Baptistic Theologies, 2009

d the fruits of Delyakov’s and his colleagues’ work with Molokans of the second Don persuasion. Only in 1899 were they mentioned under their proper name. 19 As Molokans, they have usually been referred to in the Russian Baptist historiography. Savinski! is a positive exception here. 20 The next important element that has been almost unnoticed by Russian Baptist historiography is the development of the Evangelical Alliance. A contribution to this topic has already been made in an earlier essay in 2005 by Ian Randall; here a short report on traces in Russian sources follows. From the beginnings of the revival, the Evangelical Alliance took over the noble mission of defence of the persecuted Stundists. It seems that the first people to appeal to the Evangelical Alliance for help were the original German Baptists exiled from Russia in 1864. Their petition to the Evangelical Alliance was reprinted in the German ‘Missionsblatt der Gemeine getaufter ChristenV We may conclude that an appeal to the Evangelical Alliance was regarded as far more effective than a publication and prayer request in the paper of the brethren in faith in Germany. Several years later, Johann Wieler chose the same route when he searched for protection for persecuted Russian believers. Sometimes, the actions of the Evangelical Alliance or its members succeeded. However, the Evangelical Alliance offered far more than just a defender’s role. An important part of the Russian revival - the revival in St. Petersburg - has been considered as a model. This had already begun with the main evangelist in St. Petersburg - Lord Radstock who felt obligated to the principles of the Evangelical Alliance. This attitude was taken over by Colonel Pashkov, the revival leader, after Lord Radstock’s departure from St. Petersburg. From its beginning in 1874, the revival in St. Petersburg had no sharp confessional profile as had been developed with Baptists in South 15 Missionerskoe obozrenie [Missionary Review] (St. Petersburg, 1899), pp. 169-70; referenced in Savinski?, Istoriya, p. 156. 20 Savinski?, Istoriya, pp. 155-8. 21 I.M. Randall, ‘Eastern European Baptists and the Evangelical Alliance’, S. Corrado, T.Pilli, eds., Eastern European Baptist History: New Perspectives (Prague: IBTS, 2007), pp. 14-33. 22 ‘Siid-RuBland. Neue Verfolgungen', Missionsblatt der Gemeine eetaufter Christen, 6 (1865), pp. 92-4; 7 (1865), pp. 106-8, 107. 23 Wieler, Mitteilungen, 2/25/8, p. 15. 20 Baptistic Theologies 24 Russia. Pashkov avoided the direct creation of new communities - and tried to stay as close as possible to the Orthodox Church even at a time when the Orthodox Church already advised against him. 25 On the other hand, the Baptist-minded southern wing of the revival was suspicious about the lack of obligatory baptism demands in St. Petersburg. Nevertheless, Pashkov continued to follow his Evangelical Alliance line and even made solid financial co