Between Persecution and Freedom, Wesleyan
Missions in Russia
Odilon Massolar Chaves
===============================
Copyright © 2025, Odilon Massolar Chaves
All rights reserved to the author.
It is allowed to read, copy and share for free
Article 184 of the Penal Code and Law 96710 of
February 19, 1998.
Books published in the Wesleyan Digital Library: 207
Books published by the author: 602
Booklets: 3
Address: https://www.blogger.com/blog/stats/week/2777667065980939692
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Translator: Google
All glory to God!
Odilon Massolar
Chaves is a retired Methodist pastor, with a doctorate in Theology and History
from the Methodist University of São Paulo.
His thesis dealt with
the Methodist revival in England in the eighteenth century and its contribution
as a paradigm for our days.
He was editor of the
official Methodist newspaper and coordinator of the Theology Course.
Copyright Statement: These files are in the public domain and are
derived from an electronic edition that is available on the Ethereal Library of
Christian Classics website. [1]
===============================
"Protestantism in
Russia has a long history of ups and downs. Until the early 20th century, being
a Protestant was a crime. Methodism arrived in Russia more than 120 years ago.
Depending on the political environment, however, it has had periods of growth
interrupted by times of struggle. Post-Soviet Russia has been more open. As The
United Methodist Church has grown there, so has the need for more trained
clergy."[1]
===============================
Table of Contents
·
Introduction
·
The origin of Methodism in Russia
·
The Rise of Atheism in Russia
·
Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 Persecutes the
Church
·
The Methodist missionary who opposed the
Bolshevik Revolution
·
A Methodist saint and martyr in Russia
·
The Resurrection of Methodism in Post-Soviet
Russia
·
The invasion and the consequences for Methodists
in Ukraine
· Religion as an ally of the Government
===============================
Introduction
===============================
"Between Persecution and
Freedom, Wesleyan Missions in Russia" [2] is a 49-page book that deals with the history of
Wesleyan missions and the persecutions and martyrdom of the Methodists that
began to happen after 1917 when there was the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia.
It is a story of faith, struggle,
persecution and survival of Methodists in times of Russian atheism.
There were several martyrs in
different Churches. We highlight some Methodist leaders who paid with their
lives for being witnesses of Jesus.
Victoria Smolkin[3], writer and teacher atWesleyan University, a member of the Faculty speaks
of "confronting Soviet scientific atheism with religion".[4]
We deal with historical facts and
write to form consciences and honor so many who have dedicated themselves in
extreme terms to the Gospel and the Methodist Church.
The research was, above all, on
social networks because we don't have so many books written about Methodism and
Soviet atheism.
Although the USCIRF (US Commission on International Religious Freedom) classifies Russia as one of the countries that most violates religious freedom in the world,[5] it is undeniable that there is more religious freedom in post-Soviet Russia[6] than in the period of atheism.
Because of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the two countries became part of the different Methodist Conference.
Subsequently, "the United Methodists of
Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Estonia began the process to leave
the main denomination," The United Methodist Church, over issues related
especially to homosexuality.
The Author
==============================
The origin of Methodism in Russia
===============================
It was Sweden's Methodist pastor
Carl Lindborg who initiated Methodist work in Russia in 1882. He founded the
first Russian Methodist congress in St. Petersburg in 1889.[7]
"It was in 1882 and in 1889
in St. Petersburg the first Russian Methodist congregation was established. The
people who served there were mainly from Sweden and Finland. It was still a
long way from the day when the Methodist Church was officially recognized...
The month of April 1905 brought
changes in the lives of Protestants, including Methodists. "The Manifesto
on Tolerance" was published in Russia. This document allowed Methodists to
work more freely." [8]
In 1906, a new impetus was given
to Methodism in Russia with the arrival of St. Petersburg-born Pastor Hialmar
F. Salmi. "He had a theological education, spoke Russian very well, spoke
the Finnish and Swedish languages. All this served as a new impetus for the
development of Methodism in St. Petersburg and the region. In March 1907 he
received official permission from the state for public works of the Methodist
Church."[9]
Also in 1906 another Methodist
pastor arrived, the U.S. missionary George A. Simons who went to be a pastor in
Finland and Peterburg.
In 1907, Dr. George A. Simons
became a resident pastor in St. Petersburg. In 1908, the Diaconal Bethany House
was inaugurated.
"Under the guidance of
George Simons, the intensive publication of periodicals of his Methodist
Church: "Methodism in Russia" and "Christian Defender"
magazine. Also some Methodist editorial editions: "Canonical Catechists",
"Doctrines and Disciplines of the Methodist Episcopal Church",
"Methodists: Who They Are and What They Want". Also published was
John Wesley's brochure "Character of Methodist". The St. Petersburg
magazine "Christian Defender" - is the first publishing organ of the
Methodist Church." [10]
In 1909, the Methodist Church in
Russia officially registered. It was given the name "First Methodist
Episcopal Church of Peterburg".
"The congregation united 132
people of 9 nationalities under the guidance of Pastor D.A. Simons. In the
house No. 37 tenth line of Vasilievskiy Iceland, in a rented place, daily
meetings were held that attracted the inhabitants of the city."[11]
In 1910, Methodists of different
nationalities already had more than 500 members.
The emphasis was on the social,
missionary, and educational areas.
"From the beginning, caring
for the poor, the sick, and those who needed help was an important part of his
ministry. Then, in September 1908, at house #44 on the third line of
Vasilievskiy Iceland during the time of cholera epidemic, the congregation of
deacons "Bethany" with the head of their mentor Anna Aklund began to
function."[12]
The opening of this congregation
became news in the capital of the North.
The early Russian Methodists
dedicated themselves to the missions and invested in China and the city of
Mariinsk. There was rapid growth with Bible studies under the leadership of
experienced ministers.
"In January 1911 in the city
Kovno (it was the name of the city Kaunas until 1917), the Methodist house of
prayer was inaugurated and in July 1912 the first meeting of the missionary
district of Russia was held. From that time the mission of Russia became the
independent branch of the Methodist Episcopal Church. At that time in the
northern part of Russia there were 13 preachers, 15 Methodist congregations, 9
Sunday schools (where more than 700 children studied), 2 chapels and two houses
of prayer that were in the process of construction. The first Russian preachers
appeared - A.I. Ivanov and N. P. Smorodin." [13]
When Russian-Korean farmers and
ethnic Koreans fled the Japanese invasion of 1910, the Siberia-Manchuria
mission was launched by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
"Methodism grew on the edges
of the empire. A large number of devotees helped build churches, schools,
clinics, and orphanages. Within these pockets of influence, there was great
hope for future congregations."[14]
There was a hymnal with 100
hymns: "In 1913, a hymn book was published containing 100 well-known hymns
translated into Russian. This was followed by a worship book in 1924." [15]
The Methodist Church was
developing well. "In 1914, in St. Petersburg, at the Bolshoi Prospect,
house No. 58 the building was purchased. In that place, on March 1, 1915, the
Methodist church was consecrated. Here was also located the Methodist Central
Office in Russia and the editorial office of "Christian Defender".[16]
The Methodist Church was
spreading to other places in Russia as well. "In the autumn of 1921, the
building of the Methodist church in Vladivostok was consecrated."[17] In the city of Nikolsk-Ussuriisk
Church schools for boys and girls were opened.
There were still about 40 places
of worship until 1927. Methodism had also arrived in Siberia.
"By 1927, there were forty
preaching places in and around Leningrad (as St. Petersburg was already known);
and there was also a Methodist presence in Siberia – due to the influx of
Korean refugees fleeing the Japanese occupation of their homeland (1910)."[18]
===============================
The Rise of Atheism in Russia
===============================
In 1917 the Bolshevik Revolution took place in Russia or the Russian
Revolution, which implemented atheism.
The revolution was based on Karl Marx, who claimed that religion was the
opium of the people. He created the foundations of the communist doctrine. [19]
Marx said:
"Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of the
heartless world and the spirit of the spiritless conditions. It is the opium of
the people."[20]
The emphasis was
on science rather than miracles: "In
line with Marxist materialism, religion being the opium of the masses, the USSR
wanted science instead of miracles."[21]
Therefore, after the 1917 revolution, missionaries, pastors and not even
God were welcome in Russia. More than hindering, they would be hindering
development.
"The blow to faith was severe since, of the 50,000
Orthodox churches in 1917, 1,000 remained by the end of the 1930s."[22]
Neither Buddhist temples, synagogues or mosques were left standing.
"The state atheism of the
Soviet Union was known as gosateizm, and it was based on the ideology of
Marxism-Leninism."[23]
The
formation of the League of Militant Atheists worsened the situation of the Churches. It
had "the objective of supporting, through propaganda and other means of
communication, the anti-religious measures of the government."[24]
But it was much
more than that, according to researchers.
"The League
of Atheist Militants, founded in 1929, assisted the Soviet government in the
murder of thousands of believers and their leaders. Many temples were converted
into granaries, storehouses and 'museums of atheism', while demonstrations were
frequently held that promoted the mockery of religion and the faithful."[25]
Christians
were persecuted throughout the history of the Soviet Union (1922-1991). "The Soviet authorities
suppressed and persecuted, to varying degrees, various forms of Christianity,
depending on the particular period."[26]
Lenin, Stalin and Mao Tse-Tung
carried forward what Marx idealized. that Marx:
“(...) the dictatorship that Marx idealized
for himself was carried out by his three most important followers: Lenin,
Stalin and Mao Tse-Tung, with incalculable consequences for humanity and at
this point they were all convinced Marxists. The Russian and Chinese communist
regimes had one characteristic in common, violence. Courtouis (1999, p. 7)
states that: [...] from the beginning, Lenin and his comrades were situated in
the context of an unforgiving "class war", in which the political,
ideological adversary, or even the recalcitrant population were considered –
and treated – as enemies and should be exterminated. "The crimes committed
by the communist regimes add up to about one hundred million dead. It is
estimated that twenty million people were exterminated in the USSR and
sixty-five million in China."[27]
Others claim
that the number was 12 million dead. "It is estimated that the number of
Christians killed by the atheistic socialist regime reaches 12 million. This
data is shown in detail in the documentary 'Martyred in the USSR', which shows
the atrocities of the regimes of Lenin, Stalin, Khrushchev and others."[28]
"The Soviet
Union vigorously embraced atheism as part of its political ideology, preaching
and actively acting for the extinction of all creeds and all structures for the
support and dissemination of religious ideas throughout Soviet territory."[29]
Professor Hector
Avalos[30] stated,
"The idea that atheism was responsible for large-scale terror under Stalin
is partially true. Atheism was certainly an element of the reason for
anti-religious violence throughout the Soviet era. The most important factor,
however, seems to have been political."[31]
History
professor Victoria Smolkin of Connecticut
Wesleyan University, USA, stated that "atheism prevailed in Soviet
ideology, especially in the 1920s and 1930s. However, religion never totally
disappeared from the life of Russia and the Soviet republics." [32]
In the late
1980s, the Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) collapsed.
Mikhail
Gorbachev had been elected in 1985 to carry out the
reconstruction called Perestroika to ensure the subsistence of the Soviet
regime, but it was in vain. It ended up contributing to the implosion of the
USSR.
"On
December 25, 1991, Gorbachev finally resigned as president as well, thus
recognizing the failure of his reforms and the collapse of the Soviet Union.
From then on, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was formed among
former members of the Soviet republics ,
which implemented the model of political representation according to its
reality."[33]
One day after
the resignation of Mikhail Gorbachev, on December 26, 1991,
the Union of Soviet Republics, the USSR, was also dissolved. [34] "The Supreme Soviet — formally
recognized the independence of 15 new states,
thus ending the
existence of the Soviet Union."[35]
With this, there was an opening
for the Missions of Christianity in different countries.
United Methodists prioritized the strengthening and development of congregations and church leaders in the former Soviet Bloc countries of Eastern and Central Europe.
===============================
Bolshevik
Revolution of 1917 Persecutes the Church
===============================
The revolution drastically
changed the fate of Russia and the Christian churches. In 1917, the Bolsheviks[36] gave rise to the Bolshevik Revolution.
"The Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 in Russia provoked different reactions among Methodists. Northern U.S. Bishop James Bashford lamented that Methodism did not spend more on missions in Russia, assuring that 'Russian democracy would have stood firm in the crisis provoked by the revolution.'"[37]“
Atheism became the official
doctrine of the communist party.
"To worship any god is ideological necrophilia,"
Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin once wrote to Maximim Gorky. In October 1917,
the Bolsheviks, radical Marxist atheists, seized power. Crushing religion in
general—and Orthodox religion in particular—was a central part of their
program. But the Bolsheviks never outlawed the Church altogether, 'only'
oppressing it." [38]
After 1917, Bishop Nuelsen of the
Methodist Episcopal Church even reported that the Soviets would no longer
interfere "in the worship of any sect that is not opposed to the
government. It was even decided that three Methodist Episcopal bishops would go
to "Moscow in April to present the social creed to the government for
approval and to cooperate in the work of the destinies of the badly
disorganized Russian Church."[39]
But history reveals that later, the Methodist theologian[40] and bishop John Louis Nuelsen (1867-1946),[41] who was born and lived in Switzerland, was called by Hitler's ministers to collaborate with the regime.
He was invited to visit prisons and talked to political prisoners. He then sent telegrams abroad protesting the British and American press for alleged allegations of atrocities. He later "visited the U.S. on behalf of Hitler to protect his church, but in private letters he indicated that he feared and hated Nazism, and he eventually retired and fled to Switzerland."[42]
The fact is that the emergence of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics "resulted in the confiscation of church property and the persecution of the Methodist faithful."[43]
Even the Russian Orthodox
Cathedral was demolished in 1930 by the Russians. It "was one of the most
notable sights in Baku. It was demolished in 1930 during Stalin's rule. Atheism
was the official
doctrine of the Communist Party. Despite aiming at the complete
extinction of religions, at first some churches were spared destruction and
arbitrary closure."[44]
But the Russian Orthodox Church survived this period.
"Even with the arrests and deaths of thousands of priests, Russian Orthodoxy still managed to reach agreements with Soviet leaders and survive the Bolsheviks."[45]
On the day of the celebration of
Christmas, December 25, 1931, the Methodist church that was located in the
Bolshoi prospectus, house No. 58, stopped functioning.[46]
The Nikolsk Methodist Church in
the city of Ussuriisk was erased.
In 1937, the Stalinist regime
ceased Methodist work in Russia.
===============================
The Methodist missionary who opposed the Bolshevik Revolution
===============================
George Albert Simons (1874-1952) was born in the USA. He was from New
York State and "was the first and only American missionary of the
Methodist Episcopal Church appointed as superintendent of the Russian
Mission".[47]
He was a pioneer missionary of Methodism in Russia and the Baltics.
Simons arrived in St. Petersburg in 1907 during the reign of Tsar
Nicholas II.
Methodist missionary work in Russia was growing with Simons.
"He succeeded in registering the first Methodist congregation in St. Petersburg in 1912, based on the registration of the Methodist congregation in 1906 in Kaunas, Lithuania, then part of the Russian Imperial Empire. Simons soon mastered the Russian language, and he established numerous congregations in and around St. Petersburg and as far east as Marinsk. Tireless worker, he developed an extensive editorial program of Methodist resources: hymns, periodicals, liturgies, discipline and beliefs, etc."[48]
Simons came to support the Belshevik Revolution, but later opposed it
and had to leave Russia in 1918. He testified in 1919 before the U.S. Congress
against the "un-Christian, anti-American terrorism and class hatred that
is the soul of Bolshevism."[49]
He warned the U.S. Senate of a "cruel," "hellish,"
"diabolical" and "Antichrist" regime, dominated by
"Yiddish" agitators with troubling ties to Jewish radicals in New
York.[50]
According to Simons, hundreds of Jews from New York were among the
"agitators." He stated before the U.S. Senate that "the Soviet
regime was made up of 16 real Russians and 371 Jews, and 265 of that number
came from the east side of New York."[51]
This fact was confirmed by William Welsh, an American banker who worked
in Russia between July 1916 and September 1918. He declared to the committee:
"It may be well to explain a little the general fact that most of the
Bolshevik leaders are Jews, in order to avoid misunderstandings. In Russia it
is well known that three-fourths of the Bolshevik leaders are Jews."[52]
"Under the tsars, the Jews – who numbered approximately 5 million
in the Russian Empire in the 1880s and most of whom lived in poverty – had been
confined to the Jewish Settlement Zone, where they faced prejudice and
persecution, often in the form of discriminatory laws." [53] They were frequent victims of persecution (...).
Simons had lived through an unhealthy situation in Russia after the
revolution. In July 1917, "after 'an unnerving reign of terror' prevailed
in St.
Petersburg for a few days, Simons had 'a
rather severe nervous breakdown'. [54]
In August 1918, Simons had already cabled the Methodist missionary board
saying that Russia had already suffered from untold agony under the terrorism
of Russia's socialism.[55]
He was very courageous. "When the Bolshevik Revolution came, Simons
at first welcomed it and sought to embrace it, but as he became aware of the
anti-religious stance of the revolution, he made many anti-revolutionary
statements which earned him the disfavor of the Soviet government. In any case,
he was forced to leave Russia in 1918, to his regret and against his
will."[56]
Simons was transferred to the Baltics, in Riga, Latvia. He had the soul
of a poet and was a pilgrim. He developed Methodism in the Baltics.
===============================
A Methodist saint and
martyr in Russia
===============================
Several lay people and Methodist pastors suffered, were persecuted, expelled, or died due to Russian persecution.
Among them, we highlight:
A Methodist saint from
Russia
Anna Eklund (1867-1949) was born in Finland and became a deaconess of
the Methodist Church in Russia.
Methodism began among Swedish immigrants in St. Petersburg, Russia, in
1881. From the beginning, Methodism cared for the poor, sick, and needy.
When
Methodist pastor Gorge A. Simons had to leave Russia because of his criticism
of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, "he left Sister Anna Eklund, who had
been assigned in 1908 to St. Petersburg as a deaconess of the Methodist
Episcopal Church Russia. She was assisted by the Rev. Oscar Poeld, an
Estonian-born Methodist Episcopal pastor who was assigned to St. Petersburg in
1921 by Bishop John L. Nuelsen and spoke Estonian, German, and Russian."[57]
In 1908, the Bethany Diaconal House was opened, headed by her mentor
Anna Eklund during the cholera epidemic. Anna was trained in Hamburg and
Frankfurt.
Caring for the poor, the sick, and those who needed help was an
important part of Methodist ministry. "Then, in September 1908, at house
#44 on the third line of Vasilievskiy Iceland during the time of cholera
epidemic, the congregation of deacons "Bethany" with the head of
their mentor Anna Aklund began to function."[58]
She and four sisters offered nursing care and humanitarian aid. In 1909,
the Methodist Church was legalized, and by 1910, there were 500 members in St.
Petersburg.
Methodism continued in Russia even after the 1917 Revolution, through
the efforts of Anna Eklund.
Anna is admired for her faithfulness, bravery, and her sacrificial heart
in her ministry to God and neighbor.
"Deaconess Anna Eklund did not spare her energy nor her health when
she ministered to people who were dying from thousands of hunger and cholera in
the 1920's. In the winter, many people had no shoes to keep their feet warm.
Sister Anna did the impossible to organize aid for the poor and sick of St.
Petersburg. She gave everything she had to save people's lives and care for
their souls."[59]
She was a unique minister. An orphanage was opened near St. Petersburg.
On December 25, 1931, the new regime in Russia closed the Methodist
church located in Bolshoi. In 1937, the Stalinist regime forced the closure of
the Methodist Church in Russia.
Forced to finish her work, Anna returned to Finland in 1939. But her
dreams came true: Methodism was reborn in Russia.
The Anna Eklund Prize was established for those who excel in pioneering
Methodist service in Russia.
A book was published about her life: Sister Anna Eklund, 1867-1949: A
Methodist Saint in Russia; Her Words and Testimony, St. Petersburg
1908-1931."[60]
Martyrdom
of Korean Methodist missionary
Kim Yeong-hak (1877-1933) was born in Geumcheon, Seoul, Korea. His family was aristocrat.
He had a chance encounter with an evangelical group where he heard the gospel message and repented. Kim became a Christian and a colporteur, spreading Bibles.
Then, in 1911, Kim "took up duties as an evangelist; he graduated from Hyeopseong Seminary, and in 1918 he was ordained a minister. He was chief minister of several churches in succession, including Jonggyo Church and Supyogyo Church in Seoul. In 1919, when the March First Independence Movement spread across the country, he was the pastor in charge at Yangyang Church in Gangwon-do. He was at the center of the Yangyang Mansei (Long Live Korea) Movement." [61]
For his activities in the movement, Pastor Kim spent three years in Seoul's Seodaemun prison.
In 1922, after being released, he asked for and served as a missionary to the Koreans in Vladivostok, Russia, for nine years.[62]
"From the early 1920s, the Methodist Church began missionary work in Manchuria and Siberia, primarily through the efforts of Rev. Yang Ju-sam. Many Koreans moved to these areas to escape persecution by the Japanese empire."[63]
In Russia, after the communist revolution of 1917,
the Churches were persecuted. Kim went to pastor the Koreans in Russia even
though he knew about the persecutions.
A film, "The Martyrdom," released in 2015 in South Korea, deals with the lives of missionaries Kim Yeong-Hak and Rev. Bae Hyeong-gyu (1965-2007) of the Presbyterian Church, in 2007, was kidnapped with 22 other Christian volunteers from the Saemmul Community in Bundang, South Korea, who had gone to Afghanistan to carry out humanitarian actions.[65]
===============================
The Resurrection of Methodism in
Post-Soviet Russia
===============================
After the fall of the USSR, the
Evangelical Churches and Methodism reemerged.
"When food shortages
threatened the population after the government collapsed, United Methodists
responded. In 1991, the United Methodist Relief Committee was designated as the
lead humanitarian aid agency by the Russian government."[66]
Since the fall of communism in
the early 1990s, United Methodists have placed a priority on strengthening and
developing congregations and church leaders in the former Soviet Bloc countries
of Eastern and Central Europe.
"The 1992 General Conference
approved the United Methodist Mission Conference of Russia; today, Eurasia is
the denomination's largest episcopal geographic area, spanning 11 time
zones."[67]
“(...) Despite all the
difficulties, the development of the Methodist Church in Russia continued with
new strength. This time, it happened because of missionaries from the United
States of America, Germany, Korea, and Liberia. They were Cristina Hena, Yong
Chol Cho and Susanna Cho, William and Grace Wornok, Tom and Nancy Hoffman,
Terence and Evelyn Erbely, Son Le Kim, Gerald and Natalie Tyson, Joon Sung Park
and Helen Park, William and Helen Lavlais. The Methodist Church of Estonia had
a great impact on the second wave of Methodism in Russia. The major centers of
the Methodist revival became Moscow, Samara, and Yekaterinburg." [68]
Pastor Yong Chol Cho established
the United Central Methodist Church in Moscow, which later gave rise to the
first Moscow Methodist Churches – Mytischy, Vnukovo, Perovo.
In 1992, Rev. Cho, along with
missionaries from other denominations, organized the work of United Theological
Seminary, where he studied the prime ministers of modern Russian Methodism.
"In 1993, the United
Methodist Church of Russia received state approval, confirmed in 1999 by the
Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation. The Church received the status
of a "centralized religious organization." The first Bishop of the
United Methodist Church of Russia was Rudiger R. Minor."[69]
In 1995, the Theological Seminary
of the United Methodist Church of Russia began its work. It was preparing
pastors and ministers for the church. Graduates of the seminary, starting in
1997, receive appointments and exercise pastoral care throughout the territory
of the former Soviet Union.
In 1999, the seminary's distance
learning course was inaugurated. It was headed by the rector of the Seminary,
Andrey Kim.
In Russia, The United Methodist
Church again began publishing in the periodical press and resumed publishing
Methodist books in the Russian language.
The Annual Conference of the
United Methodist Church of Russia was organized, in accordance with the
principles of The United Methodist Church.[70]
"According to the data
presented by the Theological Seminary of the United Methodist Church of Russia,
there are currently:
·
More
than 110 churches;
·
188
Sunday schools;
·
4
United Methodist Annual Conferences".[71]
The four Annual Conferences
include: Central Russia, Northwest Russia, South Russia, Ukraine and Moldova,
Eastern Russia and Central Asia and are divided into 11 districts (Moscow North
District, Moscow South District, Volga District, St. Petersburg District,
Novgorod District, Western District), Black Soil Central District, North
Caucasus District, Eastern District, Western District, Ural District, Far
Eastern Siberian District, Central Asia) served by:
127 men and women with
appointment, including: 37 ordained clergy, 38 commissioned workers.[72]
Opening up in post-Soviet Russia
Post-Soviet Russia has been
more open to religion.
Article 28 of the
Constitution guarantees freedom of thought and religion, as well as the freedom
not to profess any religion.[73]
But not everyone has the
freedom to organize in Russia like Jehovah's Witnesses and others because they
are considered extremists. "Europe's highest Human Rights Court is focused on punishing Russia
for violating the rights to freedom of religion of Jehovah's Witnesses."[74]
The fact is that "Protestantism in Russia has a long history of ups and downs. Until the early 20th century, being a Protestant was a crime. Methodism arrived in Russia more than 120 years ago. Depending on the political environment, however, it has had periods of growth interrupted by times of struggle. Post-Soviet Russia has been more open. As The United Methodist Church has grown there, so has the need for more trained clergy."[75]
According to Victoria Smolkin[76], a writer and professor at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, USA, "the return of religion to politics and public life in 1988 broke the ties between atheism and the Soviet state."[77]
Victoria Smolkin
wrote her first book in 2018: "A Sacred Space Is Never Empty: A History of
Soviet Atheism."[78]
Having some similarity with the theme of our book "Wesleyan Missions in the Time of Soviet Atheism," Victoria Smolkin's book "presents the first history of Soviet atheism from the 1917 revolution to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It explores the significance of atheism for religious life, for communist ideology, and for Soviet politics."[79]
===============================
The Russian invasion
and the consequences for Methodists in Ukraine
===============================
Millions of refugees, hundreds dead, a country under attack by Russia since February 24, 2022.
The consequences for everyone have been dire and for Methodists it is no different.
The origin of Methodism in Ukraine
Methodism arrived in
Ukraine before World War I, but Russia closed the Methodist churches and only
one congregation remained.
The resurgence of present-day churches in
"Ukraine began after the end of the Soviet Union, which brought an influx
and spread of United Methodist missionaries from the United States, Germany,
and Liberia to many of the newly independent nations in the 1990s."[81]
There are several united Methodist congregations in Ukraine, including Kiev, Lviv, Kamyanitsa, Uzghorod, Klarkiv, Poltova and Chernivtsi, "as well as the two Russian-recognized separatist areas of Donetzk and Luhansk."[82]
"United Methodists have congregations and mission partners on the ground in Ukraine, offering hope, support and help in any way they can."[83]
Ukraine, along with Moldova, is part of the Provisional Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church of Ukraine-Moldova led by Bishop Eduard Khegay.
"This episcopal area also includes the Central Russia Conference, the Provisional Annual Conference of Eastern Russia and Central Asia, the Provisional Annual Conference of Northwest Russia, and the Provisional Annual Conference of South Russia. These include the nations of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan."[84]
The consequences of the Russian invasion
With the invasion of
Ukraine by the Russians led by President Putin, many evangelicals fled the
country.
The Methodist pastor in Kyiv, Oleg Starodubets, said that his church's members are spread across nine countries, but he tries to stay in touch with members, especially by holding online worship.
Several Methodist churches have opened their facilities and temples to refugees.
Among them are: Methodist pastors Vasylli and Alla Vuksta in Kamyanitsa and Uzghorod have turned their churches into a home force for 40 refugees.[85]
SD and Methodist pastor Oleg Starodubets said, "Ministry with refugees is very difficult. People who have fled the war are depressed and are constantly in tears. Our pastors share love and good news about Jesus Christ with them. Rev. Vasylii and Rev. Alla are always an example of sacrificial ministry for me." [86]
Others, such as Igor Park, a Methodist pastor in Klarkiv, a city bombed by Russia, who resists like a heroine, stayed in the city to support the Methodists who could not flee. A brave and faithful man, as his district superintendent Oleg Starodubets said.
The help of Methodists from Romania, Poland, Slovenia and others has been instrumental for the Methodists of Ukraine.
The Methodists of Romania turned a hotel into a refugee care center.
United
Methodist churches in Romania sent medicines, food, sanitary items, blankets,
pillows, etc to The United Methodist Church in Kyiv, Ukraine. [87]
Pastor
Samuel Goia and Brother Bob traveled the whole day and crossed the
Romania-Ukraine border to deliver the collected items to SD Oleg Starodubets,
pastor in Kiev. The next day, they were delivered to the Methodist churches in
the Transcarpathia region, which organized shelters.[88]
A
Methodist facility in Romania took in 33 orphans from Kiev.
“(...)
the first orphans from a house in Kyiv had arrived at the Romanian border. The
UMC in Romania had given money for their escape. Filled with joy, those
responsible reported on Facebook: "33 orphans who fled Kyiv crossed the
border today accompanied by three caregivers! In Sibiu they will be met by our
colleagues Cristi and Thomas, coordinators of Phoneo Sibiu, and taken to
safety." [89]
"Reverend
Volodymyr Prokip in Lviv says that they are keeping vigil in their church, just
to be available for any support for people in need."[90]
Pastor Oleg said: "Kharkiv is the heroine city that has been under Russia's constant attack for 12 days. The city is badly destroyed, the infrastructure is paralyzed. But the Russian army has not been able to capture it. It is possible to see a lot of Russian military equipment burned around the city...
Many members of our Kharkiv church left the city as refugees and we welcomed them in western Ukraine. Some of the members were not able to get out and hide from the shelling in the underground.
Pastor Igor stayed in the city and continues to support the members of his church. I support the daily connection with this brave and faithful man by phone.
Please pray for Pastor Igor and the safety of his church."[91]
Pastor Oleg said that Pastor Igor is a man of faith and courageous.
And this is how many
Methodists have acted in Ukraine.
===============================
Religion as an ally of the
Government
===============================
If religion was once seen as the opium of the people, now it is seen as a great ally in the purposes of the Russian government, despite Russia being a secular state.
Russia's constitution guarantees religious freedom in the country, but the USCIRF (U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom) has ranked Russia as one of the most violating religious freedom countries in the world. The list also includes Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and six other countries, RFE reported .[92]
The justifications for the invasion of Ukraine are known, among them,
"stopping NATO's advance towards Russia's borders, protecting Russian
colleagues from 'genocide' or the unfounded claim of 'de-nazifying'
Ukraine".[93]
Patriarch Kirill[94] of
the Russian Orthodox Church offers other reasons, especially the defense of
Russian cultural and spiritual values in contrast to Western liberal values,
which includes support for gays.[95]
"Kirill
describes a world marked by excessive consumption and apparent freedom: In Ukraine a just war is underway — from a moral point of view — that serves to
protect the Donbass region that for years has been attacked by the forces of
evil, by a kind of Antichrist that advances and obscures traditional Christian
values. Behind the scenes of all this, the gay lobby moves, powerful."[96]
Patriarch Kirill sees
Ukraine as an integral and historical part of Russia and speaks of the
God-given unity of Ukraine and Russia. He denounced "evil forces" in
Ukraine who want to destroy that unity.[97]
Patriarch Kirill
speaks of a just, real war and gives a moral legitimacy to the invasion, which
is the choice between sin and holiness, with those who promote sin.
"Russian
Orthodox priests are blessing the tanks, and Ukrainian Orthodox priests are
blessing soldiers to fight Russia."[98]
According to the
Russian view, there is an attempt to restore the God-given natural order that
Ukrainians and Russians have always been one people, which Patriarch Kirill
reinforces in his speeches stating that the Western powers would be interfering
in the historical unity of Russians and Ukrainians.[99]
The fact is that
"Kirill is an ally of President Vladimir Putin, the relationship between
Church and State is so strong that the patriarch has already referred to the
politician as a "miracle of God".[100]
During a video call,
Pope Francis asked the Russian patriarch to avoid the language of politics.[101]
The Pope called the
Russian invasion a "war";[102] "perverse
abuse of power"[103] and "armed
aggression".[104]
The Russian patriarch
has refused to heed requests to seek an appeal for an end to the war. "The
president of the European Catholic Bishops, Jean-Claude Hollerich, has written
to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill in search of hope and asking
him to ask the Russian authorities to cease hostilities, seeking a diplomatic
solution and encouraging the opening of humanitarian corridors."[105]
The Archbishop of
Poznan and President of the Polish Bishops' Conference, Monsignor Stanislaw
Gądecki also wrote a letter asking the patriarch to intervene with Putin to
stop the war.[106]
But the Russian
patriarch's vision is quite different from that of other religious people.
According to him, "it is about human salvation, where humanity will find
itself to the right or to the left of God the Savior, who comes into the world
as judge and creator. Many today, out of weakness, foolishness, ignorance, and
more often because they do not want to resist, go to the left side. And
everything that has to do with the justification of the sin condemned in the
Bible is the proof of our fidelity to the Lord, of our ability to confess faith
in our Savior."[107]
Ukrainians are disappointed with
Patriarch Kirill. "It is estimated that 29% of Ukrainians are Orthodox
linked to Moscow. The unity of Ukrainians in defense of their country is almost
total, so many Orthodox Ukrainians who have Kirill as their leader were
perplexed and disappointed by his statements."[108]
The fact is that "members of
the Russian clergy fear being arrested if they question the current war waged
by Vladimir Putin's regime against Ukraine".[109]
The fact is that religion has
become important again for Russian leaders even to justify wars, which is
called an "operation".
Commemorating the eight years of
Crimea's annexation to Russian territory, on March 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin quoted the Bible when referring to the war against Ukraine.
He said of Russian soldiers in
Ukraine: "This is what I think, that there is no greater love than someone
giving their soul for their friend. We can see what guides us during the course
of this operation," Putin said in a speech at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.[110]
"I am ashamed of my
country and hurt by the loss of human lives. This is a disgrace. How many war
corpses must turn up in Russia and Ukraine for this nightmare to end?"[111]
Vytaly
Vlasenko, Secretary General of the Russian Evangelical Alliance, also sent an
open letter to all Christians, lamenting the military invasion of Ukraine and
apologizing. Vytaly Vlasenko is a Baptist pastor in Moscow. He "shares his
dismay and sadness for the victims, the material losses, the refugees and the
hard-to-predict consequences of an armed conflict like the one that has
unfolded in recent weeks."[112]
At the end
of the letter, Pastor Vytaly Vlasenko said:
"The Russian Evangelical Alliance has
provided humanitarian assistance to more than 500 refugees from Ukraine
stationed in southern Russia. We have started a roundtable and subsequent
international conference on the topic of military and political conflicts.
Today, as a
citizen and secretary general of the Russian Evangelical Alliance, I apologize
to all those who have suffered, lost loved ones and relatives, or lost their
place of residence as a result of this military conflict.
My prayer is
that you will find strength in the Lord to extend your hand of solidarity and
forgiveness, so that we can live as God's people for our world."[113]
===============================
[1]https://www.umc.org/en/content/theological-education-flourishes-in-post-communist-russia-and-eastern-europ-wsf
[2] Part of this book was taken from my books
"Wesleyan Missions"; "Faith, Solidarity and Martyrdom" and
"Submission and Resistance of the Churches to Nazism in Germany".
[3] Victoria Smolkin is an Associate
Professor of Russian History at Wesleyan University (Middletown, Connecticut).
She completed her Ph.D. at the University of California at Berkeley in 2010.
Her publications include: "The Confession of an Atheist Who Became a
Scholar of Religion: The Last Interview of Nikolai Semenovich Gordienko," Kritika
(Summer 2014) and "The Ticket to the Soviet Soul: Science, Religion,
and the Spiritual Crisis of Late Soviet Atheism," in Russian Review
(April 2014)." https://www.wilsoncenter.org/person/victoria-smolkin
[4]
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/russ.10726.
[5] https://areferencia.com/oriente-medio/russia-esta-entre-os-piores-violadores-da-liberdade-religiosa-aponta-eua/
[6]. "Referring to or belonging to a soviet;
sovietist. Relating to or belonging to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
(State formed in 1922, which existed until 1991, composed of 15 socialist
republics).
Totalitarian political regime that prevailed in Russia with the fall of the
also totalitarian regime of the tsars".
https://www.dicionarioinformal.com.br/soviético/
[7]
https://www.umc.org/content/ask-the-umc-how-are-united-methodists...
[9] Ditto.
[10] umc-eurasia.ru/en/about
[11] Ditto.
[12] Ditto.
[13]
https://umc-eurasia.ru/en/umc-in-eurasia/
[15]
https://oimts.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/2007-9-vidamour.pdf · PDF File
[16]https://umc-eurasia.ru/en/umc-in-eurasia/
[17] Ditto
[18] https://oimts.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/2007-9-vidamour.pdf · PDF File
[19] "Karl Marx (5 May 1818 – 14
March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist,
political theorist, journalist, and socialist revolutionary. Born in Trier,
Prussia, Marx studied law and philosophy at the universities of Bonn and
Berlin" - https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Marx.
[20]
https://filosofianaescola.com/politica/marx-e-a-religiao-o-opio-do-povo/
[21]https://isadoracalil.medium.com/ateísmo-soviético-ascensão-e-queda-e5298800ecb2
[22]
https://isadoracalil.medium.com/ateísmo-soviético-ascensão-e-queda-e5298800ecb2
[23]
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religião_na_União_Soviética
[24] "The functions of the League
of Militant Atheists were terminated in 1942 and replaced by the Association
for the Propagation of Political and Scientific Knowledge of the Whole Union.
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseguição_aos_Cristãos_no_Bloco_do_Leste
[25]
https://www.ligadonogospel.com/2013/04/maior-genocidio-da-historia-foi-contra.html
[26]
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persegui%C3%A7%C3%A3o_aos_Crist%C3%A3os_na_Uni%C3...
[27]
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseguição_aos_Cristãos_no_Bloco_do_Leste
[28]https://www.ligadonogospel.com/2013/04/maior-genocidio-da-historia-foi-contra.html
[29]https://www.publico.pt/2019/11/18/p3/fotogaleria/beleza-cartazes-antireligiosos-uniao-sovietica-398066
[30]
"Hector Avalos is an associate professor of religious studies at Iowa
State University, executive director of the Committee for the Scientific
Research of Religion, former editor of the Journal for the Critical
Study of Religion, and author or editor of nine books on biblical and
religious studies. He has authored Metaphysical Rebellion and published Atheism Was Not the Cause of the
Holocaust."
https://conapo.wordpress.com/2018/08/17/ateismo-e-o-grande-terror-na-russia-stalinista/
[31]
https://conapo.wordpress.com/2018/08/17/ateismo-e-o-grande-terror-na-russia-stalinista/
[32]
https://newsletter.blogs.wesleyan.edu/2021/04/02/smolkin-speaks-about-the-history-of-soviet-atheism-on-moscow-radio-station/
[33]
https://www.historiadomundo.com.br/idade-contemporanea/fim-urss.htm
[34]https://ensinarhistoria.com.br/linha-do-tempo/fim-da-uniao-sovie
[35]https://www.terra.com.br/noticias/mundo/5-razoes-pelas-quais-a-uniao-sovietica-entro...
[36] "The word
Bolshevik means "majority" in the Russian language. This word came to
be used at the beginning of the twentieth century to designate the most radical
members of the RSDLP (Russian Social Democratic Labour Party). This party was founded in 1898 and opposed the tsarist regime of Nicholas II in Russia
(...). The Bolsheviks were in favor of a radical change in Russia, with the
fall of tsarism and the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat,
through a communist revolution. For them, the new Russian government,
post-revolution, should be composed of a union between the workers and peasants
(...). It was the Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, who took political command of
Russia after the Russian Revolution of October 1917." https://www.suapesquisa.com/russa/bolcheviques.htm
[37]https:// juicyecumenism.com/2020/03/06/methodism-soviet-empire/
[38]
https://br.rbth.com/historia/82834-igreja-ortodoxa-russa-urss
[39]
content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,881374,00.html
[40] Bishop Nuelsen was the author of several books, among
them: Luther, the leader; Some recent phases of German theology;
John Wesley and the German hymn: a detailed study of John Wesley's translations
of thirty-three German hymns; Reformation and Methodism, etc.
https://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-no99-028273/identity.html
[41] John was born in Zurich, the son of Reverend Heinrich and Rosalie (Mueller)
Nuelsen. Heinrich was born in Nörten, Hanover, and became an American citizen and was ordained to the
Methodist episcopal ministry. He spent time in Germany as a missionary, and was later sent
to Switzerland to help establish Methodism there. He served
churches in Europe for 38 years. The family was originally from the
Netherlands. John was baptized by Bishop Calvin Kingsley." https://wiki2.org/en/John_Louis_Nuelsen
[42] https://www.thefreelibrary.com/A+Tale+of+Two+Leaders%3a+German+Methodists+and+the+Nazi+State.-a076751695
[44]
https/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religi%C3%A3o_na_Uni%C3%A3o_Sovi%C3%A9tica
[45]
htps://br.rbth.com/historia/82834-igreja-ortodoxa-russa-urss
[46] https:// umc-eurasia.ru/en/umc-in-eurasia/
[47]
https://books.google.com/books/about/A_Pilgrim_with_a_Poet_s_Soul..
[48]https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/13/opinion/angels-and-demons-in-the-cold-war-and-today.html
[49]
htpps://juicyecumenism.com/2020/03/06/methodism-soviet-empire/
[50]www.nytimes.com/2017/03/13/opinion/angels-and-demons-in-the-cold-war-and-today.html
[51] George A. Simons' testimony in the
U.S. Senate and the record contains: "Bolshevik propaganda. Hearings
before a subcommittee of the Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. Senate,
Sixty-five Congresses, third session and thereafter, according to S. Res. 439
and 469. February 11, 1919, March 10, 1919."
https://time.graphics/es/event/5699195
[52]
https://time.graphics/es/event/5699195
[53] https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antissemitismo_na_União_Soviética
[54] https://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/rss/25-4_353.pdf
[55]
Ditto.
[56]
https://archives.gcah.org/bitstream/handle/10516/6531/MH-2002-Janua...
[57] https://archives.gcah.org/bitstream/handle/10516/6531/MH-2002-Janua...
[58] https:// umc-eurasia.ru/en/umc-in-eurasia/
[59]
https://christonthemountaintop.org/anna-eklund-and-methodist-mission-in/
[60] Search: http://www.gracerussia.org/news
http://oimts.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/2007-9-vidamour.pdf
[61]
www.kukmindaily.co.kr/article/view.asp?page=&arcid=0009745248
[62] Today it is "the largest port city of the Russian
Federation on the Pacific Ocean, and the administrative center of Primorsky
Krai, belonging to the Far Eastern Federal District."
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladivostoque.
[63]
www.kukmindaily.co.kr/article/view.asp?page=&arcid=0009745248
[64] Ditto.
[65]
https://portasabertas.org.br/noticias/cristaos-perseguidos/noticia3770
[66]
http://umnews.org/en/news/united-methodists-reclaim-rich-russian-history
[67]https://www.umc.org/en/content/theological-education-flourishes-in-post-communist-russia-and-eastern-europ-wsf
[68] umc-eurasia.ru/en/about
[69] Ditto.
[70]https:// umc-eurasia.ru/en/about
[71] https://
lifeofasoul.com/resources/russianchurches
[72]https:// lifeofasoul.com/resources/russianchurches
[73]
www.gazetadopovo.com.br/justica/sob-perseguicao-grupos-religiosos-na-russi...
[74]https://guiame.com.br/gospel/mundo-cristao/russia-e-punida-por-violacoes-de-liberdade-religiosa-contra-testemunhas-de-jeova.html
[75]https://www.umc.org/en/content/theological-education-flourishes-in-post-communist-russia-and-eastern-europ-wsf
[76] Victoria Smolkin is Associate Professor of Russian
History at Wesleyan University (Middletown, Connecticut). She completed her
Ph.D. at the University of California at Berkeley in 2010. Her publications
include: "The Confession of an Atheist Who Became a Scholar of Religion:
The Last Interview of Nikolai Semenovich Gordienko," Kritika (Summer 2014) and "The Ticket to the
Soviet Soul: Science, Religion, and the Spiritual Crisis of Late Soviet
Atheism," in Russian Review (April 2014). https://www.wilsoncenter.org/person/victoria-smolkin
[77]https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/victoria-smolkin-history-soviet-atheism
[78]Ditto.
[79]https://vsmoklin.faculty.wesleyan.edu
[80]https:// www.umc.org/en/content/ask-the-umc-how-are-united-methodists-present-in-ukraine
[81]Ditto.
[82] Ditto.
[84]
www.umc.org/en/content/ask-the-umc-how-are-united-methodists-present-in-ukraine
[85] https://www.facebook.com/oleg.starodubets
[86] Ditto.
[87] https://www.facebook.com/oleg.starodubets
[88]https://www.umnews.org/en/news/united-methodists-in-and-near-ukraine-help-refugees
[89]https:// www.umc-cse.org/en/liste_552612-957756/rescue-operation-for-ukrainian-orphans-in-romania.html. Source: Cristian Istrate, Sibiu / Sigmar Friedrich, Zurich
[90]
https://www.marshillumcnc.org/blog/thoughts-on-ukraine
[91] https://www.facebook.com/oleg.starodubets
[92]
https://areferencia.com/oriente-medio/russia-esta-entre-os-piores-violadores-da-liberdade-religiosa-aponta-eua/
[93]
https://krdo.com/news/2022/03/14/in-putins-vision-for-the-world-a-medieval-narrative-resurfaces/
[94] Kirill comes from what 69 years ago was
Leningrad, and his name was Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundjaev –
https://ihu.unisinos.br/185-noticias/noticias-2016/551592-quem-e-kirill-o-controverso-patriarca-de-todas-as-russias
[95]
https://krdo.com/news/2022/03/14/in-putins-vision-for-the-world-a-medieval-narrative-resurfaces/
[96]
https://www.paulopes.com.br/2022/03/patriarca-kirill-diz-que-guerra-sera.html#.YjS9h4_MK3A
[97]
https://krdo.com/news/2022/03/14/in-putins-vision-for-the-world-a-medieval-narrative-resurfaces/
[98]
https://www.paulopes.com.br/2022/02/igreja-ortodoxa-da-russia-abencoa.html#.YjXS-k3MK3A
[99]
https://krdo.com/news/2022/03/14/in-putins-vision-for-the-world-a-medieval-narrative-resurfaces/
[100]
https://overbo.news/igreja-ortodoxa-governo-lei-religiao/
[101]
htpps://www.opovo.com.br/noticias/mundo/2022/03/16/papa-pediu-que-patriarca-russo-evite-a-linguagem-da-politica-vaticano.html
[102]
https://extra.globo.com/noticias/mundo/papa-contradiz-putin-chama-invasao-da-ucrania-de-guerra-lamenta-rios-de-sangue-25421279.html
[103]
https://br.noticias.yahoo.com/papa-francisco-chama-posição-russa.
[104]
https://noticias.uol.com.br/ultimas-noticias/reuters/2022/03/13/em.
[105]
https://www.vaticannews.va/pt/igreja/news/2022-03/cartamhollerich-a-kirill-pelo-fim-da-guerra-ucrania.html
[106]
https://www.acidigital.com/noticias/arcebispo-catolico-ao-patriarca-russo-kirill-peca-a-putin-que-pare-a-guerra-na-ucrania-79577
[107]
https://www.paulopes.com.br/2022/03/patriarca-kirill-diz-que-guerra-sera.html#.YjS9h4_MK3A
[108]
https://gaudiumpress.org/content/arcebispo-ortodoxo-ucraniano-invectiva-patriarca-ortodoxo-kirill-de-moscou/
[109]
https://pt.aleteia.org/2022/03/16/a-sombra-da-uniao-sovietica-sobre-a-igreja-na-russia-de-hoje/
[110]
https://juremaemfoco.com/2022/03/18/putin-cita-biblia-ao-defender-invasao-e-diz-estar-salvando-a-ucrania/
[111]
htps://www.calpacumc.org/news/united-methodists-respond-to-invasion-of-ukraine-um-news/
[112]
https://pleno.news/opiniao/lawrence-maximo/lider-da-alianca-evangelica-russa-como-cidadao-peco-desculpas-a-todos.html
[113]
https://pleno.news/opiniao/lawrence-maximo/lider-da-alianca-evangelica-russa-como-cidadao-peco-desculpas-a-todos.html
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