(2 of 2)
Action Group. A well-organized reform movement sprung up called the Initsiativniki (Action Group). In 1965 the reformers formalized the schism by setting up their own church council. Leaders of the new council have been periodically arrested on charges ranging from holding illegal meetings to teaching their own children about Christianity, but the reformers have persisted. In 1966 they assembled 600 people from 130 towns for what was one of Moscow's biggest public protests since the Communists came to power. They began putting out several unauthorized periodicals. For the past 18 months they have even run their own clandestine publishing house, which has turned out 40,000 Bibles, hymnals and other religious literature. Last month 15 reformers staged a sit-in at the U.S. embassy to protest the demolition of their prayer hall in remote Central Asia. The reform movement is apparently flourishing, and has recruited young adherents. But it is impossible to estimate its size because its churches are largely unregistered.
Prospects are dim for either a healing of the schism or for government toleration of the reform movement. But the London School of Economies' Michael Bourdeaux, in his 1971 book Faith on Trial in Russia, maintains that the movement has given some leverage to the All-Union Council in its own, quieter struggle with the regime. One concession won by the council is that it is now allowed to run a correspondence course for pastors, the first formal Baptist education permitted since 1929.
* Compared with roughly 1,000,000 other Soviet Protestants, 3,000,000 Roman Catholics, and 50 million Russian Orthodox.