Journal of European Baptist Studies, 2017

angelical theological reflection. Caleb Hutcherson, ThM Dallas Theological Seminary, serves at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (Beirut, Lebanon) in teaching and administrative roles, and is a research student at the International Baptist Theological Study Centre in Amsterdam. 116 For example, Sarah Nell Bolton, ‘Standing on Common Ground: Feminist Theological Methods as Applied in Christianity and Islam’, Modern Believing , 44.1 (2003), 27-39. 76 Journal of European Baptist Studies 17:1 (2017) Book Reviews Mary Raber, Ministries of Compassion among Russian Evangelicals 1905-1929 (Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2016), 274 pages. ISBN: 978-1498280709. Preaching, evangelism, or maybe publishing come to mind when considering some of the historical traits of Russian-speaking evangelicals. Mary Raber intends to add another word to consider which is miloserdie, the Russian word for ‘compassion’. In her recently published work, Ministries of Compassion among Russian Evangelicals 1905-1929, she traces the ministries of compassion across the Russian-speaking evangelicals’ formative years known as the ‘Golden Age’ of their religious freedom. Researching some of the key figures in Russian-speaking evangelical history, she discovered that they and their colleagues have poured sacrificial amounts of time, money, and energy into alleviating the suffering of others. She traces these efforts along three patterns: aid within the community, urban rescue ministry, and the establishment of economic communities. Raber begins with an examination of the aid provided to pastors and missionaries under the leadership of D.I. Mazaev, V.G. Pavlov, and V.V. Ivanov. From there she moves on to the urban ministries of W.A. Fettler who preached revival and cared for those displaced as a result of industrialisation. She then explores how foreign and domestic aid were used to care for the wounded, the orphaned, the displaced, and the starving during Russia’s civil war and years following. Finally, she highlights I.S. Prokhanov’s dream to establish economic communities to eradicate poverty as a witness of the power of the gospel to change lives and society. Preaching the gospel is arguably the primary trait of the Russian- speaking evangelicals, but Raber proves that within their preaching there has been the unchallengeable assumption that the gospel is the power that transforms lives and mitigates human suffering. The people, the attempts, and the ministries she highlights faced tremendous challenges and this makes their stories insightful and inspiring for today’s world. The book is a result of Raber’s doctoral research and it is chronologically structured, well researched, footnoted, and indexed. Her fresh research and translation of underused sources successfully fills the void that other writers have mentioned, but only to say that it is an area that needs further research. Raber has provided us with an exc