I am a little bit older than most of the people on the World Race and I can still remember hearing bits and pieces about Communism in Eastern Europe. However, this past month we lived near Lipova, Romania and I heard first hand about Communism from the people who lived it. Needless to say, my eyes were opened. This blog is framed within the context of religion, but I will keep a closer watch on all of my freedoms when I return home.
Our contact this month was a Baptist pastor. He entered seminary the first of January after communism had fallen in December 1980 something. He told me many things about the fear, hunger and paranoia that accompanied Communism, but our discussion of religion peaked my interest.
To give some background, the Orthodox Church is the primary religious institution in Romania and has been for years. (I am going to write another blog about the Orthodox Church because it is very sad/interesting). However, the Orthodox Church heavily persecuted all other religions prior to Communism. This persecution essentially choked out all other denominations.
One of the first orders of business for the Communist regime was to open all the churches that had been previously persecuted by the Orthodox Church. The people celebrated because they believed freedom of religion had come to Romania. Additionally, the Communists began to tell preachers to heavily preach Acts 2:44-45 which says, “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.” Essentially, the christians were thrilled in the beginning.
Then, things began to turn. The “State” began attempting to force preachers to teach atheism. The State would no longer allow pastors to preach messages of their choosing. The State mandated that science be taught as the only thing that mattered. Religion was taught to be outdated and wholly unimportant.
Due to economic pressures from the West, the State had to feign freedom of religion. American pastors would be allowed into the country, but their host would have to “register” them with the secret police. The American pastor would then be followed the entire time and they were forbidden to “preach.” However, the American pastors were allowed to give an introduction. Therefore, creative Romanian pastors gave the Americans an hour or more to give their “introduction.”
Now, on to the history that I find most interesting. During the days of Communism, there were three kinds of pastors. The first kind were in bed with the State and acted as their puppet. These pastors taught what they were told. They turned in members of their congregation that they felt were a threat to the State, etc. My mother taught me that if I couldn't say anything nice to not say anything at all. Therefore, I will refrain from comment on these individuals.
The other two kinds of pastors became known as dogs and donkeys. The dogs constantly barked at the authorities and threatened the leaders with U.S. support if the State didn't allow freedom of religion. The dictator had secured U.S. economic aid during this time and would lose it if it became known that the church was being persecuted. BUT…to be a dog, you had to have a big name. Dogs without a big name/big following ended up dissappearing forever. Essentially, you had to be too public of a figure for the State to “make you go away.”
The final kind of pastor during this time was the donkey. These pastors silently carried the burden of Communism and did the best they could with their load. These pastors remained faithful, but by necessity stayed under the radar. These were also the pastors that carried the majority of the load of ensuring the gospel remained alive in Romania.
One example of the work of the donkeys comes in the form of underground seminaries. One way the State tried to choke out religion was by limiting new students entering into seminaries. The State would only allow four students every four years to attend seminary. By this method, they hoped to starve churches for trained pastors. Fortunately, underground seminaries were established and young pastors were trained under the ever present fear of being uncovered by the secret police. Needless to say, these were hard days full of persecution for the faithful in Romania.
Having told you this information, I do not have any divine revelation to pass on that I have gleaned from this story. All I can see is that Communism was sold to the people as a means to more freedom…the churches were opened, the money flowed into the people's hands, jobs were created. However, this alleged freedom came with the price of extreme slavery. Living in a broken world, people will continually attempt to work their private agenda against the greater good. I have seen first hand the devestation caused to a county by Communism. Romania is still struggling to shake off the bonds placed upon it by Communism. As a result, I will always keep a more watchful eye on my leaders and the world around me. Please do the same.
