#41 in Christian Persecution, Russia

Regional persecution, state control

Christians in parts of Russia dominated by Islam report the highest level of Christian persecution. Often, Christians who have converted from Islam face pressure and discrimination from their families, communities and surrounding cultures. Additionally, an increase in state control has resulted in more tight controls for any Christian denomination seen as non-Russian, which means evangelical churches are often regarded with suspicion. The government continues to pass more restrictive legislation on religious freedom.

How Christians are suffering
Many ethnic Russians in Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia have left due to fighting, and churches have seen membership numbers drop. Russian Orthodox churches experience the fewest number of problems from the government., while unregistered churches active in evangelism may face obstructions in the form of surveillance and interrogation.

It is the indigenous Christians who converted from Islam and live in Muslim-majority regions that bear the brunt of persecution—from both family/friends and the local community. In some areas, these believers must keep their faith secret for fear of being executed.

Examples
On February 18, 2018, an Islamic militant attacked a Russian Orthodox group in Kizlyar, Dagestan. Five female Christians were killed while another five were injured. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement, but the statement provided no evidence to support the claim.

On May 20, 2018, Islamic militants attacked the Russian Orthodox Archangel Michael Church in Grozny, Chechnya, killing one believer. The church’s priest, Father Sergiy, said churchgoers heard shots outside and chants of “Allahu Akbar” meaning “Allah is greatest.”

Law enforcement agencies are increasing pressure on Protestants in the Nizhny Novgorod region. Judges fined and ordered the deportation of two African Christians at Nizhny Novgorod’s medical academy for appearing in or reposting videos on a social media network. The two deported students were permitted to stay in the country to complete their final exams but were required to leave by June 30, 2018, according to Forum 18.



Pray for Russia

• Pray for the unity of Christians in Russia, that they would break through denominational differences and work together for the Body of Christ.
• Pray for Christians from a Muslim background living in parts of Russia that are mostly Muslim. Pray for protection and strength to persevere.
• Pray for Christians active and worshiping in unregistered churches, and in churches where telling others about Jesus is encouraged. Pray they would be kept safe and they would be free of government interference as they worship God and preach the gospel.
• Pray for the government of Russia, that they would seek the common good of all people and all faiths.

Stories from Russia

Well, the reason would be because the Savior said to preach the Gospel to all nations. Sometimes He gets real intense about it, like when He told Paul that he would be preaching the Gospel to the gentiles..

It always helps to know what the Bible says.

MariaJLM said:

There's been a religious revival in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet regime. I can assure you that very few people there are unfamiliarwith Christianity and the Bible. Even the atheists in Russia are familiar with that stuff to some extent.

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There are many Muslims there who have not heard the Gospel. You said yourself that atheists there are only familiar with it "to some extent."

As the OP says, there is government "interference" too. That, and all the areas mentioned for prayer, are worthy of our time in my opinion.

Just because someone has heard this or that about what they call Christianity, that does not mean by any means that they really know what the Bible says, or really have a relationship with the Lord. That was me, once. Here in the USA I felt led to go on a Christian retreat. They were reaching out to others and it changed my life.

I had read the Bible before, and gone to Church before, but mostly rejected it all. i remember sitting at the retreat in a round table with others realizing for the first time that Yahushuah, aka Jesus, actually was the Son of the Creator. I needed to be witnessed to, and I am so glad that I was.