Evangelical Christians-Baptists ( ECB ) - the main denomination , adheres to the Baptist dogma in Russia , Ukraine , Belarus , other countries of the post-Soviet space . It arose in 1944 as a result of the merger of two close confessions: evangelical Christians (prokhanovtsev) and Baptists [1] .
The total number of evangelical Baptist Christians exceeds 400 thousand people.
Title
The self-name “Evangelical Christians-Baptists” appeared no later than 1904, when the communities of Evangelical Christians from St. Petersburg , Kiev , Konotop and Sevastopol were accepted into the Union of Russian Baptists [2] . At the 1905 congress in Rostov-on-Don, the common name “Evangelical Christian Baptists” was finally approved [3] . However, this time the unity of Evangelical Christians and Baptists lasted only a few years, and the term “Evangelical Christians-Baptists” also gradually came out of circulation.
The active use of the term resumed after the final merger of the two denominations in 1944.
History
| External audio files | |
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| Interview with George Vince after his release and expulsion to the USA (1979) | |
| ( Radio Service of the Russian Service Bi-bi-si ) | |
| George Vince: Soviet pastor exchanged for spies | |
1860s - the emergence of the first communities of Stundists and Baptists from among the indigenous people of the Russian Empire .
The 1870s - the emergence of Pashkovites , who later transformed into evangelical Christians .
Since the end of the XIX century, these trends have repeatedly tried to unite. Both confessions were brutally persecuted by the tsarist regime.
1884 - the creation of the Union of Russian Baptists of South Russia and the Caucasus , which later changed its name several times. The majority of the Stundist communities joined the Union.
1911 - the organization of the All-Russian Union of Evangelical Christians .
The 1920s - the rapid growth of both denominations.
The 1930s - the elimination of the Union of Baptists and the almost complete paralysis of the Union of Evangelical Christians as a result of Stalinist repression against evangelical Christians and Baptists . Many believers (especially priests) were subjected to exile, imprisonment, or were shot.
1944 - the creation of the All-Union Council of Evangelical Christians and Baptists, a year later renamed the All-Union Council of Evangelical Christian Baptists (VSEB). Thus, the Gospel Christians and Baptists united in one denomination [1] .
1961-1963 - under the conditions of the Khrushchev anti-religious campaign, a significant part of the believers came out of the All-Union Library, accusing the leadership of compromising with atheistic authorities. Thus, an alternative union was created, now the International Union of Churches of Evangelical Christian Baptists (MSC ECB).
1992 - after the collapse of the USSR, the All-Union Security Council was reorganized into national associations of churches of the ECB of the newly formed states. In the Russian Federation, his successor was the Russian Union of Evangelical Christian Baptists (RL ECB) . The Eurasian Federation of Unions of Evangelical Christian Baptists (EAF EXB) has been established to coordinate the activities of the European Union of European Union countries of the CIS countries [4] .
Worship Services
Divine services (“meetings”) take place in churches (which are called “ houses of prayer ” by the ECB, according to Isa. 56: 7 , Matt. 21:13 , Mark. 11:17 , Luke 19:46 ), in the absence of such — in rented premises . The main worship service takes place on Sunday; during the rest of the week, as a rule, various meetings also take place.
The main part of the worship service is the sermon. During the Sunday meeting, one to four sermons are delivered, ranging from 10 minutes to 1 hour. Sunday services also include the singing of psalms, including the common singing of all present; recitation of spiritual poems; speaking with “testimonies,” that is, church news or stories about the actions of God in the lives of believers; and prayers (including the common prayers of all present).
The Lord's Supper is usually held once a month (usually on the first Sunday of the month), in addition - under special circumstances: congresses, conferences, fraternal meetings, etc., as well as when visiting patients.
Theology
A popular exposition of Baptist theology can be found in the catechization works “The Foundation. The beginnings of the teachings ” [5] ,“ Our Baptist Principles ” [6] and“ The Baptists Answer ” [7] .
The seven principles of the ECB
The main doctrinal beliefs of Evangelical Christian Baptists, based on Holy Scripture, are formulated in seven principles [8] :
- Holy Scripture - the books of the Old and New Testaments (canonical) are the basis of the teachings of evangelical Christian Baptists.
- The church must consist exclusively of regenerated people.
- Baptism and the Lord's Supper belong exclusively to regenerated people.
- Independence of every single local church .
- Equality of all members of the local church .
- Freedom of conscience for all.
- Separation of church and state .
General characteristics
Evangelical Baptist Christians share the orthodox positions of the Christian faith, including the unity of God; the Immaculate Conception , the sinlessness, the miracles , the crucifixion , the burial, and the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ ; The Trinity (of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit); the need for salvation for man; grace The church ; The kingdom of God ; The Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the Last Judgment .
Russian Baptists and Evangelical Christians (Prokhanovites) inherited the Arminian concept of soul salvation and redemption , similar to the views of the Molokans and Orthodox . Although the first “official” religion of the Russian Baptists (translated from German and adapted by V. G. Pavlov ) was Calvinistic [9] , from the very beginning the Arminian vector was outlined in Russian soteriological theology [10] . Later, Arminianism was reflected in the first (1966) and second (1985) official creeds of the All-Union Collegiate Organ .
Until the beginning of the 1990s, under the conditions of almost incessant persecutions, the own theology of evangelical Christian Baptists (as the Soviet and Russian branches of the world Baptist movement) was developing poorly. At present, there are very few voluminous generalizing works on the ECB theology, mostly theological studies are represented by scattered, scattered throughout various editions of small works [11] .
Articulation and defense of Arminian views and opposition to Calvinism are currently among the most relevant sections of theology. Separate issues of ecclesiology are also relevant: the autonomy of the local community and the understanding of the apostolic succession . In addition, biblistics has recently begun to develop [11] .
ECB Features
Lev Mitrokhin noted that not only theologians, but also secular authors are often mistaken, believing that dogma determines the character of moral ideas, self-consciousness and, ultimately, the behavior of believers. In real life, according to Mitrokhin, everything is more complicated: the character and priorities of religious settings are influenced by concrete historical practice, the real attitude of people, social disengagement in society, etc. [12] .
Thus, among the ECB, the characteristic features of Western Protestantism did not develop: the Protestant work ethic , the cult of enterprise and personal success, the desire for socialization . At the same time, Orthodox Christian ideas of holiness are close to Evangelical Baptist Christians: separation from the “world”, rejection of a secular career, and focus on church ministry [13] .
The theological worldviews of the Russian ECB are more emotional than the western co-religionists, which somewhat reduces the role of dogmatics in the life of communities and individual believers in favor of their own religious experiences [10] .
According to the Protestant historian and theologian Vladimir Popov, Russian Baptism is “a multidimensional blend of Russian and Western spirituality, an organic combination of Christianity of the West and the East” [14] .
Attitude towards other denominations
The principle of freedom of conscience is one of the seven principles of Baptism . Evangelical Baptist Christians are called upon to tolerate people with other religious beliefs without in any way offending their religious feelings [15] .
To Christians
Russian Evangelical Baptist Christians remember that they live in a country with a centuries-old Christian culture and pay tribute to the positive contribution to the history of the country from the Russian Orthodox Church and other Christian denominations. At the same time, they recognize themselves as bearers of sound biblical teachings and consider it necessary to share with other Christians the full Bible truth revealed to them [15] .
To non-christians
Regarding believers of non-Christian denominations, Evangelical Baptist Christians are encouraged to share the truth that God has given people salvation solely by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ ( Acts 18: 24-26 ). At the same time, the preaching of the Gospel should not have the character of aggressively imposing Christian doctrines. In areas not related to religion, Evangelical Baptist Christians are ready for dialogue and cooperation in any form that does not contradict biblical teachings [16] .
Ethics
The communities of evangelical Christian Baptists consist only of those who consciously and publicly accepted baptism. Norms such as refusal from the use of alcohol, smoking and profanity are declared. Believers strive in practice to show kindness and care to members of their communities. The duty of all members of the community is missionary activity and religious education in the family. Members of a community seen in sinful behavior are subject to punishment, including excommunication from the Church [1] .
Family
From the point of view of Evangelical Christian Baptists, the family is God's establishment, and the priority value is full, strong Christian families raising children in the spirit of the Gospel [17] . Marriage is only the monogamous union of one man and one woman. Divorce is highly undesirable. Many ECB families have many children [18] [19] , the practice of adopting children left behind by biological parents [18] is being promoted. Polygamous , same-sex , free, civil and all other marriages are unconditionally rejected as sinful [20] .
Church and State
In the relationship between the Church and the State, Evangelical Christian Baptists are guided by the words of Jesus Christ:
| so give unto Caesar and to God ( Matthew 22:21 ) |
where by Caesar is meant the State, and by God's nation is the Church. Thus, believers live simultaneously in two spheres, being members of the Church and citizens of the State [21] . Intervention of the latter into spiritual matters (the activity of the Church) is considered unacceptable, but at the same time, Evangelical Baptist Christians are encouraged to conscientiously obey the earthly laws of the state where they live. The personal participation of Evangelical Christian Baptists in elections and other political processes is not forbidden, but political performances on behalf of the Church or using its authority, as well as the participation of believers in armed insurrections and the use of force against the State, are unacceptable [22] .
Social activities
One of the important components of the Christian life of the ECB is to help those who need it. It can be at the level of individual believers, either churches or church associations.
The directions and forms of such assistance are varied. In particular, rehabilitation centers for drug addicts, alcoholics, newly released prisoners or people in difficult life situations created and maintained by Evangelical Baptist Christians are common. Other common directions are “hospital ministry”, during which ECB volunteers provide various assistance to patients at medical institutions, assistance to lonely elderly people and people with disabilities, orphans, etc. [23] .
In the community of evangelical Baptist Christians, a person does not simply change the worldview, but joins in the activities sanctified by the authority of Jesus Christ, be it visiting the sick, caring for a room, or helping the needy [24] . And regardless of his past and present position in society, he feels himself to be an absolutely equal member of the Christian community [24] .
Creativity
The songs and musical works of Evangelical Christian Baptists are reflected in the repeatedly reissued collection of spiritual hymns, The Song of Renaissance . Part of the hymns from the collection is a translation of church chants by Western co-religionists, the other part is written by the ECB itself [25] .
The literature is dominated by spiritual poetry and memoirs. Among them are the books by I. S. Prokhanov “ In the Cauldron of Russia ”, S. P. Liven “ Spiritual Awakening in Russia ”, Yu. S. Grachev “ In Herod's Abyss ”, G. P. Vins “ Gospel in Bounds ” and “ With the path of loyalty, ”N. P. Khrapova,“ The Happiness of a Lost Life, ”and others [26] .
Major Holidays
The main holidays of Evangelical Christian Baptists, like other Christians, are Easter and Christmas . They can be celebrated both in the Gregorian calendar , together with the Catholic Church and the Western Protestant world, and in the Julian calendar , together with the majority of Orthodox churches. The issue of the date of celebration is decided either directly in the local communities, or at the level of the regional associations of the ECB.
The harvest festival is important (celebrated at the end of August, September, October or November), “a solemn thanksgiving for the Lord’s harvest” [27] , “for all His gifts — earthly and heavenly” [28] .
In the second half of the 20th century, unity churches were widely celebrated in the churches that were part of the All- European Bibliographical Association (later in the RS ECB ). It was installed in 1945 to commemorate the association of Baptists and Evangelical Christians (Prokhanovites). Celebrated on October 27th [29] .
Historical dates are often celebrated, for example, anniversaries of churches or church associations.
It is recognized that, as a rule, some of the Twelve Great Feasts are not widely celebrated , which, according to the ECB, have a solid biblical rationale for them: The Meeting of the Lord , The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem , the Ascension of the Lord , the Pentecost (Holy Trinity Day) , the Transfiguration of the Lord .
Organizations
Church associations
The seven principles of the ECB contain the principle of the independence of local churches , however, it is permissible to have organizations that do not govern, but coordinate the activities of churches. Such organizations are usually referred to as “unions”, “councils”, etc. They are endowed with representative functions. The absence of rigid organizational unity does not contradict the Baptist theological ideas about the unity of the Church of Christ , since the Universal Church of Christ, as the mystical body of Christ ( 1 Cor. 12: 12-27 ), does not appear as a single hierarchical earthly organization [30] .
In 1944, the All -European Baptist Office was created, uniting most of the churches of evangelical Christian Baptists. Later, the All-European Biblical Column included part of the Pentecostal and Mennonite churches of the USSR. In the years 1961-1963, an alternative union was created - the Council of Churches of the ECB . In the early 1990s, after the collapse of the USSR , the All- European Union Academy of Arts was reorganized into national unions of the former republics of the Soviet Union, and the EAF-ECB was created to coordinate their activities.
In modern Russia, the largest religious association is the Russian Union of Evangelical Christian Baptists (RL ECB), the successor of the All-European Celebrations in the Russian Federation. Along with it, there are the International Union of Churches of Evangelical Christian Baptists (formerly the ECB Council of Churches, sometimes its members are called “separated” or “unregistered” Baptists), the Brotherhood of independent ECB churches , a number of small associations, as well as autonomous ECB churches that are not included in or community. Cooperation between the RL ECB and other Christian Baptist dogma organizations operating in the country is carried out through the Public Council of Evangelical Christian Baptists [31] .
Large unions, such as the RS ECB and MSC ECB, have regional associations in their structure.
Schools
In Russia, professional theological education of Evangelical Christians-Baptists is given by the Moscow Theological Seminary of the EKB , St. Petersburg Christian University , Novosibirsk Biblical Theological Seminary [32] , the Christian Center “Logos” - the Institute of Sacred Music ( Moscow ), Video Seminary of the Holy Trinity [33] , Kaliningrad Bible College, North Caucasus Bible Institute ( Cool , CBD ).
In Ukraine, 15 higher educational institutions (5 seminaries, 2 universities, the Academy of Music, the Institute of Management, the Realis center, as well as 5 colleges with undergraduate curricula), 39 secondary biblical colleges and institutes operate in the WCC .
Media
More than a dozen confessional magazines and newspapers were published by evangelical Christians (Prokhanovites) and Baptists in the Russian Empire / USSR in the 1900s – 1920s. During the period of Stalin's repression, their release was completely stopped (not counting the emigrant publications).
Since 1945, the magazine “ Bratskiy Vestnik ” has been published - the official list of the All-Union Celebrations (now published under the auspices of the EAF-ECB ). During the Khrushchev anti-religious campaign, the believers of the MSC ECB created the Christian publishing house , which produced an illegal samizdat : the magazines Vestnik of Salvation (now the Vestnik of Truth), the Bulletin of the Council of the Relatives of prisoners of the ECB.
A number of publications are currently being published in Russia, including the official organ of the RS ECB “Christian Word”, the journal of the Moscow Theological seminary of the ECB “Path of the knowledge of God” [34] (From 2013 to 2017 it was published under the title “The Bulletin of the Moscow Theological Seminary of the ECB” ). There is an information agency "Word for you."
Population and distribution
In the churches of the ECB fixed membership is accepted, which is reflected in the statistics. Thus, children and parishioners not baptized in Baptist churches are not included in the statistics. During the 52nd congress in 2008, the number of national unions of churches in the EAF and ECB was announced [35] .
| state | churches + groups | person |
|---|---|---|
| Ukraine | 2,876 | 134 757 |
| Russia | 1,810 | 75 160 |
| Moldavia | 580 | 22,000 |
| Belorussia | 259 + 53 | 13,093 |
| Kazakhstan | 279 + 263 | 10 053 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 64 | 3,000 |
| Uzbekistan | 29 + 31 | 2,735 |
| Turkmenistan | four | 500 |
| Tajikistan | 22 | 460 |
| Georgia | 75 | 5,085 |
| Armenia | 138 | 4,180 |
| Azerbaijan | 22 | 3,000 |
These statistics do not include data on the size of the MSC ECB , autonomous churches and associations of ECB churches in exile.
According to the MSC ECB , this association includes 2,964 churches and groups of believers consisting of about 68,000 members of the Church throughout the world [36] .
A significant part of the Russian-and Ukrainian-speaking ECB lives in foreign countries, primarily the United States, Canada, and Germany. Thus, in the USA there are 4 large associations of churches of the ECB (North-West, Pacific, East and Mid-West) with a total number of believers of about 60 thousand people [37] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 MitrohinL, 2010 .
- ↑ Baptist Magazine, 1925, No. 6-7, p.39
- ↑ History, 1989 , p. 512.
- ↑ Fraternal Bulletin , 1993, No. 1, p.78
- ↑ Sannikov, 2012 .
- ↑ Vince, 1924 , p. 1-83.
- ↑ M.V. Ivanov. Baptists answer questions . RUSSIAN BAPTIST . The appeal date is November 12, 2017.
- ↑ Brief comments on the seven principles of the ECB can be found on the PC EXB website , in more detail in the brochure of J. Y. Vins “Our Baptist Principles”
- ↑ Ivanov, 2014 , p. 62.
- ↑ 1 2 Ivanov, 2014 , p. 61.
- ↑ 1 2 Bokova, 2011 , p. 171-173.
- ↑ Mitrokhin, 1997 , p. 431.
- ↑ Nikolskaya, 2009 , p. 24
- ↑ Popov2 .
- ↑ 1 2 Concept, 2014 , p. 25
- ↑ Concept, 2014 , p. 26
- Vision and strategy of PC EXB , Baptist (December 22, 2008). The appeal date is November 13, 2017.
- ↑ 1 2 Russian Baptists have absorbed both the Orthodox traditions and the features of the Western attitude towards man . Interfax-Religion (March 23, 2008). The appeal date is November 13, 2017.
- ↑ P. A. Lunichkin . We help according to our strength and capabilities , Baptist (January 19, 2008). The appeal date is November 13, 2017.
- ↑ Sannikov, 2012 , p. 334
- ↑ Sannikov, 2012 , p. 375-376.
- ↑ Sannikov, 2012 , p. 376-384.
- ↑ Concept, 2014 , p. 76-78.
- ↑ 1 2 Mitrokhin, 1997 , p. 448.
- ↑ Preface // Song of the Renaissance. Christian Publishing House, 1978.
- ↑ Savinsky2, 2001 .
- ↑ Letter from All-CEB about the Harvest Day (1951) - Archive of the RS ECB
- ↑ Congratulatory message from ALL to All the European Communities in the USSR on the Harvest Day (1963) - Archive RS EXB
- ↑ Fraternal Bulletin , 1945, No. 2 p.5-6
- ↑ Vince, 1924 , p. 19-25, 35-45 - the principles of the third and fifth.
- ↑ Establishment of the Public Council of Evangelical Christian Baptists . Newspaper Protestant . The appeal date is November 12, 2017.
- ↑ RO UPROS Novosibirsk Biblical Theological Seminary of the ECB . nbbs.ru. The appeal date is November 12, 2017.
- ↑ The official site of the educational portal TVSeminary . tvseminary.org. The appeal date is November 12, 2017.
- ↑ The path of knowledge of God . Moscow Theological Seminary of Evangelical Christian Baptists. The appeal date is April 18, 2019.
- ↑ Dorofeev, 2008 .
- ↑ “ Fraternal Leaflet ”, No. 4, 2008 Archival copy of March 6, 2016 on the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Protestant, 03/28/2011 .
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