Chlo za Druga my imeyem? Nas On k zhizni probudil.
The Russian words were unfamiliar, but the tune the congregation sang was well known to the famous American guest: What a Friend We Have in Jesus. After his Moscow summit talks, President Nixon made a bit more history by attending services in the capital city's only major Baptist church. More than 1,000 worshipers, mostly blue-collar workers, crammed into the hall, and not only because Nixon was on hand. The church is packed every Sunday at each of three lengthy, enthusiastic services. On this occasion the brief sermon by Ilia Ivanov, chairman of the All-Union Council of Evangelical Christians and Baptists, was based on Paul's words in Galatians 5: 22: "The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace."
The mood and motif of the service gave no hint of the difficult situation of Baptists in the Soviet Union, many of whom are victims of government repression that is as bad as the better-publicized plight of Soviet Jews and dissident intellectuals. More than 500 believers have been jailed. Under the continuing pressure a deep schism has opened in their own ranks.
The Baptists and the similar Evangelical Christians, who collectively number at least 3,000,000* gained a foothold in Russia a century ago, when Western proselytizers converted pious Christians who were dissatisfied with the Orthodox Church. These groups have since spread all across the Soviet Union, drawing mainly farmers and laborers. Like Baptists in Western Europe and the U.S., they do not baptize infants but immerse persons who decide individually to become Christians. They enjoy biblical preaching and robust singing as much as they abhor drinking and smoking. They differ from Western Baptists by observing traditional church feast days like Trinity Sunday, the day on which President Nixon visited. More important, the All-Union Council uses district superintendents to supervise local churches and name pastors, while Baptist congregations in the West are autonomous.
Bar Children. The first Soviet constitution guaranteed freedom of religion. Though the government was officially atheist, the Baptists prospered more after the separation of church and state than they had under the Orthodox regimes of the czars. In 1929, however, Stalin cracked down with a stern, anti-religion law, part of which forbade religious education for anyone under 18.
During World War II, various evangelical groups formed the All-Union Council of Evangelical Christians and Baptists in order to centralize and strengthen their movement. Since then the government, with which all churches must be registered, has usually refused or ignored applications from newly formed congregations. It has also shut down many existing churches even for minor infractions.
The first crack in the Baptist community appeared in 1960, after the All-Union Council, undoubtedly under government orders, sent a stringent Letter of Instructions to district superintendents. The instructions barred children from attending services, and told pastors to discourage baptisms of persons under 30 and to avoid proselytizing. A furor ensued, particularly in outlying areas where believers thought the All-Union Council was already too compliant toward the government. Many churchmen also resented having no voice in selecting council leaders.