News from the Carter Report

This is from the Carter Report, Inc. for February 2004.

"My first story is about a Russian pastor, a head deaconess and her daughter. (Pastor Vadim Butov called me with the details.) Pastor Alexi Sasov lived in an area not far from where Vadim lives in Krasnoyarsk [Siberia]. This area that approaches the Mongolian border is inhabited by a people whose religion is Paganism. They are a wild, lawless tribe, and it was to them that Pastor Alexei Sasov was sent to preach and teach the story of Jesus. Alexei had sold his humble little cottage and went to pick up the money. He gave a ride to two of his church members, Natasha and her daughter Tanya, and since that fateful day they have disappearted off the face of the earth. Vadim has organized searh parties to scour the mountains now thick with snow. The Russian police have investigated, and their conclusion is that the pastor and his two church members have been murdered for the cash Alexei carried. It is not unlikely that the new owner of the home contracted with the Mafia to murder them and split the profits.

We have just sent to Vadim, by wire transfer, money to meet the needs of the surviving members of the two families. We nust never forget that those who work to spread the Good News in Russia often do so at the peril of their lives. The collapse of Communism (like the collapse of Saddam's evil junta in Iraq) has left a broken, desperate, and lawless society. Only one thing can meet the needs of these people, the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ and the holy law of God. We who live in the Western world owe all we have and enjoy to the fact that our countries were founded by Christian people. Take the Puritans out of American history and the United States of America would be a very different place........................................................................................................................

Now let me talk to you about the situation in Russia. Here are the facts: Russia is reverting to a totalitarian state. Mr. Putin, an old KGB colonel, apparently wants a brand of capitalism without the freedoms that usually go with it. Our friend, and Russian's foremost democratic defender of freedom, Dr. Boris Nemtsov, lost his parliamentary seat during the last election. His ouster from the Duma is symptomatic of Russia's turning from freedom of speech and religion. Russia's sun is sinking, and for true believers, night is coming on.

We therefore need to do what we can do now. Public evangelism, using huge auditoriums and advertising the meetings on television, is without question the best method of reaching the masses. More have been won to Christ in Russia and Ukraine through public evangelism than all other methods combined."

That's about it, except for asking for donations for the cause. I have met Vadim Butov on several occasions and have posted about him previously, although I did not name him.

Does anybody subscribe to Voice of the Martyrs newsletter? I feel humbled that I am so comfy, cozy in my lifestyle and other Christians in parts of the world are being tortured and losing their lives for the sake of the Gospel. This bothers me.

B