Soviet Evangelicals Since World War II, Walter Sawatsky, 1981

N. I. Kabysh, P. A. Artiukh, P. G. Rytikov, and S. N. Misiruk. (Ibid.) 44. BL, 6/79, Bulletin No. 71 and 66 and 67. Baturin was sentenced to five years, 45. Trial report in Bulletin No. 72 (1979). Cf. No. 69. 46. Nachrichten von den Feldern der Verfolgung Jan.-Feb./1980, pp. 8-5; Sept.-Oct./1980, p. 2. 47. BL, 4-5/79. 48, BV, 4/78, p. 31. 49, BV, 2/70, p. 40. 50. See, for example, BV 2/77, p. 70; 4/78, p. 44; 1/79, pp. 36-40, 51. Paraphrasing Karev, BV, 2/70, p. 75. 52. BV, 2/77, pp. 69 and 75. 53. BV, 1/79, p. 87. 54, Manuscript copy of General Secretary's report, December 1979, p. 34. 55. Ibid., p. 36. 446 Soviet Evangelicals Since World War II 56. BV, 1/79, p. 40. 57. On this problem in general, see Smith, The Russians, passim. 58. BV, 4/78, p. 35, 59. Ibid., pp. 49-50. 60. They were F. P. Virts and V. A, Shul'ts in Kazakhstan. In 1978 Traugott F. Kviring became the first full senior presbyter (for Central Asia) from German-Men- nonites, BV, 2/77, p. 61; 4/78, p. 34. 61. Ibid. 62. Ibid. 63. BV, 1/79, p. 64. The churches were Sorochinsk, Kuterkia, Podol’sk, Suzanova, Kubenki, Pretorii-Karagui, and Donskoi. 64, BV, 2/77, p. 64, 65. Ibid., p. 69. 66. Pravda, March 30, 1979. Cf my article, “Recent Evangelical Revival in the Soviet Union: Nature and Implications,” read at Second World Congress on Soviet and East European Studies, in Garmisch, October 1980. 67. BL, 4-5/76. That is Georgi Vins’ message since coming to America, al- though he is careful not to attack personalities. | We have experienced too much which prevents us from believing in Marx, either in the old Marx or the young one, or in the scientific or the utopian one. At its best, communism challenges us to a unity of the body but without the soul— but we want wholeness in its fullness. —Orthodox Youth Seminar _ in Soviet Union, 1979 16 The Evangelical in Soviet Society: Some Conclusions Will Soviet evangelicals succeed in convincing the Soviet state that they have something positive to offer in building Soviet society? At present it is clear that communist officials and Christians are ideological opponents. That will only change when atheism ceases to be a requirement for party membership and state and party are no longer fused. The majority of Soviet evangelicals have demonstrated political loyalty to the satisfaction of Soviet authorities. But so far Soviet evangelicals have said little about their role in Soviet society. Their primary achievement has been to demonstrate that evangelicals can exist, can even flourish at times, in an aggressively Marxist society. ; , One of the results of the increased Western and ecumenical influences, perhaps also of their own Bible study, will be to move them beyond an apolitical position that is content to maintain its religious ritual. Will they move further in the direction of an uncritical support of the state, or will they per