Journal of European Baptist Studies, 2007

that is why these years were crucial to his success at both managing the ministry and dealing with the communist regime’s repressive methods. 3. The leadership (1955-1980) In 1956 Strahil was appointed as the Baptist pastor for Macedonia and southern Serbia. 31 At the time, there were only between ten and twelve full¬ time pastors in the fifty-plus Baptist churches in Yugoslavia, so most pastors had a caretaker role in several churches, and it was these select few T9 who were involved in the leadership of the entire Union/ Upon returning to Macedonia, the UDBA was on his trail again. Political assassinations and persecution had eradicated most of the nationalists, and a decade of communist rule was establishing some sort of stability of the system. Thus, the authorities turned to other aspects in society considered dangerous - such as religious communities. Vjekoslav Perica identified that in successful nation-building there is a process of forming a civil religion, which he defines as ‘an alloy of myths, quasi religious symbols, cults, rituals, beliefs and practices that secure the nation’s legitimacy and convince the people that the system is good’. 33 It entails a myth-narrative about the national origin, struggle and martyrdom, cults of the founding fathers, liberators and heroes, and a sense 30 Grozdanov, Kratok Istorijat, 1988, pp. 21-23. 31 Hopper, A History of Baptists in Yugoslavia: 1862-1962, p. 161. 32 John Allen Moore, Europe-Whither Bound? (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1951), p. 132. 33 Vjekoslav Perica, Balkan idols: religion and nationalism in Yugoslav states idols (Oxford: University Press, 2002), p. 95. 28 Journal of European Baptist Studies of exceptionalism, success, victory and redemption. Perica translated this to the nation-building of Yugoslavia, a complexity of different ethnicities and religions, by the concepts of the myths of the partisan battles during World War II, the core value of brotherhood and unity, the cult of Tito, and exceptionalism through leading the non-aligned movement and sports. 34 Naturally, anyone threatening these myth-narratives, such as ethnic nationalists, was seen as a threat. In this regard, Protestants, and other religious communities, challenging the state’s unquestionable authority by their faith in the higher authority of God, were seen as offering a completely different worldview. Protestant communities offered an alternative to the dominant civil religion, which meant that they threatened the entire process of nation-building. Thus, in 1955, the UDBA recorded Grozdanov again in their files and labelled him as a danger to society because of his religious beliefs. He was to be monitored, threatened and, if not repentant, removed from his position. Whilst bigger churches, such as the Catholic and Orthodox, were experiencing pressure, the smaller communities ‘could be outrightly persecuted, especially those with direct links with th