Soviet Evangelicals Since World War II, Walter Sawatsky, 1981

lism fostering dramatic experiences of personal conversion, the Soviet Evangelical Theology 341 Keswick Ot ee transmitted to the Russian evangelicals a dispensational theology, including premillennialist eschatology." The dispensationalism of the Scofield Reference Bible had also been communicated to the Russians through associates of John N. Darby of the Plymouth Brethren, who played such a vital role in the early birth of the Evangelical Christian fuorenent in the aristocratic salons of St. Petersburg. Dispensationalism understood human history as divided into periods, or dispensations (usually seven), dur- ing which God dealt differently with His people. For example ides Christ's resurrection the church was living in the dispensation or grace drawing its guidelines from the Pauline writings, whereas the ethics of Tesus as summarized in the Sermon on the Mount were applicable to a later dis- pensation following Christ's second coming and setting up a thousand-year reign. Soviet evangelicals today are mildly dispensational.!! Their official statements on eschatology are also characterized by restraint. Russian Orthodox Influence These external influences from the believers’ church movement in Western Europe and America became mixed with influences from their own Slavic milieu, especially from Russian Orthodoxy. A thorough exami- nation of this influence cannot be undertaken here. It is striking to observe for example, that in the Soviet Union and Romania the evangelicals have experienced dramatic expansion in the 20th century, whereas in other Slavic countries the evangelicals, following initial growth, have remained rela- tively stagnant. To identify the reasons for this, a thorough study of evangel- icals in Eastern Europe needs to be undertaken. 2 Russian Orthodox influence is particularly apparent in worship. The Russian Orthodox Church has had very few outstanding theologians—it has never emphasized theologizing as became common in the rationalist era of both the Catholics and the Protestants. Orthodoxy is much more a religion of the spirit, where worship or liturgy is central. Russian Germans usually speak of Russians as unsystematic, unable to be orderly in the conduct of their faith, more influenced by their emotions. The apparent lack of concern among Soviet evangelicals that they are affirming doctrinal state- ments that are rationally contradictory may well be due to this Orthodox milieu. Theology is not as important as worship, In an Orthodox cathedral, Jesus as the Pantocrator (supreme ruler) looks down on the people from the central cupola, This image of Christ is not that different from the Calvinist image of God as judge.|Soviet evangel- icals, like their fellow believers in North America, emphasize very sel 342 Soviet Evangelicals S