Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2004 David's Quest to Outmaneuever Goliath — Clandestine Christians in the USSR, 1953-1985 Julie Behling Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES DAVID'S QUEST TO OUTMANEUEVER GOLIATH – CLANDESTINE CHRISTIANS IN THE USSR, 1953-1985 By JULIE BEHLING A Thesis submitted to the Interdisciplinary Program of Russian & East European Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2004 Copyright@2004 Julie Behling All Rights Reserved The members of the Committee approve the thesis of Julie Behling defended on 29 April 2004. ___________________________ Jonathan Grant Professor Directing Thesis ___________________________ Michael Launer Committee Member ___________________________ Larry Isaac Committee Member Approved: ____________________________________________________ Ljubisa S. Adamovich, Chair, Russian & East European Studies ____________________________________________________ David W. Rasmussen, Dean, College of Social Sciences The Office of Graduate Studies has verified and approved the above named committee members. ii Dedicated to those Soviet believers who lost their lives for their faith. - Matthew 10: 39 iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank a number of people without whom this project would have neither been possible nor as successful. Firstly, I would like to acknowledge my patient committee members for their much-needed assistance: Jonathan Grant for giving crucial advice on finding source material and helping me discover a viable format for my chapters; Michael Launer for editing my translations and offering stylistic critiques; and Larry Isaac for helping me understand the basics of social movement dynamics. Thanks to all of them for their unfailing support. I am indebted to Brandy Berry, Karin Tarbet, Kristin Jensen, Stephanie Frassrand, and Travis Hyer who critiqued portions of my drafts and encouraged me to not give up, and to Malcom Walker of the Keston Institute for guiding me to important sources. Many thanks to Lylith Douglass-Barnes for her last minute assistance. I would like to especially thank Andrew Okhotin for allowing me to interview him, for editing translations, and introducing me to Mr. Kryuchkov; to Yuri Kryuchkov for talking with me and sending me books he had written containing information important to this study; and to Yura Rodimenkov for sitting next to me at the Bolshoi Theater and inviting me to church with him when I was in Moscow in 2002. Also, I would like to thank Dina and Avgustina Vashchenko for agreeing to talk with me over the phone about their family’s experiences. I must particularly thank my parents for supporting me during my long journey to completing this project. Also, I must thank a friend who, when I was in the process of deciding whether or not to undertake this projet, reassured me that "no one has ever regretted writing a thesis." Finally, I am grateful to the Lord and his wisdom in all things. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ......................................................................................................................... vii INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 1 1. A HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND SOCIO-POLITICAL FACTORS AFFECTING THE CHURCHES' SUCCESSES ............................................... 7 Historical Background ....................................................................................... 7 The Churches and Shifts in Political Opportunity Structure, 1953 to early 70's .. 13 Soviet Human Rights Movement - A Brief History ............................................ 21 The Churches and Shifts in Political Opportunity Structure, 1976 to 1985 ......... 25 Conclusions ....................................................................................................... 30 2. REFORM BAPTISTS .............................................................................................. 32 Historiography .................................................................................................... 34 Factors Possibly Contributing to Church's Successes and Failures ....................... 36 Baptist History in Russia/USSR ............................................................. 36 Components of the Church ..................................................................... 42 Religious Activities, and Tactics to Continue Them ................................ 49 Protest .................................................................................................... 55 Conclusions ....................................................................................................... 65 3. CHRISTIANS OF THE EVANGELICAL FAITH (UNREGISTERED PENTECOSTALISTS) ....................................................................................... 67 Historiography ................................................................................................... 69 Factors Possibly Contributing to Church's Successes and Failures ...................... 70 Pentecostal History in Russia/USSR ....................................................... 70 Components of the Church ..................................................................... 72 Religious Activities, and Tactics to Continue Them ............................... 79 v Protest .................................................................................................... 82 Conclusions ....................................................................................................... 93 4. TRUE AND FREE SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS ................................................ 95 Historiography ................................................................................................... 96 Factors Possibly Contributing to Church's Successes and Failures ...................... 98 Adventist History in Russia/USSR ......................................................... 98 Components of the Church ..................................................................... 100 Religious Activities, and Tactics to Continue Them ............................... 105 Protest .................................................................................................... 108 Conclusions ....................................................................................................... 116 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................. 119 APPENDICES: A - Timeline – Religion and Major Events in Russia/USSR ............................... 124 B - Timeline – Reform Baptists in Russia/USSR ................................................ 126 C - Appeal to AUCECB ................................................................................... 130 D - First Appeal..................................................................................................... 133 E - Timeline – Pentecostalists in Russia/USSR .................................................. 137 F - Timeline – True Adventists in Russia/USSR ................................................ 140 G - Table of Factors Contributing to Successes and Failures .............................. 143 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................... 145 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH ......................................................................................... 150 vi ABSTRACT The Soviet Union was an aggressively atheistic state that sought to contain and eradicate religion from its society, but in the process of persecuting religious believers, some underground religious movements were born that engaged in vigorous activity in spite of the state’s policies. This study examines factors contributing to the successes and failures of three such religious organizations – the Reform Baptists, unregistered Pentecostalists, and True & Free Adventists – from Stalin’s death in 1953 to 1985 when Gorbachev came into power. Chapter One considers socio-political trends during that period of time as well as state anti-religious tactics, and their effect on the churches’ successes and failures. Chapters Two through Four discuss denomination-specific factors at play in the churches’ successes to 1985 divided into the following four broad categories: the movement’s history on Russian/Soviet territory; components of the church including theology, hierarchy, and level of organization; the churches’ religious activities and tactics to continue to engage in them, including the holding of worship services and proselytizing; and finally attitude toward and engagement in protest. This study is a groundbreaking attempt not only in identifying those factors most associated with the religious movements’ successes and failures, but also in compiling information on them. In addition to various books and articles that address some aspect of the churches, the current study utilizes primary sources such as memoirs from and interviews with church leaders and adherents that both provide an insider’s perspective into the operation of the three religious movements and offer essential insights that lead to an understanding of the ideal composition of a religious organization operating in a hostile environment. vii INTRODUCTION Through