FIRST, THE NEWS:

Share |

(Note: the "prayers" link in the heading will take you to this issue's "Prayer and Praise" list.)

RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT ASKS CHURCH FOR HELP IN FIGHTING AIDS
from Google News

(02 Dec) As the number of people suffering from HIV/AIDS continues to grow in Russia, government agencies are turning to the Russian Orthodox Church for help in stemming the epidemic, ministering to its victims, and fighting their stigmatization by society. In the latest example of such cooperation, officials in the Ryazan region, about 120 miles southeast of Moscow, announced on Nov. 30 that they have requested the local diocese's assistance in providing an approach to the crisis that is beyond the state's capacity.

"The problem of HIV and AIDS infection is first of all connected with spirituality," Sergei Safonkin, the regional head of Russia's consumer rights watchdog agency, told reporters. "That's why our branch has asked Metropolitan Paul of Ryazan and Mikhalkovsk to create a special department to deal with this problem. The experience of other regions has shown that the joining of forces of secular and religious institutions is very effective in fighting HIV and AIDS." [read more...]

KAZAKHSTAN: FOREIGNERS NOT BANNED, MERELY "RECOMMENDS REFRAINING FROM INVITING"
by Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service

(23 Nov) The organisers of a conference in Kazakhstan have been told that five foreign Protestant guest speakers could not come. Ershat Ongarov of the Agency of Religious Affairs (ARA) wrote stating that the ARA "recommends refraining from inviting" them. Ongarov insisted to Forum 18 News Service that religious organisations can invite foreign visitors to religious events under the new Religion Law. "We did not issue a ban on these pastors visiting", but he refused to say how else his letter could be interpreted.

Asked whether this was not unwarranted state interference in the freedoms of assembly and of speech, Ongarov laughed but refused to answer. ARA Chair Kairat Lama Sharif has stated that regulations to cover both foreigners and citizens engaged in undefined "missionary activity" and "spreading a faith" would "form a system of measures for prevention and countering of the destructive influence of several non-traditional religious organisations on the process of the spiritual/moral development of Kazakh society". [read more...]

PILGRIMAGE TO THE BELT OF THE THEOTOKOS IN MOSCOW IS UNIQUE EVENT IN HISTORY OF RUSSIA
from Interfax-Religion

(28 Nov) The Moscow Patriarchate official admires people who in spite of cold weather for hours stood in line to the Cathedral of Christ to venerate the belt of the Holy Virgin. "People who stood for 24 hours and more to venerate the shrine deserve the highest respect, they carried out the real feat of faith, they proved again that the faith has not died in our people, they love the Mother of God the Word, they know that she helps in various difficulties and supports people in good undertakings," head of the Synodal Department for Church and Society Relations Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin told Interfax-Religion. According to the priest, from information of headquarters staff who organize access to the shrine, he received confirmation that "the number of people gathered in one place is unprecedented in the history of Moscow and Russia."

"Neither Stalin's funerals nor revolutionary events of the early 20th century nor political meetings at its end can be compared to it," he stressed. The interviewee of the agency said that it was very good that people received help from city authorities that provided them with food and places to get warm and staff of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior as well as priests and volunteers who took turns near the line: "everyone who visited the shrine recall them with gratitude and warmth. Certainly, such an unprecedented number of people in one place can't be without physical difficulties, without offenses, without conflicts, but there were fewer of them that one can imagine in the framework of the first event of such a scale unprecedented in history," he emphasized. [read more...]

KAZAKHSTAN: "INFORM ON A DAILY BASIS BETWEEN 2 PM AND 4 PM"
by Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service

(24 Nov) State officials in Kazakhstan are continuing to make wide-ranging and intrusive demands for information from religious communities, Forum 18 News Service has learned. The local administration of a district in Almaty has demanded that local communities "inform on a daily basis between 2 pm and 4 pm about measures undertaken by your religious association in the struggle with religious extremism to the telephone number 235-1401. In association with this, in case of incidents of incitement of religious enmity and discord or calls for illegal acts by suspicious people, to report immediately on the given telephone number."

Unregistered and registered religious communities have told Forum 18 that they are facing raids, threats, and bans on meeting. Meanwhile the Council of Europe has invited Kazakhstan to become a full member of the Commission for Democracy through Law, or Venice Commission. Local civil society activists have called on Kazakhstan to send both recent laws restricting freedom of religion or belief for Venice Commission review, along with a draft National Security Law. [read more...]

REPS OF THREE LARGEST CHURCHES ISSUE ADDRESS TO UKRAINIANS ON ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE
from Religious Information Service of Ukraine

(01 Dec) On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the referendum on the independence of Ukraine, representatives of the three largest churches of Ukraine issued an address. The document was signed by the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate Patriarch Filaret, Patriarch Sviatoslav of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, and Vicar of the Ktyivan Metropolitanate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate Bishop Ilarii (Shyshkovskyi) at the Kyiv Mohyla Academy. In their estimations of the present situation, the ministers agree that the reason for the misfortunes is in ourselves.

The representatives of the churches stress that God gave Ukrainians everything necessary for life: fertile lands, the ability to work, cleverness and will. But due to a spiritual crises corrupting the society, we do not duly use those gifts. "Man is primarily a spiritual being. His outward successes or defeats are a result of good or erroneous spiritual life. This applies to the whole society. Therefore, let us not look for guilty parties outside, for the main reason for the misfortunes is ourselves, the spiritual crises corrupting our society," reads the address. The hierarchs stated that the crises can be overcome. Ukrainians should make spiritual things, not material things, the priority in their system of their values. [read more...]

LAUNCHING INTO THE MAINSTREAM
from Russian Evangelical Alliance

At church conferences in Eastern Europe two decades ago, foreign guests and their interpreters did most of the speaking - locals listened. But the tables were turned at "Forum 20," which convened in Irpen near Kiev on 18 and 19 November. All of the approximately 28 speakers were native to the former USSR; only of few of them were older than 40. "This is so exciting!" exclaimed Sergey Rakhuba, President of the host, US-based "Peter Deyneka Russian Ministries" and its field affiliate, the "Association for Spiritual Renewal" (Dukhovnoe Vozdrozhenie). "Young, bright, gifted leaders are now taking the leading role in planning and strategizing for the future. This is the main strategic focus of our ministry - to equip the next generation of Christian leaders."

Leaving a stuffy subculture and launching into the mainstream of society - that was the Forum's primary message. Most of the 170 theologians and church workers present believe that a "reformation" of this type is taking shape in the lands of the former Soviet Union. The generation of parents and grandparents will always be credited with persevering until the arrival of religious freedom. Yet the forced requirements of that time - existence on the fringe of society - had evolved into a virtue which believers were no longer willing to do without, once religious liberty came. It was stated that coming generations will therefore be required to launch forth alone into the midst of secular society.

OTHER NEWS HEADLINES:

ARCHAEOLOGICAL REMAINS OF MEDIEVAL CHURCH DISCOVERED IN SOZOPOL ON BULGARIA'S BLACK SEA COAST
from SofiaEcho.com

KAZAKHSTAN: NEW DRAFT REGULATIONS OUTLINE OFFICIAL RELIGIOUS CENSORSHIP
from Forum 18 News Service

BILL BANNING HOMOSEXUAL PROPAGANDA CAN BE PASSED AT FEDERAL LEVEL - KOZAK
from Interfax-Religion

REPS OF CHURCHES AND DEPUTIES TO DEMAND MORATORIUM ON PRIVATIZATION OF RELIGIOUS PROPERTY
from Religious Information Service of Ukraine

BIBLE TRUTHS FIGHT CREEPING COMMUNISM
from Mission Network News

PATRIARCH KIRILL MEETS WITH PARTICIPANTS IN THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FREEDOM OF FAITH
from Russian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate

See HOSKEN-NEWS Daily for more of the latest news!

NOW, OUR VIEWS:

The last news article above, "LAUNCHING INTO THE MAINSTREAM", contains the phrase - "the forced requirements of that time - existence on the fringe of society - had evolved into a virtue which believers were no longer willing to do without," speaking of the older generation of Evangelicals who lived under Soviet persecution. We find a similar idea in the last of our "OTHER NEWS HEADLINES," the article "PATRIARCH KIRILL MEETS WITH PARTICIPANTS IN THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FREEDOM OF FAITH" - "The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church noted that the cases of persecution and discrimination against Christian have become systematic. His Holiness believes that this religious community, the biggest in number in the world, finds itself in a vulnerable position. Secularist tendencies are a threat. The notions of moral standards preserved in the spiritual tradition for centuries are fiercely attacked. 'The absolutization of personal freedom to the detriment of moral responsibility makes Christians the enemies of political correctness which equates sin with virtue.'"

For many centuries the Eastern Church lived under persecution, first by Islam and then by communism. Both ideologies barely allowed Christians to survive, only letting them conduct worship within the four walls of their churches at limited, specified times, and forbidding any form of social ministry. This persecution mindset, especially of the older generation, needs to be overcome. As the "LAUNCHING INTO THE MAINSTREAM" article states - "coming generations will therefore be required to launch forth alone into the midst of secular society." It's time to break out of "making a virtue out of necessity," behaving as if it is more "spiritual" to bow to the dictates of the state that makes an absolute of personal freedom, trying to force a secularized, humanized worldview on all of society, including Christians. We must stand up and speak out clearly the Word of Truth to the world outside the church, not merely reminiscing about those martyrs for the faith while finding comfortable shelter in those four walls.

Selective Historical Amnesia

(To let us know what you think, please use the online feedback form!)

The article "BIBLE TRUTHS FIGHT CREEPING COMMUNISM" states - "A very small percentage of those who claim a Christian faith would hold to salvation by grace through faith and a literal heaven and hell." Here we see that a small minority in Russia believes that its interpretation of Ephesians 2:8, "For by grace are you saved through faith," i.e., that all we need is to believe in Jesus, is the only correct meaning. It might appear so from a literal reading of this verse, by accepting the etymological definition of "grace" as "a free gift" or "God's unmerited favor" ...but is this the meaning that the Early Church attached to "grace"?

Not at all! The Early Church understood "grace" to be God's healing, saving, sanctifiying and transforming power, often communicated through material means and actions. God's grace can be communicated by touching the hem of Jesus' garment, by touching Peter's handkerchief, by immersion in the waters of baptism, and by partaking of bread and wine transformed into Christ's Body and Blood. These events have been accepted as literally true by the Early Church and by historical Chrisianity for 2,000 years. So "by grace are you saved through faith" has meant for historical Chrisianity for the past 2,000 years that baptism and partaking of Christ's Body and Blood are the saving acts that we must receive by faith. But that small minority in Russia is suffering from selective historical amnesia, refusing to pay any attention to Early Church historical documents other than the New Testament.

This same "grace" as God's healing, saving, sanctifiying and transforming power that can be communicated through material objects is seen in the veneration of the belt of the Holy Virgin Mary, as it was taken around Russia. Some people might think that reports of people being healed by touching this belt are merely superstition or some kind of magic, but this displays a rationalistic mindset that excludes anything supernatural except what is found in the New Testament. It is just a small step, however, to also exclude the New Testament, and they're left with rationalistic secular humanism.

Here is another example of selective historical amnesia: In Acts 11:19-26 we read the story of some early disciples being driven out of Jerusalem by persecution, going to Antioch and preaching the Good News to the Greeks. When "a great number believed and turned to the Lord" the mother church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas, who invited Saul from Tarsus to Antioch, where they organized the first church outside Jerusalem. This passage ends with - "The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch." A "plain, literal reading of the text" might cause a person to conclude that those early disciples invented the term "Christian" in A.D. 37. But Early Church history tells us that Evodius, the second bishop of Antioch, was the person who coined the term "Christian." He served as bishop there from about A.D. 63 to 67, when Ignatius became bishop. St. Luke wrote the book of Acts around A.D. 70, so it's clear that Luke heard of the term "Christian" around the time that Evodius was bishop, and he simply added as a P.S. or a B.T.W. "The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch."

And finally, one more instance of selective historical amnesia: some Christians exclude from their beliefs anything that's not in the New Testament, as if the Holy Spirit became dormant in A.D. 93, after St. John wrote the book of Revelation. That St. John died in A.D. 93 is a historical fact not in the NT these people choose to "selectively remember." When they read about Jesus having brothers and sisters, however, they are not aware that "brother" and "sister" had a wider range of meaning, such as half-brother, half-sister, cousin or even uncle or aunt. But according to Early Church history, both Evodius and Ignatius were disciples of St. John, to whom Jesus commended His mother Mary. And both Evodius and Ignatius, who knew Mary, referred to her as "the Virgin," writing this before A.D. 93, while St. John was still alive. Of course, it would make no sense to call her "the Virgin" if she had other children by normal means. Do you think the Holy Spirit may have been still active, guiding Evodius and Ignatius in what they wrote, or do some people "selectively forget" or choose to ignore these historical facts?

(To let us know what you think, please use the online feedback form!)

  Please remember to pray for Christians in the former Soviet bloc countries, and for...

  Your fellow-servants,

  Bob & Cheryl

p.s. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.