to seek possible differences between subgroups, all the calculations were made in MC Excel and SPSS programmes. The study showed that the INSPIRIT test results have significant positive correlation with the data of the religious involvement questionnaire, r = 0.71 (P ≤ 0.01). The INSPIRIT test results also have positive correlation with the data of the Scale of Religion as the highest value of religious motivation test, r = 0.55 (P ≤ 0.01). The correlation analysis showed that Evangelical Christians’-Baptists’ spiritual involvement (questionnaire) and vividness of spiritual experiences (INSPIRIT) are highly interconnected, that is to say, persons who more frequently attend church recommended events and perform spiritual practices have more vivid subjunctive spiritual experience. A number of specific features of Baptists are discovered by the questionnaire on religious motivation.

Увидеть «Церковь»: любительские снимки как окно в жизнь евангельских христиан СССР

It is known that the documents from the State archives concerning the history of religious life in the USSR had the primary importance and they are remained the same. However, a significant part of historical documents are kept by believers. Film and photo documents are of particular interest. The “visual turn” in the historiography of the beginning of 2000s opened up new opportunities for studying film sources and photographic documents. The attention of historians has focused on the symbolic and linguistic systems of transmission of film and photographic messages, on the visualization of ethnic, confessional identities or cultural characteristics of various population groups. Thus, turn to the film and photo documents helps better understanding the collective self-perception of Soviet believers and finding the ways to present themselves to the surrounding world. The purpose of this study is to study the informational possibilities of photographic documents on the history of Evangelical Christian-Baptists in the USSR in the 1970s. The main historical sources in the study are two photographs from the mid-1970s. They are kept in the church of evangelistic Christians-Baptists in the city of Perm. Archival documents of the State Archives of Perm Krai and confessional literature helped to reconstruct the historical context of photography. Conversations with a presbyter of the Perm community of Evangelical Christians-Baptists helped in attribution of photographs. The author believes that these photographs formed the iconographic image of the ECB church in the space of the Soviet city. The active use of these photographs in the post-Soviet period testifies the high “symbolic efficiency” (P. Bourdieu) of photographic communication from the past.

Female Religious Leadership during Khrushchev’s Anti-Religious Campaign

This article considers female leadership in Evangelical Baptist communities in the postwar period. The authors examine the extent to which the division of roles in religious communities was gender-dependent and how contemporaries perceived and described the roles of men and women in Baptist communities. The authors refer to materials from the town of Rasskazovo (a centre of Tambov region); there, the community of Baptists was led by Antonina Terekhova and Anna Zheltova. The documents studied demonstrate that the leaders of the community combined traditional “women’s” roles, such as looking after their children and grandchildren and running a household, with management of the religious community. This practice was heavily criticised and then persecuted by a governmental official, who, while restricting religious life in general, was also concerned about the gender of the community’s leader. The authors refer to such sources as oral accounts they collected, the archive of the Authorised Council for Religious Affairs (Tambov region), the archival collection of A. I. Klibanov’s expedition to Tambov region (1959), and the internal archive of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christian Baptists. The authors conclude that female leadership, often interpreted as “fanaticism”, was not suited for the format of religious life proposed by Soviet secular institutions. The fact that they had families made women more vulnerable to attacks from public institutions but also reduced the likelihood of direct repression.

Leadership, communication, and conflicts among evangelicals: analysis of relations in religious communities in the late USSR

ABSTRACTThis article examines one aspect of the life of the evangelical communities of the USSR (Baptists and Pentecostals) which found themselves gathered into a single prayer space, as a result of state religious policy that aimed to neutralize and unify them. The authors explore the internal history of this association. Forced to unite under pressure from the Stalinist regime (indeed, Pentecostals were declared an unacceptable movement by the authorities and experienced particular discrimination), the leaders of both denominations hoped, as a result of the August Accord of 1945, to receive certain benefits: the Baptists aimed to neutralize the Pentecostals’ proselytizing, while the Pentecostals hoped for convenient opportunities to preach at Baptist gatherings. Within congregations, the “victims” of political repressions and discrimination on the part of the leadership of the All-Union Council of Evangelical Christians-Baptists could be perceived as either “wolves in sheep’s clothing” who stole “Baptist sheep,” or as true “spiritual Christians.” Drawing on oral histories and archival documents, including unique evidence for popular religion in the postwar period such as letters and memoirs, the authors analyze the argumentation of “ordinary” believers who encountered the ecstatic practices of the Pentecostals, which either frightened or delighted them, and their consequent behavioural strategies.