“Hardly
ever people have witnessed a more perfect and effective methodology for
liberating man from all moral constraints, from his sense of responsibility,
and turning him into a permanent incubator of evil.”
This is a quote from the Bulgarian Solzhenitsyn, the
dissident novelist and playwright Georgi Markov. It’s taken from his “In
Absentia Reports”, initially radio essays, broadcasted from West Germany by
Free Europe Radio, and having opened a window to the truth for the people
living under the lid of the totalitarian state. Because of this Markov was
assassinated in central London in 1978 by the Bulgarian Secret Services with
the help of the KGB-engineered “Umbrella Murder”. Long before the Russian Scripal
there was Markov.
Georgi Markov is one of many Bulgarian heroes for
liberty. He got murdered because he would not live in fear and lie. The same incubator
of evil he wrote about took his life but couldn’t silence him. Today his books
can be found at every bookstore in Bulgaria. This year, after a long struggle,
finally In Absentia Reports was
included in the literature course to be studied by Bulgarian children at
school.
Today Bulgaria is no more a communist state. We live
in a democracy. The freedom of conscience, the freedom of press, the freedom of
religion, the freedom of expression and the freedom of speech are all
guaranteed by our Constitution. Yet, in spite of this, now and then Bulgarian
politics remind us that the incubator of evil is not gone. We still live side
by side with evil.
One of the ramifications of this incubation of evil
was the fact that in the end of last year our parliament tried hard to violate
at least some of these fundamental rights. Christians in Bulgaria had a sad
reminder of a bygone communist past.
It all started with a Parliamentarian bill sponsored
by three political parties passed on first reading in October. The bill
supposedly aimed at preventing religious terrorism but actually violated the
freedom of religion, especially of the smaller denominations.
The problematic articles included a number of
disconcerting restrictions, including impeding clergy training; strict
filtering of international donations to churches; limitations on sermon content;
restraining liturgy to designated buildings; obstructing non-Bulgarians’
ministry; membership of 3,000 for legal registration; allowing special
privileges to religious groups over one percent of the population.
This triggered much unrest and many protests
throughout the country. At one of the protests in my city I spoke before the
people and said: “1132 years ago, the disciples of Cyril and Methodius – Clement,
Naum and Angelarius arrived as missionaries to Bulgaria and presented a new
religion to our pagan nation, Christianity. If our king had as advisers the
people who wrote the religions bill, their mission would have no chances to
succeed!”
Thanks to the peaceful protests, hundreds of letters
to the MPs, pressure from abroad and the prayers of the saints, most of these
restrictive texts were dropped out on second reading. Yet a few of these
clauses remained in the new law that was passed. How would this affect the
churches?
For now it looks like the evangelical churches won a
victory. The relative freedom we have enjoyed the last 30 years will more or
less continue. Bulgarian evangelicals can take a breath of fresh air. Yet, the
fact that we are taking the win does not mean that we are blind to the fact of
the totalitarian tendencies of the government.
According to one of the amendments of the religions
law, the Bulgarian Eastern-Orthodox Church and the Muslim religion will be
eligible to receive annual state subsidy of almost 10 million US dollars.
Moreover, with a later amendment the state tried, for now unsuccessfully, to
cancel a debt of the Muslim religion of almost 5 billion US dollars. All these
are steps to making the two main religions dependent on the secular government.
The question is, will the Eastern Orthodox
denomination and the Muslim religion be able to shake off political influences?
Will they be able to give back to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is
God's? Will they have the courage to stand up for justice and speak up for the
truth?
Other amendments are for the denominations to issue certificates to each of
their ministers and to register them with the Committee of religions, which
gets new and extended powers. Churches are to notify the Committee about every
foreign guest speaker.
All this is happening against the backdrop of a new
wave of persecution in the Middle East, India, Northern Africa and China, and
resurgence of nationalism in Europe. Would we have freedom of religion in
Bulgaria in the long run? Would new restrictive measures hinder the spread of
the gospel? Is the communist incubator of evil really permanent, as Georgi
Markov prophecied 40 years ago? Are we living again in Orwell’s “1984”?
The Bulgarian pastor dissident Haralan Popov remembers
in his book “Tortured for his faith”:
“At 4 o’clock in the morning, the doorbell rang, then again and again.
There were three strangers there – two were wearing suits and one a military
uniform. “We have a search warrant”, said their leader, then he pushed me back
and intruded into the sleeping house.
Within three hours they rummaged everything – books,
beds, cabinets, drawers. When at about 7 the sunshine shone through the window,
they ordered me to go with them for a ‘little inquiry’…”
Today, exactly 70 years after the verdicts were passed
on 15 pastors (March, 1949), many evangelical leaders are skeptical about the
goodwill of the authorities. As Vlady Raichinov, deputy chair of the Bulgarian
Evangelical Alliance says, “Once they were tapered by the clash with perpetuity
and lawmaking arrogance, evangelical believers share a sense of anxiety and
vague fears that the clouds are yet to thicken.”
What would it mean for us to work for spreading the
Gospel in this situation?
Our New Life FWB Church was founded 6 years ago.
Besides our Sunday services and Bible study group meetings, we have run more
than 100 evangelistic events with
hundreds of non-Christians attending and hearing the Gospel for the
first time. What about now? Will we still enjoy the freedom to do evangelism?
Will we be able to invite people and run evangelistic
initiatives at our churches? Will we be able to invite non-Bulgarian guest
speakers? To conduct Bible studies, English classes, Literature & History
Club, movie nights, Bread Houses and cardio checkups for the elderly? Will we
be allowed to invite kids to our summer camps and minister at the rehab center
and the Macedonian Culture House?
Will it be possible to hatch eggs of faith in this
incubator of evil?
Proverbs 4:16 For they cannot rest until they do evil;
they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
A couple of years ago we were conducting our English
Music and Sports Project for kids with the help of a CMP team. On the third day
of the 7-day project I got a call from a representative of the Religious
Affairs Committee at the city council who asked for a meeting with me. When I
got there she told me that we can’t conduct our vocal lessons at the Youth Hall
anymore although we had applied in advance and gotten permission to do so. So,
we had to do all the classes at our two church rooms.
Another time, after I went to advertise a kids project
to a group of teachers at a school, one of the teachers said, “We are Eastern
Orthodox believers” and almost ruined the whole presentation. Later we were
told that she sent a complaint to the Orthodox bishop of Varna and he wrote
emails warning all schools not to allow this person (i.e., me), to do sectarian
propaganda at their schools.
They really cannot rest until they do evil!
These cases of religious discrimination have been
unlawful but in spite of this have been the norm. Now they are already given a
legal sanction. Where will all this lead?
If the state continues to exert more control over the
church in Bulgaria it is possible that Christians would continue to emigrate to
places where they can have their unalienable rights granted.
At the same time, many churches would have to go
underground. Orthodox propaganda might increase and state control might grow. Foreign
aid might be banned. This might lead to a situation similar to what we had during
communism. Another wave of persecution against Christians would not surprise
the church in Bulgaria.
The most famous Bulgarian of all times, the leader of
the national liberation movement Vassil Levski, said that one day “all people
in Bulgaria will live under pure and holy laws as it is given by God for man to
live...
We want to be free indeed in our
land…” Our political leaders hang Levski’s portrait on the wall of their
offices but have forgotten his words. One hundred and fifty years later, it
seems that Levski’s dream of a free Bulgaria where God’s justice reigns is
still not realized.
Yet, if we believe that God is our King, no
restrictions in secular laws and no persecution should be able to hinder the
gospel. The question is, are we ready to pay the price?
As Christians we should treasure and defend our
relative freedom of religion today because God created us with this
“unalienable right”. Plato said, "The penalty good men pay for
indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men."
Once we paid that penalty and we are still recovering
from that evil. We may live now in the incubator of evil but this evil can
still be curbed with the truth of the Gospel. So, may God give us wisdom and courage
to defend our religious freedom and make sure all Bulgarian citizens have
access to the gospel.
Because, restrictions on religious freedom hinder people
from hearing the gospel and receiving the greatest gift imaginable, salvation
and eternal life.
We run the Christmas Child Operation, an initiative of
Samartan’s Purse. We would go to schools and institutions to give shoebox
presents to kids and share the gospel with them. After one such event was over,
a
woman came to Vanya and told her how much she liked what Vanya said in her
address to all children and their parents. They exchanged their telephone numbers and met a few
days later again. Since then they got along and started meeting
and became friends. Some months ago Vanya gave her a Bible and Polly said: “I’ve always wanted to have a
Bible, thank you so much!” Vanya invited her to study the Bible together. Since
then they have had many meetings. Polly is now a believer and member of New
Life Church. Religious freedom is
important because people’s eternal destiny depends on us being able to do
evangelism!
If the Bulgarian authorities continue to hinder by
legal means the witness of the church then I would consider it my duty from God
to resist and disobey the restrictive laws. The church should continue to do
her mission no matter what the incubator of evil tells her. We are in the world
but not of the world.
Pastor Wang Yi, pastor of Early Rain Covenant Church
in China, who was arrested together with many believers from his church, says:
“I believe the Bible requires me to, in a peaceful manner, in a gentle
rebellion and positive patience, full of joy, resist all administrative and
judicial measures that persecute the church and interfere with the Christian
faith.”
This should be a peaceful, non-violent resistance. We
will need God’s wisdom and creativity. We must “be as shrewd as snakes and as
innocent as doves.” And we will have to adopt new methods of doing ministry and
evangelism. As a last resort, we should go underground and meet at homes. Above
all, we should clothe our lives and ministry in Christ’s love and be willing to
give our lives for our Lord and Savior. But we should never desert our calling
to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Psalms 37:9 For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
Our hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Like him, we
shall speak the truth and will defend our freedom in Him.
And like the Bulgarian hero Georgi Markov, we cannot
live in fear and lie. To him belong the words, “Happiness is in freedom. The
freedom to be a person who is equal to all men, the freedom to have the right
to your own voice, your own face, your own life.”
And our voice should be of the One in whom we have
believed in.
John 8:31,32 “If you hold to my teaching, you are
really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you
free.” Yes, God can set us free even while living in the incubator of evil.
Free to hatch eggs of faith.
Let me finish by quoting C.S. Lewis who also has
something to say on the topic of hatching eggs: “It may be hard for an egg to
turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while
remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on
indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.”
May the Lord help us to hatch spiritual eggs no matter
how pervert and cunning the powers of evil are against us.
Trif Trifonov
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Seminar given at the National Convention of the FWB Churches in Cincinnati, USA on July 24, 2019.
