The rising tide of nationalism and the antimissionary, anti-Protestant campaign now being launched by the Orthodox hierarchy make a Russian feel disloyal to his country and culture if he attends a Protestant church. But the division here is not simply between Orthodox and Protestant. Dr. Aleksei Bodrov, president of St. Andrew's Biblical College, where I teach, wrote in the Keston journal, Religion, State and Society, that “at present, the church is strongly politicized and divided, as is all society.... Often the differences between Orthodox groups tend to be more profound than those between Orthodox and either Catholics or Protestants.”

At the same time, there is a massive resurgence of interest by Russians, young and old, in the Russian Orthodox Church. Churches are packed even in the middle of the week for morning liturgy. Book stores which carry theology books are crowded with people browsing and buying. It is important to recognize and support the positive side of that movement within Orthodoxy which is Bible-focused, open-minded, and not narrowly nationalistic. Other missionaries have told us that an increasing number of Russians who have made decisions for Christ no longer wish to attend Protestant churches. There are complaints that the Protestant literature available here often takes a too simplistic approach to important theological questions. The high level of education among Russians presents a challenge for missionaries. ◆

Krister Sairsingh, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Moscow, teaches Eastern religions and Christian apologetics at the Russian State Humanities University, the Alexander Men Open Orthodox University, and St. Andrew’s Biblical College.