Evangelical Christians now being targeted in Russia

As the Russian Orthodox Church gains more and more favor from the Russian government, unease has set into other churches in the country. Their fears were not unwarranted, as armed Russian police with dogs have invaded an Evangelical Lutheran service.

Moscow, Russian Federation - Historically, Evangelical Christians have been known for very aggressive proselytising, even in war torn areas. According to Spero News, the Russian Orthodox Church has fought proselytising in what it views as its own back yard. It has been a year since the Russian government, under the leadership of President Medvedev moved to instill moral and religious values in young people, targeting those whose age is between 14 and 30 years. Medvedev maintains that this generation must rediscover their religious roots after the loss of values during the Soviet era, reported Spero News last March.

The Liberty of Conscience Institute says the Russian government is "cozying" up to the Orthodox Church in ways that could inhibit religious freedom and feels there is cause to be concerned. The Justice Ministry proposed to amend the federal law on “freedom of conscience and religious organisations” this past November. If the legislation goes into law it would effectively make it illegal for people to pray together without government authorization and would also ban religious organizations from admitting people with criminal records.

In an interview with the Christian Telegraph, Joel Griffith of the Slavic Gospel Association said, "Russia's president has taken the initiative to permanently assign orthodox priests army units, and they're also wanting to introduce religious education classes at state schools." Griffith says that while some churches experience no opposition others have been experiencing a great deal, such as Jehovah's Witnesses and now an incident with Evangelical Lutherans.