Soviet Evangelicals Since World War II, Walter Sawatsky, 1981

that their Bible was cither confiscated or they were refused one upon request. All of this shows that the Soviet state has a rather remarkable fear of one book which they like to claim is just a collection of useless myths, 2 J Soviet authorities have a similar fear of the Soviet evangelicals because they are above all a Bible movement. It is their intense emphasis on the Bi- ble as central to their faith which distinguishes them from their Orthodox and Roman Catholic neighbors. The Orthodox and Catholics maintain a high view of the Bible, but they also have a high regard for the accumulated tradition of the church and its theologians. Evangelicals acknowledge the 338 Soviet Evangelicals Since World War Il influence of tradition but emphasize it must be judged by Scripture. When Karev reported to the 1966 congress he drew attention to the fact St theological discussion was virtually unknown in their midst. The names o the famous modernistic theologians, such as Harnack and Bultmann were quite unknown and they were even unacquainted with the battle perdeen the old evangelical theologians and representatives of the new preoeadl When announcing the Bible correspondence course in 1969, Karev note that “a theological basis is what we have lacked the most.” The evangelical approach was to read the Bible and put into apt its plain and simple message. Karev pointed out that key 19th- an ae - century evangelists, such as Charles Spurgeon, D. L. Moody, Charles in- ney, and Billy Graham had no systematic theological education. Every Christian, he said, can be a theologian, becoming this through constant reading and study of the Bible and other spiritual literature.’ No formal theological structure developed although individuals were aggressive in ar- guing alternative interpretations of Scripture passages. The pennies evangelical theology that did develop is quite similar to the dare theology of English-speaking evangelicals. Its specific character has a the result of a variety of adaptations to Slavic conditions and mind-set an number of historical influences. ee ‘A survey of Soviet evangelical theology by means of the mie theological categories would therefore misrepresent the essential nature an function of Soviet evangelical theology. They are part of the so-called free church or believers’ church movement which still places greater value on biblical studies than on systematic theology. In articulating their theology, evangelicals speak about emphases or principles. Soviet evangelicals from both AUCECB and CCECB churches strongly affirm seven historic Baptist inciples. These principles are the following: Pe Seen books: of the Old and New Testament (ca- - nonical) constitute the fundamental confession of faith of Evangelical Christian-Baptists. 2. The church must consist only of regenerated people. ; 3. The covenants o