Eastern Europe Opening
5/89
The nations of Eastern Europe, after living in the shadow of Soviet domination for years, are now beginning to experience some of the same openness that the people of the USSR are finding under Mikhail Gorbachev's glasnost policies. And this new freedom is also being paralleled by unprecedented spiritual revival in these Eastern bloc countries.
Christian workers in Eastern Europe believe that 1989 will be a significant year for the spreading of the gospel in the region, according to the information service of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization. The optimistic prediction is based on the emergence of new ministries and the increase in political openness.
According to Peter Kuzmic of the Biblijsko Teolski Institute in Yugoslavia, one of Eastern Europe's largest evangelical schools, Romania has become "the Korea of Europe" in terms of its spirituality. "Literally hundreds of thousands have come to the Lord [in Romania] in recent years," Kuzmic told Christianity Today, adding that the church's growth has taken place against a backdrop of poverty.
The World Association for Christian Communication says that efforts are now underway to reach Muslims in Yugoslavia and to establish a ministry in Albania - which is one of the most repressive communist regimes in the world. The Albanian government claims to have wiped out religion within its borders, but Bible smuggling and secret church meetings continue.
The political situation in many of the Eastern bloc countries is now in what appears to be uncontrollable transition. Seventy-five thousand marchers snaked through the streets of Budapest, Hungary, in mid-March of this year shouting "Democracy!" It was the first officially-sanctioned street demonstration since political reform measures allowed for such peaceful protest. Meanwhile, in Czechoslovakia, similar demonstrations have occurred to protest the Soviet military presence in the country. In Poland, the Jaruzelski government and the Solidarity-led opposition agreed to hold elections for a second chamber of parliament which will include non-communist candidates. Jaruzelski stated: "Significant progress is being made to construct parliamentary democracy in Poland."
Newsweek reporter Christopher Ogden, commenting on the winds of change blowing across the region, wrote, "Whole segments of the East bloc, once firmly under the thumb of Soviet orthodoxy, are launched in headlong pursuit of a new political and economic order ... Not since Stalin slammed down the Iron Curtain four decades ago has Europe witnessed such ferment east of the Elbe as that unleased by Gorbachev's campaign to reshape socialist politics and economics."
Up one level
Back to document index
The Real Jesus: Who is the Real Jesus? Ever since the dawn of modern rationalism, skeptics have sought to use textual criticism, archaeology and historical reconstructions to uncover the "historical Jesus" -- a wise teacher who said many wonderful things, but fulfilled no prophecies, performed no miracles and certainly did not rise from the dead in triumph over sin. Over the past 100 years, however, startling discoveries in biblical archaeology and scholarship have all but vanquished the faulty assumptions of these doubting modernists. Regretably, these discoveries have often been ignored by the skeptics as well as by the popular media. As a result, the liberal view still holds sway in universities and impacts the culture and even much of the church.
|
This presentation explodes the myths of these critics and the movies, books and television programs that have popularized their views.
Presented in ten parts -- perfect for individual, family and classroom study -- viewers will be challenged to go deeper in their knowledge of Christ in order to be able to defend their faith and present the truth to a skeptical modern world – that the Jesus of the Gospels is the Jesus of history -- "the same yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). He is the real Jesus. Speakers include: George Grant, Ted Baehr, Stephen Mansfield, Raymond Ortlund, Phil Kayser, David Lutzweiler, Jay Grimstead, J.P. Holding, and Eric Holmberg. Ten parts, over two hours of instruction! Running Time: 130 minutes
|
| The Beast of Revelation: IDENTIFIED
Who is the dreaded beast of Revelation? Now at last, a plausible candidate for this personification of evil incarnate has been identified (or re-identified). Ken Gentry's insightful analysis of scripture and history is likely to revolutionize your understanding of the book of Revelation -- and even more importantly -- amplify and energize your entire Christian worldview! Historical footage and other graphics are used to illustrate the lecture Dr. Gentry presented at the 1999 Ligonier Conference in Orlando, Florida. It is followed by a one-hour question and answer session addressing the key concerns and objections typically raised in response to his position. This presentation also features an introduction that touches on not only the confusion and controversy surrounding this issue -- but just why it may well be one of the most significant issues facing the Church today. Ideal for group meetings, personal Bible study -- for anyone who wants to understand the historical context of John's famous letter "... to the seven churches which are in Asia." (Revelation 1:4) |
(Available in DVD only) $17.95 ORDER NOW!
|
INCLUDES A FREE Sixteen Christian leaders and scholars answer some of the most common questions and misperceptions related to this volatile issue: Download the free |
Perfect for group instruction as well as personal
Bible study. Speakers include: George Grant, Howard Phillips,
R.C. Sproul Jr., Ken Gentry, Gary DeMar, Jay Grimstead, R.J. Rushdoony,
Steven Schlissel, Andrew Sandlin, Eric Holmberg, and more!
Ten parts, over four hours of instruction! Watch over 60 streaming videos from God's Law and Society at:
Price reduced! |
| Amazing Grace: The History and Theology of Calvinism
Over four hours of instruction! Just what is “Calvinism?” Does this teaching make man a deterministic robot and God the author of sin? What about free will? If the church accepts Calvinism, won’t evangelism be stifled, perhaps even extinguished? How can we balance God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility? What are the differences between historic Calvinism and hyper-Calvinism? Why did men like Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon, Whitefield, Edwards and a host of renowned Protestant evangelists embrace the teaching of predestination and election and deny free will theology? This is the first video documentary that answers these and other related questions. Hosted by Eric Holmberg, this fascinating three-part, four-hour presentation is detailed enough so as to not gloss over the controversy. At the same time, it is broken up into ten “Sunday-school-sized” sections to make the rich content manageable and accessible for the average viewer. |
$19.95 ORDER NOW!
|
|
The Forerunner Forum is the discussion group for this web site. The purpose of the group is to engage in discussion about the articles on-line. If you want to discuss any article or video on this web site, visit The Forerunner Forum. |
| VIDEOS | WORDS | BLOG | DISCUSSION | WHAT'S NEW | ABOUT US | FEEDBACK | SEARCH | DONATE | JAY'S BIO | HOME |
For more information, contact:
| The Forerunner jrogers@forerunner.com |
|
P.O. Box 362173 Melbourne, FL 32936-2173 |
