Baptistic Theologies, 2009

ppended to a Confession of Faith, entitled ‘Rules of the confession of faith of the newly-converted Russian Brotherhood’. This document defined in ten short articles the main principles of the new faith community. Interestingly, the name of the confessional group was omitted in the text! Certainly, at this time, cohesion and solidarity were more important than confessional identity. In the next few years, however, important steps towards a Baptist identity were made. In 1873, Oncken’s Confession of Faith was translated into Russian. With this, the most important step towards a Baptist identity was made, and a bridge to Baptists in Transcaucasia was built. For the grass roots Stundist movement, the complicated and loaded-with-theological-terms document could present a reference point. In any case, this document showed to the government the proximity of Stundists to the established Baptist movement in the West. The next important point came in 1879 when non-Russian Baptists were recognised as a religio licita by the government. At this time many revival groups already considered themselves as Baptists, although their names differed. A common identity supposed not only a common name but a common faith tradition. This took time. The final steps from revival towards a common Baptist identity were made in 1882-84 under the leadership of Wieler, who managed to establish the first common structures of the national Baptist movement. He introduced annual conferences and an institute of itinerant preachers whose primary task was to establish regular church work in local congregations. In time, these ministers provided a harmonisation of worship, teaching and church-life principles between the manifold varieties of former Stundist groups. 29 Wieler, Mitteilungen, p. 11. 30 Text: ‘Pravila verosipovedaniya novoobrashchennogo Russgoko Bratstva’, Aleksil, pp. 477-82. 31 Savinskii, Istoriya, p. 314. 22 Baptistic Theologies The established Baptist organisation proved not only to have an exceptional viability during severe persecution but also outstanding capabilities in organising mission work. In this way, Baptist identity found its way into subsequent generations. Conclusion The Baptists in Russia consider themselves children of a revival which began in 1850, and gained full strength after 1870. The revival is commonly understood by them as a new beginning and in this sense it is applied to events that have taken place in succeeding eras. The source of Baptist origins in Russia was a revival among the German colonists in Russia with typical Pietist patterns, the first one (pattern) as being a thorough conversion resulting in joy and peace as a sign of a completed personal salvation. The second pattern was fellowship of the converted in addition to regular church services. Further signs of the revival were the sola Scriptura principle and last but not least a new Christian ethic. While Pietism amon