For decades, the Russian Orthodox Church was persecuted under the Soviet Union's Communist Party. For eight years, Yuri Sipko ran one of the largest Baptist organizations in Russia. Now, 20 years after the fall of Communism he worries about the growing threats against the country's evangelical movement. ‘The government recently…
A gun battle on the Karachayeva-Stavropol border stirs fears of violence spreading across the ethnically divided Caucasus. Violence in that particular area has been less frequent than in neighbouring Dagestan, or Ingushetia and Chechnya where deadly attacks take place almost daily. One of the bombers behind numerous attacks has been…
The Russian Orthodox Church has ruled that hierarchs (church leaders) and clergy can run for office in exceptional cases when their presence is needed to fight ‘forces striving to use electoral power to fight the Orthodox Church.’ A document passed on 2 February by the Bishops' Council, which was meeting…
Three churches in a predominantly Muslim province in Russia were set on fire by arsonists early Monday. One of the buildings, an Orthodox church in the village of Ordzhonikidzevsky, was almost totally destroyed. An Orthodox church and a Baptist church in the nearby city of Karachaevsk sustained only minimal damage…
During the General Council of the Associated Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical-Pentecostal Faith, Mr. Pavel Gusev, editor-in-chief of the 'Moskovskij Komsomolets' (Komsomolets – member of the Communist Union of Youth)newspaper and chairman of the Moscow Union of Journalists, urged Christians to preach the Gospel in mass media. Gusev noted…
Even though Osama bin Laden is dead, the al-Qaeda terrorist group may be looking at expanding its war against the West. Accord to some terrorist experts, al-Qaeda may have its sights set on the North Caucasus region of Russia. One report indicates terrorists in the North Caucasus have been using…