Eastern European Baptist History: New Perspectives, 2007

s, he studied in Rochester, New York, and in addition, for one year at Harvard and Temple universities. From 1913 to 1914 he was minister at the Boston Latvian Baptist Church.® He then served as pastor in Latvian Baptist churches in Philadelphia and Bucks County until 1928, when, for personal reasons not clearly stated in available sources, he withdrew from ministry among Latvians.® In 1924 he visited Latvia, attending the Congress of the Union of Latvian Baptists and preaching in German and Latvian Baptist Churches of Liepaja, the town in which he had previously ministered. *' V. Mirnieks, “LatvieSu Baptistu sabiedribas konference un ‘Drauga Balss”, Drauga Balss, no. 18 (1920), p. 281. ® J.M. Haldemanis, “Socialists”, Drauga Balss, no. 24 (15 December 1919), p. 374; Publica- tion of that kind of negative material about socialists was probably the initiative of Janis Blumbergs, who for a short time in 1919 worked as editor and opposed BuSmanis’ views. Some other of Haldeman’s works have been translated into Latvian. For example, his arti- cle opposing Pentecostals was published as part of a tract series of the Baptist Theological Seminary in Riga (J. M. Haldemans, Svéta Gara kristiba un rundgana valodam, Seminara traktats Nr. 5 [Riga: Baptistu seminars, 1922]). ® Janis Tervits, Latvijas baptistu draudZu savienibas draudzes pasreiz (Riga: LBDS, 1995), p. 54. * Osvalds Akmentins, Amerikas latviesi, 1888-1948: fakti un apceres ({Boston]: Vaidava, 1958), p. 82. °° Cakars (ed), Teici to Kungu, p. 185. °° A. Méters, “Macitajs Péteris BuSmanis’, Kristiga Balss, no 8 (1970), p.104. 113 From reports of these visits we can gather that he was well received and that his speeches were traditional in style.” BuSmanis became more and more interested in socialism, and like many Western intellectuals, romanti- cised the Soviet regime. In a letter written in 1940 to pastor Adolfs Eglitis in Latvia, he glorified the USSR and referred to Stalin as a Christian brother. BuSmanis thought that the church should not emphasise ethnicity and should not stand against progress, but should be “this-worldly” and socially involved.” He regretfully stated, “Christian churches in the name of Christ have become worshippers of Caesar [...] Contemporary politicians have taken control over churches, and they are doing everything that the govern- ment requires.’”° Janis Daugmanis, after graduation from the Baptist Seminary in Riga in 1925, became a minister in villages of Ugunciems and Mersrags. He arrived in America in 1929 to study theology, graduating in 1931 from Eastern Theological Seminary with a Masters Degree in Religious Education.”! Later he received a Doctorate in Theology from Eastern Theological Semi- nary (1932).” During his studies, he led the Latvian Baptist Church in Philadelphia. (He had been elected already in 1928, before his arrival in the United States.) In 1937 he became pastor of the Boston Latvian Baptist