In Their Own Words

Volume 5 1989

These are some things I learnt from interviews with pastors in Eastern Europe, in their own words:

THE GREAT EXPERIMENT
“Satan tried a great experiment of a New Society — without God. This great experiment has been a great failure. The Communists promised us everything. Socialism would be heaven on earth, they declared. They blamed Christianity for all evil and they prophesied that Christianity would be dead in ten years. Now, 44 years later, they are coming to the church for help. For nearly half a century they have restricted us, harrassed us, imprisoned, tortured and murdered Christians. Now we must help the economy, help the atheists to obtain the needed Western contacts and medical equipment and trade. After persecuting us, they now want us to help with their propaganda. This is an amazing humiliation and reversal for Marxism.”

THREATS AND TRAPS
“The secret police have tried to entrap me with women and to torture me with electric shock. They said to me, “If we cannot get rid of you with electricity, we will kill you like the Polish priest — with a car accident.” But I am not afraid for my life — for I have given my life into God’s hands. So they have attacked my daughter, and my wife, sexually. I fear for my family but I do not betray the cause of Christ.”

COMPROMISE AND CORRUPTION
“When the communists failed to destroy the Christian faith, they tried to restrict our growth and limit the Christian influence. In this they also failed. Now their tactic is to infiltrate us and compromise us. Through threats and deception, intimidation and bribery, they seek to make collaborators out of the church.

The evidence of a true Christian is that you will hate sin, love Christ, love the Bible and love the Church. But most of the state-approved church leaders love power, control, bureaucracy and authority. They betray the uncompromising believers and collaborate with the persecutors.

When I went to the West to plead for help for our suffering churches, I was shocked. The Baptist World Alliance is so corrupted in the West — even worse than in the East. I was so naïve. I thought that they would be dedicated to pray for us and help us. Instead, in London I found the same spirit as in Moscow. Compromise. Pride. Bureaucracy. They sympathise with the communists — not with the suffering believers. I never want to have fellowship with the British Baptists again. They are socialists! With a statue of Spurgeon outside! Spurgeon would have thrown these communists out of the church. They are a disgrace to Christ.”