Soviet Evangelicals Since World War II, Walter Sawatsky, 1981

e union and enjoyed fellowship with them, the pu va mes ae ; seemed to be that all should join the Moscow union. On another point conflict with Pentecostals, Robert Makish on a visit in 1976 was quoted a The Foreign Connection : 383 saying that foot washing should not be understood literally; it was expressed symbolically by serving your neighbor.® Foreign Pentecostals are not unaware, however, of the second-class status of Pentecostals in the union and would welcome more openness. The casual nature of Pentecostal relations to Soviet evangelicals is due to the fact that Pentecostals have a less developed organizational structure than do the Baptists, There are, therefore, a large number of Pentecostal in- dividuals who maintain close links with their fellow believers in the Soviet Union, including the AUCECB. Some well-known examples are’ Steve Durasoff of Oral Roberts University and Earl Poysti, the best loved of all radio preachers to Russia. A number of Pentecostalist missions have also developed active ties, 4. Other Evangelical Bodies. The number of evangelical organizations that have been invited to visit the Soviet Union is too extensive to recount here. The AUCECB early developed unique relationships with Slavic- speaking unions of Baptists and Evangelical Christians abroad. For example, the Union of Ukrainian-Russian Baptists led by Oleg Harbuziuk became a supporter of the Initsiationiki and the AUCECB attacked them in print for making false charges of nationalist discrimination against Ukrainians.! AUCECB relations are much closer with the Slavic Evangel- ical Baptist Convention, led by Alex Leonovich, and the World Evangelical Christian Fellowship, led by John Sergei. The Moscow union has also been visited by a number of famous evan- gelicals. Billy Graham and Oral Roberts visited in 1959 and 1960 respec- tively, but did not have permission to speak, but when Bill Bright of Campus Crusade visited in 1977 this had changed.®? Quaker theologian Elton Trueblood, another well-known individual, completed a speaking tour. Since Billy Graham visited Poland in 1978, Soviet Baptists have been negotiating for permission to have him visit their country. Considering the extensive foreign travel of AUCECB leaders, it was notable that no representative participated at the World Congresses on Evangelism held in Berlin in 1966 and in Lausanne in 1974. This is espe- cially striking when we consider that evangelism is the major practical expression of being an evangelical. Nor does the AUCECB have ties with the National Association of Evangelicals in America or the Evangelical Alliance in Europe. These organizations appear to represent interests which Soviet authorities do not wish to encourage. The fact that the National Association of Evangelicals has regularly issued anti-communist resolutions