Middlesex University Research Repository An open access repository of Middlesex University research http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk Yuchkovski, Alexander (2015) A comparison of the evangelical movement in Russia in the 1920s and the 1990s. PhD thesis, Middlesex University / Oxford Centre for Mission Studies. [Thesis] Final accepted version (with author’s formatting) This version is available at: https://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/18502/ Copyright: Middlesex University Research Repository makes the University’s research available electronically. Copyright and moral rights to this work are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners unless otherwise stated. The work is supplied on the understanding that any use for commercial gain is strictly forbidden. A copy may be downloaded for personal, non-commercial, research or study without prior permission and without charge. 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See also repository copyright: re-use policy: http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/policies.html#copy 'A Comparison of the Evangelical Movement in Russia in the 1920s and the 1990s' Alexander Yuchkovski OCMS, Ph.D. October 2014 ABSTRACT This thesis is devoted to a comparative study of the evangelical movement in the territory of the former Soviet Union in the 1920s and 1990s. The possibility to compare the two periods is due to their common historical trends of liberalization in government policy in relation to religious organizations, as well as the nature of the evangelical movement at this time. The thesis is to identify and analyse three key trends in the development of the evangelical movement inherent in both periods, such as the desire of the cultural establishment in the East Slavic society under the domination of other religious or ideological systems; the dynamic development of relations with the state; and the development of church structure and solving of church matters. In the study, the author argues that the gospel spiritual awakening in the 1920s and 1990s is directly related to the temporary decline in the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church, which treated religious minorities as competitors as well as the weakness of the state ideology. However, even after an active spiritual awakening the evangelical movement remained a minority and covered no more than two percent of the population. The author explores the relationship between evangelical churches and the state, which in both historical periods was undergoing transition and crisis. A significant difference which was found in the relationship for the two study periods is shown. The research investigates the particular church development and explains the reasons for the differences and similarities in the nature of church life and ministry of the evangelical movement in the 1920s and 1990s. 'A Comparison of the Evangelical Movement in Russia in the 1920s and the 1990s' by Alexander Yuchkovski B.A. (1984) M.E. (1988) MBA (1994) M.Div. (1994) Director of Studies: Dr. Oleg Turlac Supervisor: Prof. Olena Panych Supervisor: Prof. Igor Podberezsky A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy In Middlesex University July, 2015 Oxford Centre for Mission Studies DEDICATION I dedicate this thesis to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to my family that has been lovingly supporting me throughout the process of writing, and to the Church of New Beginning of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. My brother Vitaly and sister Anna have been encouraging me in the lengthy journey of completion of Ph.D. studies. To my Slavic brothers and sisters in Christ I owe gratitude for many wonderful years of ministry. Together we went through many difficult and wonderful experiences in our walk with God. 7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The process of research and writing of this thesis has been both captivating and challenging. Countless hours have been spent flying over the ocean to Moscow and other cities in Russia in search of information. Much time was spent in the Archives of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists examining documents related to the life and activities of Russian Evangelicals in the 1920s. Interviewing the titans of the Russian Evangelical Christian-Baptist life, such as Dr Vasiliy Logvinenko and Dr Alexey Bychkov was a real joy. Dr George Boltniew provided a helpful perspective upon the life of Russian Evangelical Christians-Baptists in the 1990s. I am grateful to Dr. Haddon Wilmer who guided me and was very helpful in the beginning of writing of this thesis. My sincere gratitude is extended to my director of studies, Dr. Oleg Turlac and supervisors Prof. Igor Podberezsky and Prof. Olena Panich. Their encouragement and expertise in the field of study made the completion of this thesis possible. Special thanks to Paul and Bernice Seeley for their help. Bernice spent countless hours proofreading, critiquing and grammatically changing the thesis into the English language. I thank my colleagues from the Russian Missions for their invaluable help and encouragement during the years of my involvement in Ph.D. studies. Finally, I thank God for granting me strength, good health and ability to think clearly. Soli Deo Gloria! 8 Contents Dedication..........................................................................................................................7 Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................8 Table of Contents.............................................................................................................. 9 List of Abbreviations.......................................................................................................12 CHAPTER ONE: Introduction……………………………………………………...15 1.1 The Need for this Study ....................................................................................... 15 1.2 The Purpose of this Study .................................................................................... 16 1.3 Survey of Literature ............................................................................................. 17 1.3.1 Soviet, Post-Soviet and Orthodox Authors ................................................. 17 1.3.2 Research by Scholars familiar with the Evangelical-Baptist Movement ... 20 1.3.3 Western Scholarship ................................................................................... 22 1.4 Primary Sources ................................................................................................... 23 1.5 Methodology ........................................................................................................ 26 1.6 New Knowledge and the Contribution of this Thesis .......................................... 27 1.7 Design of this Thesis: Brief Outline of the Contents of Chapters ........................ 28 CHAPTER TWO: EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN AND BAPTIST MOVEMENTS IN RUSSIA FROM THEIR BEGINNING IN THE 1860S TO THE FIRST TWO DECADES OF THE 20TH CENTURY ......................................................................................... 30 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 30 2.2 The Beginnings of the Evangelical and Baptist Movements ................................ 30 2.2.1 Factors that Contributed to the Formation of the Evangelical-Christians and Baptist Movements in Russia ..................................................................... 31 2.2.2 The Emergence of the Evangelical-Christians Movement .......................... 32 2.2.3 The Beginning of Baptist Movement in the Russian Empire...................... 33 CHAPTER THREE: EVANGELICALS IN THE U.S.S.R. IN THE 1920S .............................. 65 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 65 3.2 Mission and Evangelism in New Conditions ........................................................ 67 3.2.1 Evangelicalism and Ideological Changes in Revolutionary Russia ............ 67 3.3 Strategy of Evangelism in 1920s .................................................................... 72 3.4 Mission and Evangelism: Results .................................................................. 77 3.5 Evangelicals and the Soviet Government ............................................................. 80 3.6 Evangelical Agricultural Communes and Cooperatives ................................ 82 9 3.7 Evangelicals in Competition with the Bolshevik Government ...................... 87 3.8 Structure and Development of Evangelical movement .....................................