Interview: ‘The Problems Between Our Countries Are Between Politicians, Not Christians’
Russian Christian leaders on Crimea, what Putin likes about Protestants, and evangelizing with Americans.
As relations between the American and Russian governments deteriorate amid disputes on Ukraine and other issues, eight Russian church leaders visited Christian ministries and government offices this week on a “peace and understanding” mission.
“We church leaders are here to take out this tension between our countries. We don’t have to let politicians make us enemies,” Baptist leader Vitaly Vlasenko told CT.
The visit from the seven Protestants and one Orthodox clergy, began with a meeting at the Charlotte headquarters of the the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), which organized the trip. Among the attendees were BGEA president Franklin Graham (who helped to organize the trip) and representatives from Samaritan’s Purse, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), Liberty University, The Christian and Missionary Alliance, Church of God, Biola University, and Wheaton College. On Monday, the Russian leaders visited the US Capitol and met with State Department officials and the UN Commission on International Religious Freedom. Their trip concluded Tuesday at the NAE offices in Washington, D.C.
“As we find tensions increasing once again between Russia, the United States, and Eastern Europe, it is vitally important that we try to build bridges of understanding and respect between the churches in Russia and the West,” Graham said. “My father made numerous trips during the Cold War when Eastern Europe and Russia were under Communism and built relationships with the churches in those countries. The hope of this forum is to re-establish the ties that we once had with the newer generation of leadership.”
In March, Decision …
Interview: ‘The Problems Between our Countries Are Between Politicians, Not Christians’
Russian Christian leaders on Crimea, what Putin likes about Protestants, and evangelizing with Americans.
As relations between the American and Russian governments deteriorate amid disputes on Ukraine and other issues, eight Russian church leaders visited Christian ministries and government offices this week on a “peace and understanding” mission.
“We church leaders are here to take out this tension between our countries. We don’t have to let politicians make us enemies,” Baptist leader Vitaly Vlasenko told CT.
The visit from the seven Protestants and one Orthodox clergy, began with a meeting at the Charlotte headquarters of the the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), which organized the trip. Among the attendees were BGEA president Franklin Graham (who helped to organize the trip) and representatives from Samaritan’s Purse, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), Liberty University, The Christian and Missionary Alliance, Church of God, Biola University, and Wheaton College. On Monday, the Russian leaders visited the US Capitol and met with State Department officials and the UN Commission on International Religious Freedom. Their trip concluded Tuesday at the NAE offices in Washington, D.C.
“As we find tensions increasing once again between Russia, the United States, and Eastern Europe, it is vitally important that we try to build bridges of understanding and respect between the churches in Russia and the West,” Graham said. “My father made numerous trips during the Cold War when Eastern Europe and Russia were under Communism and built relationships with the churches in those countries. The hope of this forum is to re-establish the ties that we once had with the newer generation of leadership.”
In March, Decision …
Plane Crash Kills Myles Munroe, Bahamas’ Best-Known Pastor
Samuel Rodriguez says ORU alum ‘breathed, lived, and died expanding the kingdom of God.’
En route to the international leadership conference he was hosting today, the Bahamas’ best-known pastor, Myles Munroe, died with his wife and seven others in a plane crash Sunday.
The 60-year-old founder and president of Bahamas Faith Ministries International was an alumnus of Oral Roberts University and a past speaker for Promise Keepers. He helped author more than 100 books, many of which were bestsellers in the Caribbean and Africa, according to NBC. CT noted how Munroe was the opening speaker for the 1996 National Religious Broadcasters conference.
“It was an honor having Myles Munroe speak on our platform in the early 2000s,” Promise Keepers said in a Facebook post Monday. “We have peace knowing that he is with the Lord. Our prayers go out to his family and friends.”
Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, noted on his Facebook page that Munroe “lived for the kingdom and helped us understand that we can change the world.”
“I remember when he spoke to me and gave me a word so on point. He will be missed,” Rodriguez said on Facebook. He noted on Twitter that “Myles Munroe breathed, lived and died expanding the kingdom of God. His passion for Christ made him a true ambassador of grace and righteousness.”
Financial guru Dave Ramsey noted on Twitter that Munroe’s “spirit was contagious.”
The plane Munroe was in crashed on Grand Bahama Island after it hit a crane in the shipyard as it was attempting to land near Freeport, according to Bahamian newspaper Tribune 242. All nine people on board died, including Bahamas Faith Ministries International’s senior vice president and pastor, …
Plane Crash Kills Myles Munroe, Bahamas’ Best-Known Pastor
Samuel Rodriguez says ORU alum ‘breathed, lived, and died expanding the kingdom of God.’
En route to the international leadership conference he was hosting today, the Bahamas’ best-known pastor, Myles Munroe, died with his wife and seven others in a plane crash Sunday.
The 60-year-old founder and president of Bahamas Faith Ministries International was an alumnus of Oral Roberts University and a past speaker for Promise Keepers. He helped author more than 100 books, many of which were bestsellers in the Caribbean and Africa, according to NBC. CT noted how Munroe was the opening speaker for the 1996 National Religious Broadcasters conference.
“It was an honor having Myles Munroe speak on our platform in the early 2000s,” Promise Keepers said in a Facebook post Monday. “We have peace knowing that he is with the Lord. Our prayers go out to his family and friends.”
Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, noted on his Facebook page that Munroe “lived for the kingdom and helped us understand that we can change the world.”
“I remember when he spoke to me and gave me a word so on point. He will be missed,” Rodriguez said on Facebook. He noted on Twitter that “Myles Munroe breathed, lived and died expanding the kingdom of God. His passion for Christ made him a true ambassador of grace and righteousness.”
Financial guru Dave Ramsey noted on Twitter that Munroe’s “spirit was contagious.”
The plane Munroe was in crashed on Grand Bahama Island after it hit a crane in the shipyard as it was attempting to land near Freeport, according to Bahamian newspaper Tribune 242. All nine people on board died, including Bahamas Faith Ministries International’s senior vice president and pastor, …
Plane Crash Kills Myles Munroe, Bahamas Best-Known Pastor
Samuel Rodriguez says ORU alum ‘breathed, lived, and died expanding the kingdom of God.’
En route to the international leadership conference he was hosting today, the Bahamas’ best-known pastor, Myles Munroe, died with his wife and seven others in a plane crash Sunday.
The 60-year-old founder and president of Bahamas Faith Ministries International was an alumnus of Oral Roberts University and a past speaker for Promise Keepers. He helped author more than 100 books, many of which were bestsellers in the Caribbean and Africa, according to NBC. CT noted how Munroe was the opening speaker for the 1996 National Religious Broadcasters conference.
“It was an honor having Myles Munroe speak on our platform in the early 2000s,” Promise Keepers said in a Facebook post Monday. “We have peace knowing that he is with the Lord. Our prayers go out to his family and friends.”
Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, noted on his Facebook page that Munroe “lived for the kingdom and helped us understand that we can change the world.”
“I remember when he spoke to me and gave me a word so on point. He will be missed,” Rodriguez said on Facebook. He noted on Twitter that “Myles Munroe breathed, lived and died expanding the kingdom of God. His passion for Christ made him a true ambassador of grace and righteousness.”
Financial guru Dave Ramsey noted on Twitter that Munroe’s “spirit was contagious.”
The plane Munroe was in crashed on Grand Bahama Island after it hit a crane in the shipyard as it was attempting to land near Freeport, according to Bahamian newspaper Tribune 242. All nine people on board died, including Bahamas Faith Ministries International’s senior vice president and pastor, …
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