Rebuilding Russia
By Jay Rogers
Published May 2, 2008
Christian Political Reform in the former USSR
MOSCOW – Russia and the republics of the former Soviet Union must be rebuilt by the people of God. The only hope for lasting freedom for theformer USSR is to teach biblical principles for the reformation of society to the younger generation. To do this, we must begin with the new generation of leadership in the Church and teach these principles from the Word of God.
In April 1991, I first visited Moscow with the hopes of starting a youth-oriented Christian newspaper which would sow the seed of biblical reformation into the hearts and minds of the younger generation. At that time, signs of communism still abounded. I hoped to complete our first press run of 100,000 copies that year. The very day we were scheduled to print our first issue of Predvestnik (The Forerunner), a communist coup attempted to put Mikhail Gorbachev out of power. All newspaper presses were seized by the Soviet army. The coup failed and our newspaper was printed in late August of 1991 in Moscow.
Four years later, Russia is much better off today than it was during the time of communism. There is no doubt that reform is taking hold. Politically, Russia is still at a crossroads, but don’t believe the hype of the western press! The liberal press is distorting the truth and actually mourning the death of communism! It’s difficult to even imagine a reversion to hard-line communism here. The Church in Russia has a great opportunity to be on the vanguard of the social and political changes. Many of the young pastors realize that the Church has this opportunity to be a body of reformers which can rebuild Russian culture. This was the theme of my six week trip which took me to four cities in Russia in August.
- Christian Youth International Conference – During the last week in August, I participated as a workshop speaker in a Christian Youth International (CYI) conference in Yaroslavl. This conference marked an increased emphasis on outreach to the university campuses. Most of the institutes and universities in the former Soviet Union are completely unreached. Yet here is the very place where the future leaders of this society are being trained! If we want to change Russia, then we must change the university campuses first. One night, we went to Moscow State University and held a cell group meeting for campus leaders. Moscow State is to Russia what Harvard University is to America. Some of the top students in the world attend this university, including young people from Vietnam, China, North Korea, Mongolia, many nations in Africa, the Middle East and even Cuba. This is a strategic spot for evangelism and teaching of Christ’s liberating power for whole societies. We spent our time encouraging the Christian students to action and praying with them. At this meeting, out of the 24 present, two young people invited to the meeting by their friends gave their hearts to the Lord.
- Russia’s National Pro-life Movement – Present at the CYI conference was Elena Uteshinskaya, the leader of a growing network of pro-life ministry throughout Russia. The last day of the CYI conference was an eight hour pro-life seminar. This was extremely significant because in Russia abortions outnumber live births by more than two to one. Elena is very advanced in the compilation of statistics on abortion and has a keen understanding of how the abortion holocaust relates to Russian culture. In the initial stages Elena is educating churches in how to minister to women who are victims of post-abortion syndrome, to begin counseling women in crisis pregnancies, and organize a nation-wide prayer rally on November 23, 1995 to mark the 40th anniversary of the legalization of abortion in Russia. We want to help Elena get better organized in Moscow by providing some much needed computer equipment, and to train her to begin publishing pro-life literature relevant to Russia’s situation.
- Christian Political Party – Also present at the CYI conference were three candidates for the Duma (Russian Parliament) who are delegates of a newly formed Christian Political Party. The upcoming December parliamentary elections are crucial to the future of this nation. Russia has monumental problems, but Christian candidates will be taking biblical principles for reformation into the political sphere. These Christian political leaders see the Church in Russia (and especially the young student leaders) as potentially the most powerful and organized political force in Russia in days to come.
Even with limited resources, the Church can change Russia and all the republics of the former Soviet Union. God can give us the resources to preach the Word to the whole world from this nation. Will you be a part of what is happening in the great nation of Russia and the republics of the former USSR? Pray with us and believe God for a miracle that together we might rejoice in the Lord!
» » Pass The Word - November/December 1995
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Dr. Francis Schaeffer - A Christian Manifesto (DVD)
That Swiss Hermit Strikes Again!
Dr. Schaeffer, who was one of the most influential Christian thinkers in the twentieth century, shows that secular humanism has displaced the Judeo-Christian consensus that once defined our nation’s moral boundaries. Law, education, and medicine have all been reshaped for the worse as a consequence. America’s dominant worldview changed, Schaeffer charges, when Christians weren’t looking.
Schaeffer lists two reasons for evangelical indifference: a false concept of spirituality and fear. He calls on believers to stand against the tyranny and moral chaos that come when humanism reigns-and warns that believers may, at some point, be forced to make the hard choice between obeying God or Caesar. A Christian Manifesto is a thought-provoking and bracing Christian analysis of American culture and the obligation Christians have to engage the culture with the claims of Christ.
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Patrick Henry’s famous declaration not only helped launch the War for Independence, it also perfectly summarized the mindset that gave birth to, and sustained, the unprecedented experiment in Christian liberty that was America.
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This presentation is a similar call, not to one but many. By reintroducing the principles of freedom that gave birth to America, it is our prayer that Jesus, the true and only ruler over the nations, will once again be our acknowledged Sovereign, that we may again know and exult in the great truth that “where the Spirit of the LORD is, there is liberty” (2 Cor. 3:17).
Welcome to the Second American Revolution!
This DVD features “Liberty: The Model of Christian Liberty” along with “Dawn’s Early Light: A Brief History of America’s Christian Foundations.” Bonus features include a humorous but instructive collection of campaign ads and Eric Holmberg’s controversial YouTube challenge concerning Mitt Romney’s campaign for president.
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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)
Running Time: 145 minutes
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These any many other questions are answered in this documentary.
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Perfect for group instruction as well as personal Bible study.
Ten parts, over four hours of instruction!
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Watch over 60 on-line video interviews from God’s Law and Society.
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