Freedom of religion and the spread of the gospel

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

“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’…”

Thank God, this is not a story of the present. But it is not fiction either. It’s a real story. This took place in the life of a Bulgarian pastor, Haralan Popov, in the first years of the communist regime.

But now the situation is very different, someone would say. Now we live in a democracy, none of these things happen. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by our Constitution: “All citizens shall be equal before the law. There shall be no privileges or restriction of rights on the grounds of race, national or social origin, ethnic self-identity, sex, religion…” (Article 6); “The practicing of any religion shall be unrestricted. (2) Religious institutions shall be separate from the State.” (Article 13)

Yet, in the last three months our parliament tried hard to violate 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.

When I am writing this the bill has already been passed on second reading. 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. Yet a few of these clauses remained in the new law. How would this affect the churches?

For now it looks like the evangelical churches won a victory. The relative freedom we have enjoyed 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.

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?

Opinions are split. Many fear that the Church won’t be able to do the Great Commission. Our wings will be cut off and we won’t be able to fly to the unreached; our legs will be amputated to go to the needy, our hands will be broken to reach the hungry.

Indeed, we have seen this in our history. During communism the Church survived but didn’t thrive. She was deprived of its best leaders, had no access to the public arena, and evangelism was a risky business. I myself learned about the existence of the evangelical churches only after the fall of communism.

On the other hand, there are other voices saying that the Church needs to be shaken up and sifted, so that the chaff is separated from the wheat (Matthew 3:12). The proponents of this view point to communist China where in the last 30 years Christianity has grown to more than 100 million adherents.

Though persecuted, the early church, also grew rapidly in number. Persecution caused many to flee and take the gospel to the ends of the Roman world.

If we believe that God is our King, no restrictions in secular laws should be able to hinder the gospel. Yet, are we ready to pay the price?

Personally, I think that as Christians we should treasure and defend our freedom of religion because God created us with this “unalienable right”. Religious freedom is rooted in the Scriptures and is at the heart of the gospel.

This is seen in the fact that God doesn’t coerce but invites his followers in a relationship with him. God is love, and love presupposes freedom. Christian commitment to religious freedom reflects our beliefs about the character of the Creator.

Secondly, the struggle for religious freedom is part and parcel of the second great commandment to love our neighbor (Matt. 22:38). God has given each human being dignity. When the basic human right of religious freedom is not granted, human dignity is damaged. 

And, last, restrictions on religious freedom hinder people from hearing the gospel and receiving the greatest gift imaginable, salvation and eternal life.

It is true that Christianity in China is growing rapidly in spite of restrictions and pressure from the state. Yet, how can we be sure that it will not grow even faster provided there is freedom of religion in the vast country. The rapid evangelization of South Korea is a case in point.

Back to our situation,ws should be  where it said that  and Chinar places in the world is to е църквата при Себе Си. Гото if the state continues to exert more control over the church in Bulgaria it is possible that some Christians would emigrate to places where they can have their unalienable rights granted. This would bless their receiving countries but will render Bulgarian society rather saltless.

At the same time, many churches would have to go underground. Other churchgoers would just be happy with state interference in church life. Orthodox propaganda would increase and state control would also grow. This might lead to a situation similar to what we had during communism.

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. May God give us wisdom and courage to defend our religious freedom and make sure all Bulgarian citizens have access to the gospel.

BULGARIAN POLICE, PROTESTERS CLASH NEAR PARLIAMENT

Read this article by Veselin Toshkov published in AP and describing the situation from today (12 November 2013). Hopefully this is the beginning of the end of this government.

Students clash with the riot police during a protest in front of Alexander Newsky cathedral, in Sofia, Bulgaria, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013. Bulgarian police clashed with protesting students who attempted to build a blockade around the parliament building seeking to oust the left-leaning government and early elections to be called. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarian protesters tried to blockade the parliament on Tuesday, clashing with police as they demanded the country's left-leaning government resign and early elections be called.

Several hundred protesters, mostly students, tried to form a human chain around parliament in an attempt to trap lawmakers inside. Police used force to try to push them away and several people were injured.

The protest halted traffic in downtown Sofia, the capital. Organized by students who have been occupying Bulgarian universities for several weeks, the protest was part of a 5-month-old movement that accuses the Socialist-led government's leaders of having ties to shady businessmen.

Several people were arrested as protesters tried to stop police cars by lying on the ground. Later in the day, police in riot gear pushed away the protesters and formed a corridor to enable legislators to leave the parliament building.

Bulgaria's growing economic troubles and political gridlock have fueled tensions and hatred, dividing former friends, neighbors and even families. The country's society reminds many of the divisions between communists and democrats that paralyzed the country twenty years ago.

The governing coalition of the Socialists and an ethnic Turkish party commands only 120 seats in the 240-seat parliament and has to rely on the tacit support of a nationalist party.

It took office after an early election in May, following the resignation of the previous cabinet amid anti-austerity protests. But the June 14 appointment of controversial media mogul Delyan Peevski as head of Bulgaria's national security agency sparked public anger and sent people back into the streets.

His appointment was immediately revoked. Demonstrators, however, were already convinced that it was a clear sign of corruption and nepotism involving an influential group of businessmen and politicians who are believed to be in charge of Bulgaria's post-Communist transition.

Public opinion polls show the protesters are supported by about two-thirds of Bulgaria's 7.3 million people, who have the lowest incomes in the 28-nation European Union.

/AP/