Missionary work in Russia

[sue57]

Hey Everyone,
I haven't been here in a while, but I just need to talk about something that really bothers me. If you don't know me, I'm in the midst of taking classes in Orthodoxy at my ROCOR church. I'm still Catholic, and it's a huge emotional and spiritual fight to decide what I'm going to do, but I am drawing increasingly closer to Orthodoxy.

For some reason, I go absoulutely crazy whenever I hear about missionary efforts in conversion in Russia. I just read an (out of date) article http://www.samford.edu/groups/global/ew ... w09301.htm
I started to send off a furious email, but I was so freaked out, I accidently deleted it.
I'm going to try to explain what troubles me so greatly. Russia has suffered so much. Many people on this group are young, and how can we, American-born, even conceive what life under Stalin was like? Now, Communism has been defeated, and Russia's recovery is an immense challenge. How can American missionarys have the supreme arrogance to insinuate that the revival of the Orthodox Church is somehow "inferior" to Evangelicalism, Mormonism, or whatever else? I realize that Catholic missionary efforts are in the same category. In our modern world, we guard against "paternalism", showing a "patronizing" attitude towards other cultures, why then is Russia exempt from these considerations??? Whoever wrote this article, seems to think that Orthodoxy suffers from being irrelevent, but then, the truth is always under attack! A Russian women at church told me how the last 80 years were the work of the devil, and the renewed faith among the Russian people is a true miracle. I have told my students; "if you want to understand history, think of Vladimir Putin, the classical KGB operative, standing in the cathedral as the Czar and his family were canonized." If you are a cynic, you can think "yes, the changing tides fo history..." If you belive though, imagine, children, taken to a basement, shot and beaten with rifle butts, and finally, exalted for their faith. It is a comfort for anyone who has ever suffered an injustice.
I'm so troubled by missionary efforts that I will not buy from Light and Life because they sell books by Protestant fundamentalists (who get royalties, tithe to their church, and possibly support missionary work in Russia.) Same reason I hate (sorry, dislike) that "Modest Female Apparel" site, since they are supplied by Fundementalist, evengelical, whatever, vendors! Don't buy a scarf from people who want to put an end to Orthodoxy in Russia!! Buy directly from Russia. At least it helps to strengthen a vulnerable economy.
Well, end to my rant. Now I'm tired!!

[Suaidan]

Well said. I agree with you 100%.

[fserafim]

God bless you for your wisdom!

Fr Serafim

[sue57]

Thanks for your kind words!

I just want to clarify things a bit. I have no doubt that there are mainline Protestant and Catholic missionarys who do good work. I think particuliarly as far as education and health care are concerned. Many missionarys are selfless people, who work in both difficult and dangerous conditions.

What I really was commenting on was what seemed to be a thought-out plan to take advantage of Russia's vulnerability at such a critical time. I have to digress to an article that I keep thinking about. It was the cover story of the NYTimes magazine about five years ago. The story was something like "The state of American evangelicals." The reporter lived with an Evangelical family that had several children. One boy was about twelve, and he was asked what he wanted to be when he grew up. I have never forgotten his answer, "a missionary in Russia, because it is such a benighted place." Now this family did not have a tv, and the kids were home schooled, so the range of influence on the them was somewhat limited. Where did these ideas about Russia come from? I'm assuming from the Fundamentalist church that this family attended. I mean, Evangelical's don't go to S. Boston to convert Irish Catholics, or to Brooklyn to try to convert Hasidic Jews. Obviously, these populations have been practicing their faith, uninterrupted in the US and are not groups in a state of suceptablility. What really got me was the other article that I mentioned in my post. There was a quotation "the Russian Orthodox Church needs to change." Truth is absoulute, it is NOT subject to change. Look at the long, slow death of the Catholic church, which began with "change" in 1963 (?)
I'm just sorry that Orthodoxy seems to be treated with contempt. I only hope that Orthodoxy will flourish in Russia, and that faith will streghten and sustain the Russian people. They certainly do NOT need to be attacked from outside. Missionary work is good if you want to help and care for AIDS orphans in Africa. To tear people away from Orthdoxy after eighty years of religious repression is a very different agenda.

[Natasha]

Those denominations do not respect Orthodoxy...it is a sickening, troubling trend....

you are not the only one who gets upset-I thought my poor mother was going to have a heart attack when she saw that benny hinn on tv, standing in red square, trying to convert people.....

[Theodora Elizabeth]

One boy was about twelve, and he was asked what he wanted to be when he grew up. I have never forgotten his answer, "a missionary in Russia, because it is such a benighted place." Now this family did not have a tv, and the kids were home schooled, so the range of influence on the them was somewhat limited. Where did these ideas about Russia come from?...There was a quotation "the Russian Orthodox Church needs to change." Truth is absoulute, it is NOT subject to change. Look at the long, slow death of the Catholic church, which began with "change" in 1963 (?)
.

Yes, this attitude has always infuriated me as well. At my conservative Antiochian parish, almost all our converts (and this is an entirely convert parish) from from Evangelical Protestantism, with not a few MKs (missionary kids). One fellow tells a story of a friend of his who had a t-shirt on it, also saying "Convert Russia" or something alone those lines. And pictured on the shirt were Russian Orthodox Church onion domes, complete with three-bar cross. If that's not mixed up, I don't know what is.

Sue ~

Thanks for pointing that out about Light & Life. What puts me in a difficult position with regards to that is that my parish's book table orders (with free shipping to the church) from Light & Life. I try to special order things through the book table (that I would have ordered anyway) so that my parish gets a cut.

If you don't go through Light & Life, where do you order from? I've begun ordering lots of books from Eighth Day Books in Kansas. An Antiochian Orthodox family owns the store, which specializes in literature classics, history, and religion. While they do have mostly Orthodox books in the religion section, they do have others like C.S. Lewis and C.K. Chesterton. Just ordered "The Bible and the Holy Fathers for Orthodox" and "Grace on Grace: The Psalter and the Holy Fathers" as well as St. Tikhon of Zadonsk's "Journey to Heaven."

You've certainly given me some things to think about.

Thanks,
Theodora Elizabeth

[sue57]

Theodora Elizabeth,
I know what you mean about L & L. It's a link on my church's website, and I would NEVER mention my reservations to the priest. He is so, so busy, doing all his duties for the congregation's benefit, that I know he doesn't have time to brood on these things!! : ) I get some very good catalogs from some Orthodox presses. I moved in Febuary, and unfortunately, they're still packed in some boxes of books. I'll post the names though, as I've been unpacking boxes this past week.
(On a related note: I went to a festival at a local Greek Orthodox church this weekend, and they had a really nice booth with books and icons. Some of the books looked really good, but some were definately...questionable. Still, the selection of books at the festival is 1000% better than if you were looking for books on Orthodoxy at Borders or Barnes & Noble.