Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs, USA, says they are monitoring Russia’s crackdown and asking questions.

“What is happening to churches that are not part of the Russian Orthodox Church? Are they being accepted? Are they free to meet? Are they free to meet, not only in their church building, but to meet in people’s homes, to meet in other places?” asks Nettleton.

“I think what we’re seeing now is some of the tightening of that to say they don’t have that freedom, and it’s certainly something we want to pay attention to in the months and years to come.”

Baptist and other evangelical churches can be perceived as disloyal to Russia, unlike the Russian Orthodox Church.

“Evangelicals, including Baptists, are seen as, ‘Well, they’re linked to the West, so they’re not as loyal to our country.’ That obviously, with the war going on in Ukraine, with loyalty to the country being a focus and an emphasis, creates some of these challenging situations for evangelicals in Russia right now,” Nettleton says.

When a church registers with the state, it also registers its location. This can leave churches susceptible to the government shutting down meeting places and tightening the screws.

“We would love to see a government there that respects religious freedom, not only for members of the Russian Orthodox Church, but for all Russians to have that freedom of religion, that freedom of worship, that freedom of gathering together,” says Nettleton. “Let’s just continue to pray that God moves inside Russia.”

Please pray for Christians in Russia that they will be able to meet, encourage one another, and share the Gospel as bold witnesses for Christ.

Header Photo by Jan Reinicke on Unsplash

Evangelism at Basilica of Our Lady of Licheń, Poland. (Photo, caption courtesy of e3 Partners)

Poland has been a safe haven for Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion. Around 4 million Ukrainians have passed through or stayed in Poland since the start of the war.

Yet, there is good news. Mike Jorgensen, e3 Partners’ Director of Global Migration Initiatives, says Ukrainian Christians are spreading the Gospel as they go.

“The Ukrainian Church was one of the strongest churches in Europe. I was told by a Polish Baptist pastor that they now estimate there [are] more Ukrainian Baptists in Poland than there are Polish Baptists in Poland.”

Displaced children from Ukraine are also learning the local languages in their new host countries faster than adults. Ukrainian pastors tell e3 they hope to raise up a new generation of diaspora missionaries.

E3 is working with Ukrainian pastors in Poland and even Ukraine for missions work.

Training Polish and Ukrainian believers. (Photo, caption courtesy of e3 Partners)

Jorgensen says, “We first went in offering to do trauma healing training…and we’ve continued to do Zoom trainings with leaders back in Kyiv. We’ve also offered evangelism and discipleship training and church planting training.”

Pray for an equipped and missional Ukrainian Church, “that God would heal the trauma and then give them this perspective of being missionaries, wherever it is they end up.”

Learn more about e3 here!

Header photo courtesy of Marjan Blan/Unsplash.

Pray for Ukraine as Baptists are being blamed for the conflict.

Ukraine (MNN) — Seven Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in an ambush by pro-Russian insurgents, just as talks began between Ukrainian, Russian, and European leaders.

According to authorities about 30 rebels, who had taken cover among bushes along a river, attacked with grenade-launchers and automatic weapons, immediately killing two soldiers and wounding three others. It appears the Ukraine conflict is escalating.

Meanwhile, talks in Kiev featuring Ukrainian and Russian leaders as well as the Organization for Security and Co-operation and Europe began with the hopes of seeing the separatists disarm and improving the atmosphere for the presidential election May 25.

Slavic Gospel Association support evangelical churches in both countries, where the congregations are made up of both ethnic Russians and ethnic Ukrainians. SGA’s Joel Griffith says Baptists are in a bad spot right now. “The current acting president of Ukraine is a Baptist evangelical himself. Baptists are being falsely blamed for this situation in Ukraine right now, and the churches are encountering some pressure because of it.”

Griffith says it’s heartbreaking because Baptists want peace, and they want people to know about Jesus.

Other countries in the region are also concerned. “What is the potential for this to possibly spread to other former Soviet nations? Moldova wants stronger ties with the E-U. And Georgia is now wanting to sign an association agreement with the European Union.” This is what sparked Russia’s response.

In these types of situations, people’s hearts are most open to hearing about Jesus. “When there are great times of upheaval in our lives, it’s certainly a time when people start questioning their lives and question what their ultimate values are.”

Churches in the region want to take advantage of open hearts, but lack of funding makes that difficult. SGA is helping with that through their Crisis Evangelism Fund. “We want to be able to give the churches on the ground the resources they need to respond most effectively, not only with physical help, but also to reach out in love with the Gospel.”

The fund will help provide for the needs of refugees from Crimea and other regions and support pastors in crisis areas while helping with Bible and other Christian literature distribution.

What does the future hold for churches in many of these former Soviet bloc nations?

If Russia begins invading, Griffith says it could mean a significant change in religious freedom. These nations have known freedom for 26 years, since the fall of the Soviet Union. “The churches there know what it’s like to live under persecution. They know what it’s like to have to conduct their ministries in very restrictive situations. So I’m positive, no matter what comes up, that those churches are going to be dedicated to getting the Gospel out no matter what it takes.”

Support SGA’s Crisis Evangelism Fund today. A gift of $50, $100, $1,000, or even more will help fund the work in Ukrainian churches.

(Image courtesy Sergey Rakhuba via Facebook)

Ukraine (MNN) — Rhetoric was ramping up on all sides of the Ukraine crisis going into the weekend. Ukraine’s Prime Minister accused Moscow of escalating the conflict even further and undermining their efforts to move forward. At the same time, Russia announced a new round of “military exercises” on the Ukraine border and warned interim leaders about military action against citizens.

With the help of Russian Ministries, MNN is taking a closer look at religious targeting in the region.

“Today that part of the world–where Russia is interested in the Ukrainian part–is truly a troublesome area because the Jews are beginning to feel this pressure, discrimination,” states Wally Kulakoff with Russian Ministries.

“The Jews are feeling pressure to somehow pick up their roots and leave, and join their relatives in Israel, in Europe.”

Controversial flyers distributed a few weeks ago in Donetsk, requiring Jews to register with the government or face punishment, are only the tip of an anti-Semitic iceberg.

In Ukraine, Russia, and Europe, “There is a growing set of Nazi and neo-Nazi movements that are very difficult for Americans to absorb as real,” Richard Brodsky told NPR on Friday. Brodsky is a Senior Fellow at the U.S. public policy group, Demos.

“The evidence across Europe, Russia, and particularly Ukraine, is that this stuff is real, it’s growing, and it’s got to be first identified and then spoken about.”

In Crimea, the letters U-S-S-R and this symbol were spray-painted in red on the Holocaust Museum.
(Photo credit: Hugo via Flickr)

According to Brodsky, antisemitism has existed in the region for some time but is now getting more attention because of the Ukraine-Russia crisis.

Both Russia’s and Ukraine’s governments blame the other for Donetsk’s anti-Semitic flyers, but that’s not the only city where discrimination is taking place. In Crimea, the letters U-S-S-R, along with a hammer and sickle, were spray-painted in red on the Holocaust Museum. In Dnepropetrovsk, vandals spray-painted swastikas on the tomb of a well-known Jewish figure.

“In 1926, there were over 3 million Jews [in Ukraine],” Kulakoff observes. “Today, in 2014, there are just over 60,000 Jews.

“I think we will see not only the business-drain but the brain-drain …[as] Jews will slowly leave that part of the world where they’re not welcome.”

Jews in eastern Ukraine aren’t the only religious group being picked on. According to Kulakoff, evangelical Christians in Russia are under fire, too.

“There’s a new term that I heard in Russia: a Baptist is a terrorist. When you begin to include an evangelical as an extreme wing, I think that’s very dangerous,” he says.

The interim President of Ukraine, Oleksandr Turchynov, is known to be an evangelical Christian affiliated with the Baptist denomination. Russia adamantly denies the validity of Turchynov, as well as his entire administration.

For “anyone who belongs to a Baptist church, they [Russian officials] claim that he has some ties with Ukraine, some ties with anti-government feelings, anti-government actions. And that is very, very frightening,” adds Kulakoff.

Baptist missionaries in Russia have already been interrogated by authorities.

Anti-Semitic graffiti in Lithuania.
(Photo cred: Beny Shlevich via Flickr)

Russian Ministries has an office in Kiev, and Kulakoff says their contacts are greatly concerned by the latest developments. This week, there is a forum in Kiev on Jewish Evangelism, he adds, and there will be much discussion on helping Jews who are coming out of Crimea because of pressure from Russian extreme forces.

“Our contacts in Ukraine are telling us that these times will be hard times,” states Kulakoff.

“But it will be a time of spiritual awakening across Ukraine because people are forced on their knees. People are coming to the Lord, and so we as an organization need to be ready because Ukraine will experience a spiritual awakening like we have never seen before.”

See how you can help families in Ukraine through Russian Ministries.

“Let’s pray for families,” Kulakoff suggests. “Let’s provide for them and let’s petition for them.”

Crimean Tatar refugees are the primary concern of churches helped by SGA.
(Image courtesy Petar Milošević via Wikimedia Commons)

Ukraine (MNN) — Coming out of Easter weekend, tensions remain high in Ukraine. Defiance against Ukraine’s interim government continues, both from pro-Russian activists and Russia itself. But Slavic Gospel Association leader Bob Provost is focusing on a crisis within the broader Ukraine crisis.

“The churches in Ukraine are caring for a huge number of refugees from Crimea,” Provost notes. “The Baptist leaders in Ukraine have asked us to help them create a fund (for refugee care) that would be carefully dispersed through the churches.”

Thousands of ethnic Tatars fled Crimea when Russia annexed the region in March. Some estimates put the number of refugees at around 20,000.

Provost says an SGA-supported church in central Ukraine is hosting a “large number” of Tatar refugees.

“They’ve moved the students out and put the refugees into the Bible college dormitory,” he shares. “It’s costing the church about $1,000 a week to feed them, and they’re starting to run out of capacity to do that.

“The main concern that the evangelical leaders in Ukraine have is for help in coming alongside the many refugees and seizing the opportunity to share the Gospel with them.”

But the Tatar refugee crisis isn’t the only thing weighing on leaders’ minds.

Further concerns
As we shared earlier this week, Russian authorities are dubbing Baptist believers as terrorists. SGA is the North American representative of the Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (UECB) in Russia, and Provost says recent events have alarmed their contacts.

“They’re greatly concerned, even though they’re trying not to create panic,” Provost says. “But they feel that they are being under close control.”

Around 70% of SGA’s seminary graduates are serving in eastern Ukraine. Please pray for their safety.
(Image courtesy SGA)

Russian officials have questioned many Baptist leaders about the interim Ukrainian President, Oleksandr Turchynov.

“The fact that he [Turchynov is] known to be an evangelical is causing the authorities in Russia to blame the problems in Ukraine on the evangelicals,” Provost says.

“The bottom line is: there is an increase in control, but at this point, no ministry hindrances yet.”

New pressure on Jews in activist-controlled cities also has leaders on high alert.

“This came as a total surprise and is causing great concern,” says Provost. In Donetsk, “Armed men on Passover Eve handed out leaflets requiring all the Jewish people to register their religion and their property with the interim pro-Russian government.

“If they did not, they would face deportation and loss of citizenship.”

The flyers’ message is eerily similar to Germany’s 1938 requirement of all Jewish property to be registered with the Reich. That year–1938–marked a significant escalation in the Nazi regime’s persecution of the Jews.

“As you pray for peace in Ukraine,” requests Provost, “pray for the Jewish people in eastern Ukraine, that the Lord would protect them from whatever this movement wants to bring.”

(Image courtesy Slavic Gospel Association)

What now?
The Ukraine crisis is constantly evolving, but one thing is certain: the situation isn’t getting better anytime soon. If you aren’t already on your knees in prayer for Ukraine, Provost suggests some ways you can pray: “Number one, that bloodshed could be avoided. Two: for Ukraine to be maintained as a whole. Three: for protection of unity in the churches. Four: for revival of the economy. Their economy’s in horrible condition,” Provost recites.

Pray also for peace in the region, “and that Russian aggression would be stopped.”

To help SGA-supported churches in Ukraine care for Tatar refugees, click here and select “Humanitarian Aid” in the drop-down menu.

Support BGR as they help Syrian children like these affected by the civil war.

Syria (MNN) — As Syria continues to appease the west with rhetoric, a new wrinkle has emerged. While Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad says he intends to hand over chemical weapons to Russian authorities, Assad says it may be difficult to acquire. This controversy could make assisting the homeless even more difficult.

In an interview with Chinese Television, United Nations inspectors may not be able to access all chemical weapons sights because of rebel control. Weapons inspectors hope to have Syria’s entire arsenal no later than November.

Last week Syria joined the world’s chemical weapon watchdog list so their inventory could be counted due to their prior agreement with the U.S. and Russia to disarm their chemical weapons. Word from Veteran weapons inspectors is the process of securing and or destroying the Syrian stockpile could take hundreds of inspectors and thousands of troop members for security purposes. The security of the stockpiles will remain top priority as well as guaranteeing the safety of the inspectors despite the Syrian civil war raging on.

Because of the Syrian civil war though, refugee numbers are astronomical. The U.N. reports there are as many as four-million internally displaced. 2 million are now in neighboring countries.

While many are living in refugee camps in Jordan, Baptist Global Response reports some refugee families are making deals with home-owners to take care of their house in exchange for staying at the home in safety. Others are living where they can in abandoned sheds, garages, makeshift tents, or at a safe shelter.

BGR is doing what they can to address the situation by providing physical needs and spiritual guidance. BGR is delivering food packages, hygiene kits, and basic medicines to Syrian refugees in northern Jordan, while share Jesus at the same time.

BGR is assisting with more than $750,000 in relief assistance as the civil war crisis continues.

How can you help? You can pray for the safety of the chemical weapons inspectors as they are in danger as they move the weapons to safe keeping. You also continue to keep Syria in our prayers as the civil war goes on and pray for peace.

There are also many opportunities to help out our international partners, such as BGR. You can help Syrian refugees by donating to BGR’s Syria Crisis Fund. For more information click on the links provided here.

It’s in their home.

2.5 million people are newly infected with HIV/AIDS every year. Most of them are children. 97% of HIV/AIDS victims live in impoverished areas of the world.

Jeff Palmer with Baptist Global Response (BGR) says caring for people with HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa is vastly different from first world countries. “Here in the United States, when people have a long-term illness there are ways they can be cared for by hospitals and hospice. But most places of the world, especially in rural poor areas, there’s nothing like that. People go home to a village and die–maybe lay on a dirt floor, or maybe cared by the family.”

With 2 million people dying each year to HIV/AIDS, there’s a sense of urgency for ministry. For “a lot of people, this is the last chance they will have to hear the Gospel and respond, and have a chance at eternal life,” says Palmer.

Buckets of Love

BGR sees a desperate need for quality care and the Gospel for HIV/AIDS patients in Sub-Saharan Africa. That’s why they have the Bucket Project putting together hospice kits.

Churches and organizations can pack a 5-gallon bucket with things like plastic gloves for caregivers, vitamins, changing pads, and bed sheets. These buckets are sent to BGR national partners in Sub-Saharan Africa. The partners take the buckets into homes and show the families how to care for their loved one with HIV/AIDS.

Palmer explains, “[It’s] basically a hygiene kit to help the caregivers who are going to take care of those who are dying at home, to die in a way that gives them some dignity and show that somebody in the world cares for them.”

BGR’s goal for this year is to send 10,000 buckets to Sub-Saharan Africa. So far, they only have between 1,500-2,000 buckets.

Palmer explains how your church can get involved. “We ask the churches who pack the buckets here in the states: as you pack it and close that bucket, you pray over it for the person who is going to receive it…. Then, when that bucket gets there, a caregiver who is a believer…[will] share with the family, saying, ‘This bucket was packed for you by a group of Christians in the United States and they wanted to demonstrate God’s love for you.’ Then they pray over it and open it up.”

“At that point it opens up all kinds of ways for witnessing that can share the love of God, the compassion of Christ to bless them. Many times the eyes will light up. I saw one young man who received his bucket, and the mother who was caring for him: it was just like, ‘You mean somebody in the world cared for me?’ I said, ‘Yeah, they care for you because God loves you, and we want to bless you with this gift.’”

It’s proven an exciting project for churches and organizations to get involved in, says Palmer. “It gives them something hands-on to do, and it gets them excited. It raises awareness of what’s happening around the world.”

“We ask people to pray that God would lead us to a cure of HIV/AIDS. It’s a terrible disease. [We pray for] a cure that we can use also to make His name known among the nations. Pray also for those who are suffering that we could reach them in time…. Pray for our caregivers all around Sub-Saharan Africa that are going out. You can imagine an emotional thing to walk into a home and to minister to a family that is losing their loved one. Pray for strength and wisdom and knowledge and words of life.”

To get involved in BGR’s Bucket Project, click here.

The statement was issued by Russell Moore, president-elect of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, and Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board. The ERLC is the SBC's public policy arm. NAMB oversees the endorsement of chaplains to the U.S. military on behalf of the SBC.

"We have no interest in fomenting conspiracy theories," the statement reads. "We have no interest in misrepresenting our military leaders. At the same time, we do not want to ignore potential threats to religious liberty."

The statement addresses several reported incidents that have raised concern among Southern Baptists and evangelical Christians in recent weeks.

"These reports have elicited a great deal of concern and confusion among military chaplains, pastors, and congregations," the statement reads. "In some cases, misinformation has been mixed with fact, with the possible result of furthering already tense relationships between military and religious communities."

Ezell said he hopes the statement will serve two primary purposes.

"We want our chaplains and troops to know their religious freedoms are a top concern for us," Ezell said. "We want the U.S. military to know we are a friend. But right now, we are a friend who has some serious concerns."

The statement includes a detailed section listing concerns about how the Department of Defense defines terms like "evangelizing" and "proselytizing" as it relates to military personnel who want to share their faith with others.

"What incidents have taken place, we wonder, that would call for this seemingly arbitrary distinction between 'evangelizing' and 'proselytizing?'" the statement asks. "Proselytizing, after all, includes a range of meaning, encompassing a definition of 'seeking to recruit to a cause or to a belief.' With a subjective interpretation and adjudication of such cases, we need reassurance that such would not restrict the free exercise of religion for our chaplains and military personnel.

"After all, who defines what is proselytizing and what is evangelism? What could seem to be a friendly conversation about spiritual matters to one service person could be perceived or deliberately mischaracterized as 'proselytizing' to the person on the receiving end. The fact that this has been raised at all in such a subjective fashion could have a chilling effect on service personnel sharing their faith at all."

The statement further reads, "We ask then, and expect, from our military leaders, and from their civilian command, clarification of a commitment to safeguarding religious liberty, including the right for all servicemen and women to share their faith, short of coercion or harassment. This would entail a less subjective and more precise definition of such coercion and harassment, beyond the ambiguous language of 'proselytizing.'"

Moore, who will begin his responsibilities at the ERLC June 1, called on the military to engage in a dialogue with Southern Baptists and other evangelicals on such issues.

"We agree that no one should engage in coercion when it comes to sharing their faith with others," Moore said. "But there must also be room for freedom for our chaplains and military members to be distinctively Southern Baptist and for others to be distinctively Catholic or Jewish or Muslim as the case may be."

Doug Carver, the retired (Major General) Army Chief of Chaplains who now heads NAMB's chaplaincy ministry, echoed the concerns expressed by Moore and Ezell while reiterating SBC support for members of the military.

"Those who serve in our Armed Forces have no better friends than Southern Baptists who pray for their safety and work for their ability to worship freely," Carver said. "We are grateful for all of the sacrifices our military heroes make each day, and we are honored to be able to stand alongside them in times of war and peace."

The full statement from Moore and Ezell follows:

"Recent days have seen a flurry of media stories about various questions of religious liberty within the United States military. Many of these stories have prompted concern among Southern Baptists and other evangelical Christians as to whether our Christian servicemen and women, and the chaplains who serve them, are facing hostility from military leaders directed particularly toward evangelical Christianity.

"These reports have prompted a time of intense investigation by our respective organizations, as we seek to ascertain clarity about the factual basis and the larger meaning of these reports. The North American Mission Board (NAMB) of the Southern Baptist Convention is assigned with ministering to our military through our function as the endorsing agency for Southern Baptist chaplains. The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention is tasked with advocating our cherished Baptist commitment to a free church in a free state.

"We have no interest in fomenting conspiracy theories or faux outrage, seeing that such will serve neither the gospel of Jesus Christ nor our mission to minister to our neighbors with this gospel. We have no interest in misrepresenting our military leaders or their civilian command. The Bible calls on us to pray for and to honor our government leaders (Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Pet. 2:13-17).

"At the same time, we do not want to ignore potential threats to religious liberty. The First Amendment guarantees of the free exercise of religion and the freedom from an established state religion are grounded in a natural right — the right to a free conscience under God. This right is not granted by the state, or by the state's armed services, but is to be recognized and protected. Our Baptist forebears, from Thomas Helwys to Roger Williams to John Leland and beyond, were often irritants to the powers-that-be, precisely because they knew religious liberty is too important to be left to the whims of kings or presidents or bureaucrats.

"When reports emerged about purported threats to religious liberty, we immediately moved into investigation and action, working with military and political and advocacy leaders across the nation. Gen. Douglas Carver of NAMB, retired United States Army Chief of Chaplains, led the way in investigating and advising us of the current landscape. Here is a recap of the more controversial reports of recent weeks.

"1. On April 8, media sources reported that United States Army troops were told, in briefing materials, that evangelical Christians were 'extremists,' included in the same category as al-Qaeda. FACT: This characterization did happen, in a redeployment briefing for Army Reserve soldiers in Pennsylvania. The Department of Defense looked into this, and corrected the briefing materials.

"2. On April 25, news reports indicated that the United States Army had blocked the Southern Baptist Convention's website www.sbc.net due to 'hostile content.' FACT: This incident took place across Army, Air Force, Marine and Navy bases, not simply Army bases. Military officials tell us the concern was related to malware issues, related to maintaining the safety of military computer networks from viruses and hacking, not an intentional move to block the Southern Baptist Convention site for ideological reasons.

"3. On April 28, news reports indicated that the Pentagon had tapped Mikey Weinstein, infamous for his inflammatory anti-Christian remarks, as an adviser on religious issues in the U.S. military. FACT: The Department of Defense confirms that Weinstein requested and was granted a meeting with Pentagon officials but denies he serves as a military consultant or in any other official capacity.

"4. On May 1, some news sources reported that soldiers could be prosecuted for sharing their faith, up to and including court-martial. FACT: The Department of Defense clarified that no troops or chaplains are being court-martialed for evangelism. Military spokespersons said that evangelism is not a punishable offense, but that 'proselytizing,' defined as an unwelcome coercion of religious beliefs, would be considered a Uniform Code of Military Justice offense because such action violates good order and discipline by forcing faith beliefs on those not welcoming such advances.

"These reports have elicited a great deal of concern and confusion among military chaplains, pastors and congregations. In some cases, misinformation has been mixed with fact, with the possible result of furthering already tense relationships between military and religious communities.

"We reject any and all attempts to sensationalize or misrepresent situations, in this or any other context. Having said that, we are concerned. While rejecting any conspiracy theory linking the reports above, we believe there are in some of these cases elements that are indicative of a troubling lack of respect for true religious diversity in our military. Furthermore, problematic attempts in some sectors of the military to compromise the free exercise of religion have given a sense of plausibility when other such reports emerge, even when those reports are not grounded in fact.

"Of the items mentioned above, we are most concerned about the language of 'proselytizing' as a punishable offense. We agree, of course, that no one should coerce religious beliefs on anyone else. As a matter of fact, if the military were to allow some sort of coercive conversion — to any religion, including ours — we would object to such as a violation of both the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and of our consciences. We believe the New Birth comes by the Spirit of Christ not by the sword of Caesar.

"This behavior is, of course, clearly already prohibited as harassment. What incidents have taken place, we wonder, that would call for this seemingly arbitrary distinction between 'evangelizing' and 'proselytizing'? Proselytizing, after all, includes a range of meaning, encompassing a definition of 'seeking to recruit to a cause or to a belief.' With a subjective interpretation and adjudication of such cases, we need reassurance that such would not restrict the free exercise of religion for our chaplains and military personnel.

"After all, who defines what is proselytizing and what is evangelism? What could seem to be a friendly conversation about spiritual matters to one service person could be perceived or deliberately mischaracterized as 'proselytizing' to the person on the receiving end. The fact that this has been raised at all in such a subjective fashion could have a chilling effect on service personnel sharing their faith at all.

"We believe in a free marketplace of ideas. Moreover, evangelical Christianity is, by definition, a faith that believes all Christians are to share the gospel with our neighbors and friends. To insist on a privatized, non-missional Christianity is to establish a state religion of non-conversionist faith that renders evangelical Christianity as well as other faiths — such as the Latter-day Saints — out of bounds. For a religion to be free, it must be unbound by restrictions that unfairly limit its advance.

"While no reports indicate any known court martial or disciplinary proceedings related to evangelism, we also know that the time for clarification and protection of religious liberty is before such rights are taken away, not simply after they have been. Moreover, we have seen too many other incremental steps to marginalize and stigmatize the free exercise of religion, especially among evangelical Christians, in the military and elsewhere. Notice, for instance, the ongoing struggles for evangelical Christian chaplains to pray in public settings as evangelical Christians, in the name of Jesus, which is the only way evangelical Christians believe we can come before God the Father.

"We ask then, and expect, from our military leaders, and from their civilian command, clarification of a commitment to safeguarding religious liberty, including the right for all servicemen and women to share their faith, short of coercion or harassment. This would entail a less subjective and more precise definition of such coercion and harassment, beyond the ambiguous language of 'proselytizing.'

"Our military men and women have submitted themselves to the authority of the United States armed services. They have not placed their souls or their consciences or their constitutional rights in a blind trust. Moreover, we reaffirm what our country has always recognized, that chaplains do not serve a merely civic function. They are there in order to facilitate the First Amendment-guaranteed free exercise of religion for our servicemen and women. That is only possible if these chaplains are free to be, respectively, Baptists or Catholics or Jews or Muslims or Latter-day Saints, etc., rather than merely ministers of some generic American civil religion.

"We pledge to continue meeting with military leaders to ensure civil conversation about religious liberty. We also pledge to continue meeting with elected and appointed officials in the political arena, to ensure that constitutionally guaranteed religious freedoms are maintained. We further pledge to work with persons of good will to ensure that our First Freedom is maintained, in the military and in the civilian arenas, as we render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, but not that which belongs only to God."

Kevin Ezell
President
North American Mission Board
Southern Baptist Convention

Russell D. Moore
President-elect
Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission
Southern Baptist Convention

According to Forum 18 News, several large fines have been handed out since August, and two more are pending for local Baptists. Forum 18 says believers are being punished for "illegal missionary activity," and the fines are equal to seven months' wages, or $1,150 USD.

A few of the seven people punished for "illegal missionary activity" were sharing their faith on the street, while others were leading religious meetings within their communities. Forum 18 says prosecuted individuals include four Jehovah's Witnesses, two Muslims, and a Christian.

The two believers awaiting trial are part of Almaty's Council of Churches Baptist congregation, reports Forum 18. Along with accusing Yuri Bronitsky and Fedor Karabeinikov of violating Kazakhstan's new religion law, officials visited another Baptist church in the region.

"[Police] came during worship and photographed us," congregants complained to Forum 18. "They said they had an order…that now the new law has been adopted, they will close us down."

Elsewhere in Kazakhstan, reports Forum 18, courts fined a believer for handing out Christian books to people on the streets. The man expected a hearing for his case, but instead was taken directly to the court after work.

These are the latest cases in a series of crackdowns since Kazakhstan passed two new religion laws in October 2011. It was thought to be one of the freer countries in Central Asia, but with more and more cases surfacing, Kazakhstan is starting to look very similar to the other restrictive "Stan" countries.

Pray for boldness for believers throughout Central Asia. Pray that the crackdown on Christianity would end.

Jerry Haag, President of Orphan's Heart, a ministry of Florida Baptist Children's Homes, says his heart breaks. He says it's not just a problem somewhere else. "Right here in the state of Florida, there are 40,000 homeless children in this state."

This Sunday, November 7, churches around the world will be talking about the needs of orphaned children. "They're looking for a family that will adopt them, and looking for the body of Christ to be the presence of Jesus to them in a very physical way."

November 7th is the culmination of Orphan's Hope's "40 Days for the Fatherless," a campaign to encourage more people to consider ways that they can minister to orphaned and disadvantaged children, either in their own community or overseas on an international mission trip.

Haag says, "If we really acted like the body of Christ, if we would give like the body of Christ, and if we would love like the body of Christ, we could literally change the life of every orphaned child in the world. I believe we have the resources within the body of Christ to do that."

Orphan Sunday is more than just helping Christians KNOW about the orphan problem globally. Haag says people can pray, start an orphan ministry in your church, adopt a child, or support someone who wants to adopt.

Haag says, "I think about these children who are coming from other countries that people are opening their homes to. We're not only changing their lives, but most importantly, introducing them to our Savior Jesus Christ."

Orphan's Hope has a way for you get intimately involved. Haag says you can go to OrphansHeart.org and sign their Prayer Proclamation. "Say your church is going to pray for orphans–your Sunday school class, small groups: when you do that, we're going to give away one international child care mission trip to a third world country. The reason that's important is one – we pray, and two – we take that next step and take action."

You can download material for Orphan Sunday at your church at OrphansHeart.org