The roadside cross in the first picture is in the United States (Bladensburg, Maryland). It is a memorial to Americans who died in World War I. The roadside cross in the second picture is in the Russian Federation (Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovskaya). It is a memorial to Russian GULAG victims who died in Stalin's purges.
One of these memorials has been declared illegal by the government, and now must be torn down.
If you think that the illegal cross must be the one in Russia, you would be wrong. The American cross is illegal; the Russian cross is legal. The iconoclastic federal judges who ruled the nearly century-old memorial unconstitutional were overwhelmingly Obama-appointees.
St. Polycarp (69-155) was one of the church's greatest heroes who was part of the first wave of bishops ("the apostolic fathers") after the holy apostles.
Bishop Thor Henrik With's consecration in Tromsø, March 24, 2013
... and yet, Christ's Church continues serving the Lord with faithful ministers and laypeople in Norway! Blessings to the faithful bishop Thor Henrik, and may the persecutors of the Church repent and allow the Good News to be preached in its purity unhindered by the evil one!
[Note: according to Dr. Chris Barnekov, the translator of the bishop's statement below, "As expected, Bishop Thor Henrik With was defrocked today by the ChurchofNorwayfor accepting consecration as Bishop of the new Evangelical-Lutheran Diocese of Norway. Below is a note from him to those who have been praying for him." - Ed.]
Dear Praying Friends,
I am filled with deep gratitude to you who have prayed for my meeting with the Tunsberg bishop today. An extra thank you to all of you who responded so quickly. Assured of prayers and support from all of you, I traveled to Tønsberg with confidence. During the meeting, I felt comfort and peace.
The conversation in Tønsberg was characterized by a surprisingly calm seriousness. The Church of Norway has placed Mrs. Laila Riksaasen Dahl as bishop of Tunsberg diocese. Since I now live in Tunsberg diocese, it is her official duty to make the final decision on disciplinary measures, because I let myself be consecrated bishop in violation of applicable canon law provisions of the Church of Norway.
In the conversation I elaborated the basis for the actions that began with doctrinal conversations at my initiative with my then Bishop of Nidaros, and ended with my episcopal ordination in Tromsø in 2012. Laila Riksaasen Dahl listened attentively and sympathetically, revealing good theological insight and respect. She expressed, in an unexpectedly clear manner, her understanding that this matter shall at the Last Day be of profound seriousness to both parties.
I pointed out that when the bishops and CoN’s General Assembly accept unbiblical teachings in the Church, they break apart the unity of the Church of Norway. Because of the new doctrine of the bishop of Nidaros, I had to exclude him from the church communion fellowship. And when church members, because of what has happened elsewhere, have no shepherd and call me to help, my ordination vow commits me to take care of the flock – even as a bishop. With fervent desire I encouraged her, along with my former Bishop of Nidaros, to change their doctrine, and I promised my prayer for that to happen.
Laila Riksaasen Dahl concluded the conversation by stating that, particularly due to the episcopal ordination in Tromsø, she decided to terminate my authorization as a pastor in theChurch of Norway. To this I replied that the new doctrine contrary to Scripture has led us to this rupture, and to the consequences that are now taking place. There and then I put on my episcopal cross and made visible in this way our claim to be a diocese in the church. Explicit notice was taken of this symbolic act.
Epilogue:
I see an image of the Norwegian church as a large and pleasant area, built on floats. Priests, bishops - and laity in the CoN General Assembly – cut away the tendons that keep this area secured to land – one mooring after the other. When the floating area now drifts from shore, it can easily seem that they who control developments are sending us who have other foundations under our feet away from themselves. But we, who stand on the firm ground, know that really it is they who drift away from the mainland of Christ’s Church; they drift away before the weather and wind of this age.
Bishop Thor Henrik With of Norway (left) and Archbishop Walter Obare of Kenya
[Note:This is an urgent request for prayers for a faithful Lutheran bishop in Norway, the Rt Rev. Thor Henrik With, who is being persecuted by his own church (sic) body for being faithful to Scripture. Bishop Thor Henrik is asking for our prayers via our brother in Christ, Dr. Chris Barnekov, a Missouri Synod Lutheran, who translated the bishop's plea. Sed libera nos + a malo! - Ed.]
I just received an email prayer request from Bishop Thor Henrik With of the Evangelical-Lutheran Diocese of Norway (a recently formed Confessional Lutheran body associated with the MissionProvince in Sweden and the Mission Diocese inFinland). My quick translation is below.
Chris Barnekov
Dear Friends,
Will you pray for me and for a discussion tomorrow, Thursday, May 16?
I am summoned to a meeting with the bishop of Tunsberg at 10:00 am [4:00 am US Eastern Daylight Time], because I have allowed myself to be consecrated bishop of the Evangelical-Lutheran Diocese in Norway. Apparently the bishop of Tunsberg wants to inform me of the decision that my authorization to serve as a pastor in the Church of Norway will be revoked, what is called being defrocked.
After The Church of Norway made the heresy that God blesses gay relationships into a doctrine that bishops and priests can advocate in their dioceses and parishes, the loss of pastoral authorization is sad, but no disaster. What is heavy to bear is that the church’s members will be deceived in this way, and that brother pastors with whom I have previously fought alongside for the good of the faith have become opponents. The church that took me into pastoral ministry in my ordination on 16 December 1979 is also suffering in other serious ways in severe conflict with the only Word that can give life and eternal salvation.
Will you pray that I receive wisdom and love express to bring concern and good counsel to the bishop of Tunsberg, and to bear witness clearly about what God's Word commits us to?
What is first and foremost at stake is the bishops’ and priests’ faithfulness to Scripture and the Lutheran confessions, the allegiance which they solemnly vowed at their ordinations – and thus their correct guidance and care for all God's people, on the path to the Judgment and the resurrection of life.
Thank you, friends, that I can count on you!
Yours in Christ, + Thor Henrik
Thor Henrik With Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of Norway Lavaløkka 9, 3442 Hyggen
The Rev. Youcef Nadarkhani, who refused to recant his Christian faith even when sentenced to death - a sentence upheld by the Iranian Supreme Court - has been freed from prison after 1062 days!
The following address was given by Archbishop Walter Obare Omwanza of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya in Gothenburg, Sweden on February 5, 2005 on the occasion of his consecration of Bishop Arne Olsson to the episcopal office in the Mission Province of the (Lutheran) Church of Sweden.
It is one of those historic speeches that one can read again and again and never grow tired of hearing, for it is not just a historic speech, but a proclamation of Christ in the midst of a troubled world. Archbishop Obare paid a steep price for his courage and fidelity to the scriptures, and he has also won the affection and respect of Lutherans the world over.
Thanks be to God for this heroic churchman, confessor, and defender of human freedom and dignity!
WHY ARE WE HERE TODAY?
The date of February 5th, 2005, will have its permanent place in the future history of Lutheranism. On this very day, the Mission Province within the Lutheran Church of Sweden received three bishops. On the same day, Lutheran Christians in the Lutheran churches in Sweden and Finland received new ordained pastors who are to serve them with the Word of God and the Holy Sacraments. In all this that we have accomplished here in Gothenburg, the passage of the Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians has, once again, been realised, “When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men” (Eph. 4:8).
This date of February 5th, 2005, naturally raises the question, why are we here having arrived from various parts of the wide world? Why us, from Africa, Eastern Europe, Germany, Scandinavia and North America? This question can be addressed to us even with a certain degree of indignation. The same question can also be asked out of perplexity and embarrassment. But we should not forget either, that there are Lutheran Christians in Sweden and Finland who can answer this question with the deepest thankfulness. Their prayers have been heard as was heard the request from Macedonia to St. Paul: “Come over and help us!” (Acts 16:9). We have not come to Gothenburg out of frivolous love of adventure. I want to make the reasons of our coming very clear to all who, for one reason or another, raise this question.
1. We are here demanded by the Christian love and solidarity. Time and time again, the motivation for my resolution to come over and help Lutheran Christians in Sweden and Finland has been expressed in the words of St. Paul in his First Epistle to the Corinthians, concerning the well-being of the mystical body of Christ, the church, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it” (1 Cor. 12:26). This was also my Biblical reply to the letter of the Primate of the Lutheran Church of Sweden a full year ago, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.” My decision to take this step has not been an easy one. I have struggled with this call. But a call it is, a call from God. I did not make my decision lightly. How many times I have been tempted to listen to well-meaning advice not to come here! I have received an abundance of such advice. Yet, my conscience is in bondage to the truth. I have received my Episcopal office in a Lutheran church to serve the divine truth and Christian love. Christian Biblical truth and love cannot be insensitive in the presence of suffering. This suffering has been felt even on other continents and this is the reason why we are here. The state of emergency among our Lutheran brothers and sisters in Europe, especially in Scandinavia, has been heard and felt. This state of emergency is not an issue of yesterday. Indeed, it has been an open wound in the Lutheran body for decades, at least since 1983 when the 1958 clause of conscience was abrogated in Sweden after an intense and politically well-orchestrated media campaign. What is worse, such a clause was never adopted in Finland. What this meant in practice was that Lutheran Christians have been denied their fundamental Christian freedom to attend apostolic services in their churches. Instead, various attempts have been made to force them to church services that are not conducted according to the Bible and according to the order handed down to us by the Apostles of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I speak out openly. In Africa and in other parts of the world, we completely fail to comprehend this kind of rigid ecclesiastical tyranny in the age global human rights, including the freedom of religion and worship. Civil and church regimes that resort to coercion and even tyranny are never promoting a good cause, on the contrary. As long ago as the 17th century, England left the tyranny of the kind Archbishop William Laud pursued, seeking watertight ecclesiastical uniformity by unscrupulous, merciless, worldly means. Germany has left behind the years when the Prussian king even used troops to crush the peaceful resistance of his Lutheran subjects who could not accept church union with Protestants whose teachings ruined the Lutheran doctrine. Scandinavia should have left this kind of tyranny against Christian consciences far behind in the 19th century when governments, laws, state-church bishops and diocesan chapters persecuted in many and various ways popular Lutheran revivals in the Nordic countries. Lutheran worship and the office of the ministry go together. Strangely, it is Lutheran churches in Scandinavia, which has been in many respects a model of common welfare for the whole world, that have chosen to part ways with Christian love in favour of oppressing consciences. Whether it is the hard-dying legacy of the state church past that is still hounding Lutheran Christians, I do not know. In doing this the churches are reflecting the societies that surround them, which are becoming more and more intolerant towards the Christian faith. One of us, Bishop Borre Knudsen, has been jailed in Norway because he has vocally defended the lives of unborn children by opposing abortion. Recently, a Pentecostal preacher in Sweden was sentenced to jail, simply because he has taught his flock the truth, which we all can read in the opening chapter of the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans. We must not accept any attempts to intimidate and muzzle the Biblical voice of the true Christian faith. Indeed, it is wrong that ordination is denied to men who have been called by God and the Christian congregation and whose only defect is their true strength and the strength of the true church, namely faithfulness towards the Word of God and the Lutheran Confessions. Those who are genuinely being called to the office of the ministry and who meet the genuine requirements of this office must be ordained to the same office. This is not the first time Lutherans are facing this kind of dilemma. We need only to bear in mind the life and example of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who could not serve under a church regime that had compromised itself, who as lecturer at Zingst and Finkenwalde piloted the same course we have set today. Where the royal highway of God’s call is being blocked by political and cultural prejudice, by human authorities and human traditions, against the Word of God and the Lutheran Confessions, those of us who are free must come to the aid of our oppressed fellow Christians. The love of Christ demands this. This is why we are here today.
2. We are here because of the Word of God. I have said a few words about Christian love. In order to keep us all on the right track when using the word ‘love’ I quote what our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ says in the Gospel of St. John, “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him” (John 14:15, 21). There is no genuine Christian love apart from the truth of the Word of God. Anything in this world claiming the noble name of love and yet parting ways with the truth of the Word of God is only human pretension or sheep’s clothing covering packs of wolves. It is not by chance that ecclesiastical oppression of Christian consciences goes hand in hand with various kinds of denials of the truth of the Word of God. What begins as diluting the Bible in the name of Liberalism will soon end as unyielding intolerance towards Christian faith. This is the development we have witnessed in the West. In the past, Nordic countries have given many excellent Biblical scholars to the entire Christendom. Today the sad fact is that most traditional majority churches in the West have completely lost the light of the Word of God. The sceptre of Christ who, according to his firm promise (Matt. 28:20), is present in his church has been pushed aside by human intellectual hubris. The crisis concerning the Word of God in churches is not an issue of yesterday. This crisis has brewed in various traditional churches for decades. In the Anglican Communion, issues of Biblical truths concerning Christian morals, which has recently come to a head over the question of homosexuality in the church, have worn out the patience of African and Asian churches. Their strong protest against the corrupting apostasy from the Word of God compelled Western church leaders to reconsider seriously their stance. This same issue nearly split the General Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation. The majority of Christendom lives outside the West. The time has already come that Christians in Africa and Asia have learned to say clearly ‘yes’ and ‘no’ when the truth of the Word of God so demands. In the famous words of the 1960s British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, “The wind of change is blowing through the continent [Africa]. Whether we like it or not, this growth of national consciousness is a political fact.” We are no longer nice child-like creatures from exotic mission fields. We are in fact Christians come of age. When I speak out these critical words, I am not forgetting all the spiritual and material good we have received from the West. The Apostle says, “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them” (Hebr. 6:10). Our Lutheran Church in Kenya is particularly indebted to Swedish Lutheran missionaries who in the past came over and helped us. We want to follow their Biblical Lutheran teachings, not selling our faith in the vanity fair of the changing fashions of this age. The teachings, which we received from Sweden a long time ago, have now come back from Africa. We received this teaching from you and today we give it back to you with grateful and bold hearts. When we bear in mind what those people are teaching who have attempted to prevent Apostolic worship and ordinations, and what those who have been subjected to their oppression teach, the choice is crystal clear. The only true church is the church in which the Word of God is the unquestioned supreme authority in all and everything just as Dr. Martin Luther writes in the Smalcald Articles: “We do not want to hear what they command or forbid in the name of the church, because, God be praised, a seven-year-old child knows what the church is: holy believers and “the little sheep who hear the voice of their shepherd. Its holiness exists in the Word of God and true faith” (Smalcald Articles 12). Where the Word of God is being oppressed in the life of Christians who adhere to this word, it is our Christian duty to come over and help them in any way we can. Indeed, we are here today because of the Word of God.
3. We are here because of the Lutheran Confessions. We believe, teach and confess that the Word of God is clear, unambiguous, because our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is this word, as St. John wonderfully teaches us in the opening of his Gospel (John 1:1). Further, there is no change, no diminishing of the Word of God, since “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebr. 13:8). The Lutheran Confessions are a right summary of the teachings of this word. It was Dr. Martin Luther’s work as Reformer to re-establish the sole legitimate authority of the church, namely, the authority of the Word of God. All disputes in the church must be solved by the Word of God and in accordance to the Word of God. The Lutheran Confessions are crystal clear on the questions of authority in the church, worship, the office of the ministry and ordination. When I received the call to come over and help, my question was whether the disputes in the Nordic Lutheran churches were being solved under the legitimate authority of the church, namely the Word of God and the Lutheran Confessions, or whether other authorities were being followed and obeyed? We all know the answer. Those who are oppressed in the church suffer because of the Bible and the Lutheran Confessions. Those who oppress follow other authorities. Thus, the choice is very clear. I only remind us of the prophetic words spoken the renowned Swedish theologian, Bishop Anders Nygren, in 1958: by changing the office of the ministry, which had prevailed from the very beginning of the Christian Church, by rebelling against the Command of the Lord (1 Cor. 14:37), the church had nothing ahead of it but the path of Gnostic heresies. Today, everyone with spiritual understanding must concede that the late Anders Nygren was a true prophet. But, thanks be to God, there are faithful Biblical Lutherans who do all that lies in their power to tend the lamp of God in his house (1 Sam. 3:3). They are true heirs of the Lutheran Reformation. This is why we are here today. We are here because of the Lutheran Confessions.
4. We are here because of church polity and judicature. One might think that this is our weakest point to justify why we are here today. Christian love, the Bible and the Lutheran Confessions, these might be on our side, but what about legal ecclesiastical polity and judicature? Parliaments and ecclesiastical synods in the Nordic countries have made their majority decisions and passed laws. Legal ecclesiastical organs have applied these laws to the daily life of the church. For these reasons, our case might look weak, our prospects pale indeed. However, this kind of reasoning, which separates church polity and ecclesiastical judicature from the Word of God and the Lutheran Confessions, is not Lutheran at all. It is not Biblical at all. The separation of the Bible and Lutheran doctrine onto one side, with ecclesiastical polity and judicature on the other side, is an illegitimate impostor in Lutheranism. It is a child of the Enlightenment, an heir of the German philosophical idealism of the 18th and 19th century cross-bred with the age-old state church mindset. It comes from Friedrich Schleiermacher rather than from the Reformer of the church, Dr. Martin Luther. The idealistic legacy in the fashion of Schleiermacher and his successors made a sharp distinction between religion and justice. According to this conception, justice was understood purely as a worldly business, distinct from religion. New, secular ideas have further stirred this judicial muddle. The idea that the sovereign will of the people, ‘the will of the public’, is the supreme authority even in the church comes from the writings of the Swiss philosopher J.J. Rousseau, not from the Bible and the Lutheran Confessions. Against any kind of ‘will of the public’ we have learned to pray: “Our Father who art in heaven … thy will be done.” This divine, fatherly will is not a kind of evolving, positivistic awareness or self-processing ‘Zeitgeist’, but it is laid down in the Word of God. The sole supreme authority in the church is the Word of God. This eternal word is not only some thing within the category of religion. It is ecclesiastical justice as well, since there can be absolutely nothing legally binding in the church that contradicts this word. All and everything in the church must be prosecuted in conformity with the Word of God. This is the teaching of the Lutheran Confessions. This judicial principle has also been clearly written in the constitutions of the Lutheran Churches in Sweden and Finland. It is unfortunate that this judicature is not being practiced in church polity. We have witnessed how the un-Lutheran separation of faith and justice continues amongst those who have parted ways with Christian love, the Bible and the Lutheran Confessions. Therefore, we should, again, bear in mind the example of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his activities, which were officially declared ‘illegal’ by his church body executives on December 2nd, 1935. Only three months later, in March 1936, the second ‘illegal’ course from the ‘illegal’ Finkenwalde seminary was warmly welcomed in Sweden. Even the renowned Archbishop of Upsala, Dr. Erling Eidem officially received Bonhoeffer with his seminarians on March 4th, 1936. By doing so, Archbishop Eidem acknowledged the truth, which we must remember and respect today, namely, that emergency justice, too, is justice. At home in Germany, Bonhoeffer was declared to an enemy of the state and demands were voiced that he should not be permitted to educate German theologians. Thus, our presence and our actions in Gothenburg are legitimate in terms of church polity and ecclesiastical judicature since they are authorised by the Word of God. Therefore, I conclude by quoting the Lutheran Confessions, summing up in words from the Smalcald Articles concerning ordination and vocation. This quotation is not only a theological opinion but it is church polity and judicature according to divine right because it is Biblical: “If the bishops wanted to be true bishops and to attend to the church and the Gospel, then a person might – for the sake of love and unity but not out of necessity – give them leave to ordain and confirm us and our preachers, provided all the pretense and fraud of unchristian ceremony and pomp were set aside. However, they are not now and do not want to be true bishops. … In addition, they persecute and condemn those who do take up a call to such an office. Despite this, the church must not remain without servants on their account. Therefore, as the ancient examples of the church and the Fathers teach us, we should and will ordain suitable persons to this office ourselves” (Smalcald Articles 10).
Finally: We thank God for his faithfulness. He has made us, his servants in this present state of our infirmity, competent to heed his divine call and to accomplish our task he has given to us. “When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men” (Eph. 4:8). We humbly thank him for this. It is also our innermost wish that the Nordic Lutheran churches would be helped by what we have done today in Gothenburg. Since the royal highway of worship and ordination cannot be blocked infinitely against all human odds and political calculations, is this not the time to sit down, to put aside all arrogance and bitterness and talk as Christians brothers and sisters should do, in one faith, in one Lord, as partakers in one baptism and under one sole authority to be obeyed, namely the Word of God, who is one “God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4:5)?
I slept in a little. The other guys are still asleep. I instant-message a little with Grace and Leo for a short while (where it is still July 14, twelve hours behind me). I take a shower - and it is a real treat! It's a high-tech little booth with shower heads everywhere - and even a radio! It's so high-tech, in fact, that I have to ask Dan how to turn on the water.
We have a typical breakfast of bread, cheese, meat, and tea. There is a nice, fresh baguette of French bread and only real butter - not a bit of margarine in sight! Father Daniel and I chat about the happenings back home in the Missouri Synod.
Father Alexey gets up as well.
A pile-driver pounds out its rhythm outside. The windows are open and the sounds of the city enter the flat. Father Alexey is chatting with Father Sergey on the computer. It's a nice day - very sunny. There may be thunderstorms later in the day. Father Sergey will be by to get us in an hour and a half. I pass the time doing some reading. I wonder if my vision is getting worse. The 1.5 glasses are getting a bit blurry and I'm now taking out my 2.0 spectacles for a spin. Maybe my eyes are just tired.
The latter leg of the trip is the most difficult. I'm homesick. But I'm also looking forward to meeting Father Vlad and the people of Holy Spirit - Chelyabinsk.
Dan, Alexey, and I went to lunch close by to the church at a delightfully cozy Asian place called Кафе Дадаж (Cafe Dadazh). The meal was nice. I had a chicken shish kabob - which was basically wings. There was a very mild sauce that was tasty. I also had French fries for the first time in Russia, a side of onions (very strong, I barely ate any). I also had a coffee with sugar.
We joked about how Tim Quill ate here a year ago - and we carried on about it. We marveled that we were at the famous Tim Quill table. The Rev. Dr. Tim Quill was the head of the Russian Project at Concordia Theological Seminary. He is beloved of the Russian clergy - and held in equally high esteem by me. I have pages of pithy quotes from Professor Quill, and count it a high honor to call myself his student to this day.
On the way out, I purchased a half-liter of Mountain Dew from the cooler for 50 rubles. I explained to Alexey that it has the most caffeine of any major American soft drink (so I've been told anyway). The clerk was chuckling at me, explaining that the only people who ever buy it are foreigners. We all had a good laugh.
We take the short stroll back to the church flat and wait for Father Sergey. Dan and I cannot resist playing around with the large pothole in the parking lot and taking pictures.
About 6:00 pm local time, we check into a local hotel. I believe we will be staying two nights, as the church flat is spoken for by some other visitors. They take our passports to register us. The lady at the desk speaks decent English and has clearly been trained in customer service.
Father Sergey drives us to the imposing Orthodox church erected on the site where the Romanovs were murdered. It was only built a few years ago, and the gilded onion domes radiate in bright shining gold tones. People are selling icons and religious books in small booths on the street.
We take some pictures.
A lady speaks to Father Alexey. She has invited us to a concert set to begin in a few minutes in the adjoining building which is technically the patriarch's residence.
We put on those weird blue show-covers like they have at the airport. We go up the majestic marble staircase. A small crowd is gathered. A woman is seated at a piano - which is reputed to be the same instrument played by the Romanovs when they were in exile.
There are several powerful poetry readings interspersed with intense piano flourishes. Since Father Daniel and I don't understand the Russian readings, we slip out. Father Sergey has gone off for about an hour, and Father Alexey has been quietly translating the poetry for us. The lady who invited us directs us to another performance - this time a woman who plays traditional Russian folk instruments and sings. She was simply amazing! One of her instruments was similar to an auto-harp, though without the buttons. Another was a kind of pipe that could sing like a bird. I need to get the names of the instruments from Father Alexey. The performance was mesmerizing.
We visit the display of the Romanov memorabilia - which includes a hand-written note from the eldest daughter to her father, the deposed Tsar, shortly before the family was murdered.
We also visit the inside of the church very briefly.
Alexey explains that during Soviet times, the fate of the Romanovs was not known. Nothing of the pre-Bolshevik era was taught in school. Russians began to learn what happened to the Romanovs under the governorship of Boris Yeltsin (he was from Yekaterinburg). As the word began to spread, Yeltsin had the house where the Romanovs were killed torn down.
Father Alexey explained about the many strange and inexplicable things that happened to the people who shot the Romanovs and tried to cover up their crime. The plan to destroy the bones of the family failed. They had been buried in a mine-shaft, and had recently been discovered. DNA tests confirmed the identity. The church was built, and the truth could no more be hidden. Eventually, the truth wins out even when it seems that injustice will prevail forever.
Fathers Alexey and Sergey bring us back to the hotel, the Atlantic. Dan and I walk to the mall hoping to get dinner. It is close to 11:00 pm. The mall is closed except for a billiard hall. We walk and find an open beer garden. No-one there speaks English. We order three plates of shasklik - not knowing what kind it was. Our waiter was patient and displayed a great sense of humor.
We also had a couple beers. I also ordered a Pepsi Africana. I had no idea what it was, and so I tried it. It is a Pepsi with lemon and lime - very tasty!
We walk back to the hotel. It's now midnight, and still twilight. I IM (Instant Message) and Snapyap (video conference) with Grace and Leo. Dan is watching movies on his computer.
Here is a link to all of my pictures of Day Nineteen.
Begin: On the train toward Yekaterinburg Visit: Yekaterinburg
I just woke up on the train. It's about 10 minutes until 9:00 am. Fathers Alexey and Dan are still asleep. The screen on the window is pulled down and consequently it is absolutely dark in the cabin. I had no idea what time it was when I awoke.
We all slept soundly. I slept well in spite of my consumption of Coca-Cola with its lovely bouquet of caffeine.
The ride is very smooth, and this train yields a superior experience compared to Amtrak as far as the ride and the comfort of the cabin go. Unlike our last Russian train, there is no bulky mattress to contend with. The beds merely fold out and the seat cushions function as a mattress.
I am on one of the top bunks. It's quite comfortable. Dan and Alexey are on the bunks below.
I get up, put on my jeans, descend the little ladder, and make my way to the bathroom at the end of the car. We stopped briefly at the station in Tyumen. I clear a little section of the table and have a little morning Coca-Cola.
Dan and Alexey get up. It is nearly noon. We were all a bit worn out from the travel, I think. We eat some cookies for breakfast and have tea. We enjoy more good conversation regarding the history of Lutheran Christianity in Russia - especially recent history regarding the Lutheran Church of Ingria and the situation of fellowship with the Missouri Synod.
We arrive at Yekaterinburg on time. The staff is competent and polite. We exit the train and go into the rather run-down train station. The signage is bilingual. We make our way outside and cross the street to the parking lot. Father Sergei Glushkov meets us there, and we pile our things into the back of his small but nice mini-SUV.
Our drive takes us past the main square - as evidenced by the Lenin statue and the impressive Soviet-era administrative building.
There is also a shiny new Orthodox church nearby - and a Traveler's Coffee. The attire seems to be a little more casual here than in Novosibirsk. There are not as many high-heels, although the dress is still on the stylish side.
There is a lot of western influence here. We passed a large Subway restaurant - which I understand is quite popular in Russia. However, the business model is different. You have to pay for each topping and condiment. Father Alexey explains that if something is free in Russia, people will take it - even if they don't like it. The idea of "free refills" on drinks in the U.S. is inconceivable to the average Russian.
There is a huge number of restaurants int he downtown district, and a lot of advertising. My first impression of Yekaterinburg is that is has the feel of being a much bigger city than Novosibirsk - when in fact it is smaller. Novosibirsk is actually the third largest city in Russia after Moscow and St. Petersburg. Yekaterinburg is the biggest city in the Ural region. Technically, we have left Siberia.
A cafe outside advertises "Интернет 24" (meaning 24-hour Internet) and a sign says "Free Wi-Fi Spot" (in English).
There are huge shopping centers. One has a large theater and a water park (Аквапарк).
In a side room in a model of the old Sts. Peter and Paul building - which was demolished by Stalin in the late 1930s. This parish is a continuation of that parish, but unlike many Russian Orthodox congregations, has not received any restitution from the government.
We head over to a mall food court to eat. We settle on the not-so-subtle McDonald's knock-off called McPeak's. The prefix "Mc" appears in front of many of the menu items; they even serve "McBeer." McDonald's filed a lawsuit against them, but lost. I had a shwarma and a side-dish of some kind of middle-eastern pasta with vegetables. I also had a Pepsi. Dan had a McBeer.
Afterwards, we head back to the flat. My Nook e-reader, which has been "rooted" - which is legally modified to expand its capabilities - occasionally has a hiccup. It took me a while to reboot it, but I got it squared away. There is no wifi in the flat, but Father Sergei has loaned us his USB phone connection so we can have Internet access. Trying to preserve his airtime, I get online briefly.
After taking it easy in the church flat, we will be going for a stroll around Yekaterinburg.
Father Daniel, Father Alexey, Father Sergey, and I get into Father Sergey's car, and Sergey drives us first to a surprising monument near the main highway that goes all the way to Moscow. This memorial commemorates the deaths of innocent people killed in the concentration camps and the gulags. I have never heard that such a monument exists. There is a large cross that dominates the vista of the park grounds. There is also a series of bronze plates carved with thousands of names and the dates they were killed. It is a somber reminder of the Stalin-era Soviet totalitarianism that was erected under the Yeltsin presidency. Father Alexey translates some of the stones for us, and takes pictures with his Nikon.
Next, we visit another monument (Russians are fond of visiting statues and memorials and posing for pictures - which was wonderful for me as a tourist) - one more frivolous than the last one. This marker demarcates the continental border between Europe and Asia. Here we take pictures, shoot video, and just plain goof off. There are often weddings here. There are mileposts indicating the distances to various cities around the world.
We go downtown to where Yekaterinburg was founded. We visit the monument downtown to the two co-founders of the city - one of whom was a Lutheran. The center part of the city is absolutely beautiful - sporting both a river and a canal. The main street is called (what else?) Prospect Lenina. A lot of people are out and about, enjoying the gorgeous weather.
We make a pilgrimage to the original location of Sts. Peter and Paul Lutheran Church - which, of course, was razed by Stalin. We take pictures under the plaque that commemorates the original site of the church. I took a picture with Father Sergey - the current pastor of this congregation, whose immediate predecessor was shot.
We visit Father Sergey's office (he works a full-time secular job in Information Technology). There is an outstanding view of the city from his desk - five stories high.
Father Sergey then drops us off at the church flat, where Father Daniel and I drink tea, eat cookies, and converse until about 1 a.m.
Here is a link to all of my pictures of Day Eighteen.
More Christians face persecution around the world than in the days of the Roman Empire.
Worldwide news reports (such as this article in International Business Times that was linked to the Drudge Report) are carrying the latest about the Rev. Youcef Nadarkhani - a Christian pastor in Iran. He and his wife were both arrested for the faith. His wife managed to secure an overturning of her life sentence. Youcef's initial verdict was also overturned, but he was re-tried and given a death sentence that is reportedly expected to be carried out by Friday. There is an entry on him in Wikipedia as well.
He could be the first Christian martyr in Iran in twenty years. There is a large outcry from all over the world, even as Christian prayers for this hero of the faith rise to the heavens like incense.
Please keep our dear brother in Christ, his family, his parishioners, and all of our persecuted brethren around the world in your prayers! Let us pray that his captors repent and find their true life in Christ, show mercy to our brother, and please God by stopping the persecutions.
I don't know much about the above congregations other than these facts: 1) They are Lutheran, 2) They are in Africa, 3) They speak French.
After one Sunday service in my own congregation (perhaps a year ago or more), I announced that the offerings placed into our mission box would be used to send funds to purchase hymnals for Africa. A parishioner (who is no longer a member of our congregation) loudly fussed and fumed and declared to anyone who would listen that this was "a waste of time."
She never did clarify what she meant by that.
But to the above three facts, I can also add this: it is never a waste of time (or money) to support our brothers and sisters around the world. Our Lord did charge us to make disciples of all nations, after all. And while Christianity is on the decline in the United States and in the west in general - where entertainment is the new religion - the genuine faith is growing in Africa, where suffering and the cross are truly a mark of the church. By way of example, there are more Lutherans in Madagascar than in North America.
These videos also shatter the myth that the traditional liturgy and hymns are not "missional." Of course, the word "missional" is a hackneyed overused "hipster" word often employed by those who wish to drive a wedge between Lutheran doctrine and Lutheran practice - often among the professional bureaucratic and political class within North American Lutheranism. Maybe a better way of thinking of traditional Lutheran worship as it relates to the mission field is that it reflects faith - faith in something bigger and more profound than the shallow American Idol of our own entertainment. There is no "me-ology" in the ancient hymnody of the church and in the reverent worship that attends genuine belief in a transcendent God who nevertheless deigns to join us (and rescue us) incarnate in our fallen word.
These African saints get it. I expect their grandchildren will be trying to evangelize our increasingly-dark continent the way the heroic Kenyan Archbishop Walter Obare brought the biblical faith back to Sweden where faithful Lutherans had been held hostage by a diabolical bureaucracy that can only be described as antichrist.
And notice the transcultural nature of traditional Lutheran hymnody and worship. Even in a simple structure in which to worship, God is there in Word and Sacrament - and He is also adored by people who truly believe in the gifts given by the Lord. They are obviously not looking for entertainment.
No, indeed, this is no waste of time! Let us pray for our brethren and financially support them as we are able! This should not only be our obligation and duty, but our privilege and our joy.
Begin: Novosibirsk Drive to: Yurga, Tomsk Drive back to: Novosibirsk
Dan and I have breakfast of leftover sausages from yesterday’s picnic, as well as some cheese, bread, and tea.
I get packed for our trip to Tomsk. We leave in the bishop’s Jeep about 10:00 am, accompanied by Natasha. Vsevolod is a good driver – sufficiently aggressive for Siberian roads. The lines on the road are more of a suggestion than anything else. It’s great fun!
The bishop needs to gas up the car, but we are not having much luck. One station was out of gas. The roads are choppy and inconsistent. Some are better than others.
After a couple hours of driving, we stop for a break. The first order of business is the toilet. We park at a stop – the local version of the rest area. We park the car and have to cross the highway in a human version of Frogger. There are many cars parked, as well as a couple tour buses. The public toilet has a small crowded entrance. It costs 10 rubles to use the facilities – about 30 cents U.S. There is a subway-like turn-style that only accepts the old-style 10-ruble coin.
People bustle in – especially given the arrival of the tour bus outside. We hurriedly put our coins in the turn-style and pass through the tripod of metal arms that swivel around while people hurriedly exit through the same narrow space. It is a mass of confusion. Men go to the left and women to the right – not that it matters a great deal as the doors are wide open. Since the line to the women’s room is long, several women decide to come into the crowded men’s room. At least the stalls have doors that go all the way to the floor. Many of the men, however, stand with their backs to the open doors.
A tired-looking washerwoman mops the floor – or more accurately, slops dirty water around the floor in a futile attempt to clean.
I enter the stall. The toilets themselves are porcelain holes in the floor. There are a few small rolls of brown industrial toilet paper (so-called) strewn around the stall. I exit and wash my hands. I have trouble finding a hand-dryer that works, and so I dry my hands on the paper towels – which seem to be identical with the toilet paper.
There is a great contrast between the smartly-dressed high-heeled fashion-conscious women and these unfashionable and uninviting bathrooms. I can’t imagine the status quo won’t change as Russian women travel abroad. If nothing else, as McDonald’s and other fast-food restaurants spread across Russia (which is probably inevitable), the expectations of public restrooms will likely be raised. Or maybe not! I’m speculating.
We leave the public toilet, emerge into the daylight, and we cross the busy highway to go to the little diner. It is run (like the public toilet) by Armenians. The diner offers traditional Russian fare. I enjoy a shashlik and a nice bowl of plov (плов) – an Asian dish of rice and meat.
I’m offered a blini (pancake) with meat. I only want one, but end up with two – with sour cream (сметана). I’m not a fan of sour cream, but the Russians put it on (and in) just about everything! Admittedly, it tastes different than its American cousin. I also take a small piece of obviously homemade bread, and an instant coffee. It is a wonderful meal. The bishop pays for all of us.
We sit at a round table down the hall – Dan, Natasha, the bishop, and I. In spite of the bustle of people coming and going, we do not feel rushed. We enjoy our lunch and lunchtime conversation.
Afterward, Dan and I go back to the counter on our own. Father Daniel buys an ice cream and I buy a Coke. I really need the caffeine as well as the bubbles for my stomach. The bishop also buys a Coke and scolds me teasingly for me for being “a bad American influence.” I smile and apologize. I get real Coke (not Diet) – as the real Coke has real sugar (unlike the American version sweetened with high fructose corn syrup). The Diet Coke in Russia does not taste good to me. I think it still has saccharine.
We get back on the road as the bishop drives us to Yurga.
The SELC has a parish there, though it is in transition and we won’t be visiting it. The congregation formerly met in a flat in an apartment building that was torn down by the government. They gave the church a different flat – a nicer one than the old one. The new flat is on a nice building, but is on the ninth floor. The church is meeting there temporarily until they can sell the flat and buy a different one on the first floor.
At one point, we have to wait for a herd of horses to cross the street. At least one of them is a very young colt.
Yurga is the site of a concentration camp where Russians of German ethnicity were deported under Stalin’s reign of terror. Most of these deportees were Lutherans. There is a plot of ground in Yurga that is a mass grave from the days of the concentration camp. The bishop explains how horrific the place was. Some people were even buried alive there – rather than receive treatment for illnesses. At the end of Stalin’s regime, the camp was closed – and most of the records were destroyed. People began to build dachas on the site. Many of the camp inmates continued to live there after they were freed. Their freedom, however, was limited by the fact that they could not get passports until the 1970s. In Soviet times, even internal travel required a passport.
After the fall of Communism, relatives of the victims petitioned the Yurga government for a small plot of ground to build a memorial. Today, this park is filled with crosses, stones engraved with names, and a large cross with a wind chime built into it that calls to mind the ringing of church bells. Many of the inscriptions are in German.
Bishop Vsevolod had consecrated the the plot at the invitation of the local government. There is also a small garden area with flowers in the shape of a cross.
The Lutheran Church as invited to build a chapel on the site – but they have no money to do so. How different from the situation with the Russian Orthodox Church, with new and elaborate – and even opulent – churches springing up like gilded mushrooms across the country – paid for by government money.
It is a long haul down the expressway to Tomsk. Some roads are, of course, better than others. It begins to rain heavily.
As he navigates the puddles with his windshield wipers doing yeoman’s work, the bishop puts on an eclectic mix of guitar music. One tune was a haunting anthem by Mark Knopfler (formerly of Dire Straits) with the poignant refrain “We will remember them.” It is called “Remembrance Day" (listen here). After just visiting the memorial at Yurga, this was providentially appropriate.
I have the opportunity to interview the bishop about Lutheranism in Siberia. It seems that the last Lutheran priest in Siberia (until post-Soviet times) died in prison in the 1940s. He had been arrested and sent to a labor camp, but escaped and heroically returned to his parish to continue his pastoral work. He was re-arrested and shot.
The history of post-Soviet Lutheranism is complicated. In fact, many of the answers to my questions addressed to our Siberian brethren concerning their history and existence in the current culture begin with, “It’s complicated.”
One such complication involves two Russian Lutheran church bodies born of the same mother church. Both the Ingrian and Siberian churches were established as missionary endeavors of the Estonian (Lutheran) Church. The Ingrian Church (centered in St. Petersburg) does not “ordain” women, but sometimes allows female “priests” from the Church of Finland (with whom they share fellowship) to serve in their parishes. The LCMS is also in full communion with this church body.
It’s complicated.
The Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church is also a daughter jurisdiction of Estonia. Bishop Vsevolod Lytkin is the first bishop of the autonomous Siberian Church. While the SELC is in communion with its mother church, it does not recognize the validity of "ordained" women (nor their "sacramental" acts) in any church body, nor will it participate in any churchly acts with "ordained" women.
After a long ride, we arrive in Tomsk. It is a big, old (by western standards), university city. The old Lutheran congregation, St. Mary’s, was torn down by Stalin as part of his purge. It was maliciously replaced by a circus – with the ferris wheel (which stands there to this day) being erected on the site of the church's altar. The Russian word for “ferris wheel” is “devil’s wheel.” You can read more about it here.
The pastor, Rev. Ivan Lokkenberg, was imprisoned and died after a few years. There is still a street in Tomsk called Lutheran Street. The pastor lived near the church, and was courageous throughout the persecution.
The bishop explains that before the Bolshevik Revolution (1917) about 10% of Russians were Lutheran. 60% were Orthodox. The number of Lutherans was significant.
We meet the congregation’s two pastors: Father Daniel Burlikov and Father Alexander Hahn. They also rotate service in Yurga. I meet Father Daniel first. He speaks very good English having served a vicarage in the United States. He is also Olga Netaeva’s brother. Father Alexander also speaks English, and is actually the only SELC clergyman who was raised in the Christian faith. Both men are kindly, soft-spoken, and devout in their faith. Father Daniel presents me with a beautiful gilded coffee mug illustrating the city of Tomsk. It has since become my vessel of choice for tea drinking (the one on the right). Father Alexander is gregarious and loves to talk. English not being his native tongue is no obstacle!
What a great privilege to count these honorable brothers in Christ as fellow servants of the Lord and brothers in arms in service of the His Bride the Church!
We all climb the narrow ladder to the bell tower for an excellent view and wonderful conversation with the two pastors.
Father Daniel explains to us the complex situation regarding St. Mary’s and SELC's relationship with ELKRAS - a more liberal Lutheran church body. SELC owns the building, but they are supposed to allow the local ELKRAS congregation to also use the building. ELKRAS is threatening to send a woman "pastor" to lead services.
After our tour of St. Mary's and a drive around town to see the interesting architecture - we go out for coffee and dinner. Fr. Alexander says goodbye to us. We visit a nice little a la carte style restaurant. I get a cappuccino, potato pancake , and a piece of Vienna cake.
The city's square is beautiful and has statues representing periods in Tomsk history. The Orthodox church prepares for Vespers as a clergyman stands in the belfry and rings the bells in a hypnotic melody. We walk back to the bishop's car, say our goodbyes to Father Daniel, and pile in for the four hour return drive.
Again, I have the privilege to sit in the front passenger seat to converse with Bishop Vsevolod about church history, polity, the diaconate, and the history of Lutheranism in Russia.
The ride back never seems to end. We do stop at the same туалет (toilet) and shashlik joint. This time the Russians eat heartily - me, not so much. I ate more than they did on the way up.
We drop off Natasha and head back to the seminary. I believe it is about 1:00 am when we made it back.
While serving in a previous ministerial call, I had to moonlight at the local Hollywood Video to pay for health insurance for the family. It took one of my coworkers a couple weeks before she stopped addressing me as "Father" and started using my first name.
It was a fun job. My co-workers were the best. I got free rentals too. You can click here to see a picture. Now you know the rest of the story...
