repression of Evangelical Christians is on the rise in Eastern Europe, especially across the former Soviet Union.
Eastern European Outreach (EEO) said its work was hampered by a crack down on Christians by security forces which allegedly included burning down evangelical churches as well as beating pastors and individual believers.
"When Communism failed in 1989, there was great rejoicing around the world (and) Christians rejoiced because they knew that Russia would be open to the Gospel (as) there would be no longer a need to smuggle Bibles behind the Iron Curtain," EEO said.
SHIFT
"Now, 15 years later, there seems to be a shift away from the glory days of religious freedom that followed the fall of the Soviet Union", EEO added in a statement monitored by BosNewsLife.
EEO, which provides aid and evangelizes to especially impoverished people such as families, children and prisoners, accused Russian President Vladimir Putin and other politicians of encouraging persecution by "making deals with the Russian Orthodox Church" as it "doesn’t want competition from Bible-believing groups."
Several Evangelical leaders have accused the Russian Orthodox Church of cooperating with the previous Communist regime, although several Orthodox priests are known to have suffered as well for their refusal to compromise, BosNewsLife established.
BUREAUCRATIC
"This time repression does not come as a result of government edict, but as a result of bureaucratic cronyism. Political expediency is smothering the flames of religious freedom," said the organization. This year it is unable to carry out some of its activities while it claimed that the Association of Christian Churches (ACCR) in Russia and other groups are still coping with the aftermath of recent violent incidents.
They allegedly include the firing of a Word of Life Christian Evangelical Church last year in the city of Nizhnevartovsk. EEO also said it had learned from the ACCR that local police "forcibly broke up the Spiritual Revival Center" in the City of Voronezhskaya, in August last year.
It said that "the pastor was beaten up and many people, including women and children, were traumatized both physically and mentally." In addition in Tutayevo City, the tent belonging to the Tutayevo church was burned up, the organization quoted ACCR as reporting.
BEATEN
"Two church leaders were beaten up with the metal sticks. An instigator was the Tutayevo Mayor’s Assistant, Mrs. Nesterova, in cooperation with 10 priests of the Russian Orthodox Church," during last years incident.
In addition church leaders have received fines and even prison terms for teaching children or other evangelical activities across the region, human rights watchers have learned. Other human rights groups recently reported the closure of evangelical churches or the sudden cancellation of rental contracts for buildings used for prayer services in Russia and former Soviet republics.
EEO said Russian President Putin "is creating much of the problem" by not only cooperating with those Orthodox churches opposed to evangelicals but also by downplaying "the role of Evangelical believers in Russian society." The organization noted that he even "revived the old Soviet national anthem, with new words, to give the people a sense of history and unity." from other parts of Russia.
UKRAINE
However it said the situation is brighter in Ukraine, where "the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is powerful, but at this time not so politically active." It also noted hope for the future of the Serbian province of Kosovo, following the recent election of Serbia’s apparently more moderate President Boris Tadic.
He told BosNewsLife recently that he was willing to negotiate about the future of Kosovo, which has seen clashes between extremists of the ethnic Albanian majority and minority Serbs, who are mainly Christian Orthodox.
Vienna based EEO Executive Director Jeff Thompson said he hopes that "even though we are seeing some repression now, it’s nothing like it used to be." He stressed however the "need to monitor trends" although he was convinced his ministry "is properly focused now and for the future."
