Communism

In the years following World War II, when Communism was in full swing in Eastern Europe, Corrie ten Boom traveled from country to country sharing the Gospel and encouraging believers who followed Jesus at the risk of their very lives.

If you were creating your own government, what would you do first? Would you build a strong military? Secure honest leaders? Write just laws or ensure a viable economy?

East Germany didn’t start that way. Their first official act was to apologize to the world.

On April 12, 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin climbed aboard a rocket and left Earth’s atmosphere, becoming the first human to ever fly through space. Upon landing, he infuriated Christians because he was quoted by Communist Party leaders as saying, “I looked and looked but I didn’t see God.”

The truth is, he said nothing of the sort.

During the heyday of Communism, millions of Christians around the world were persecuted and thousands were even killed for their faith. Under those regimes, becoming a Christian was a risky venture.

That’s why several pastors, like Rev. John Oros, cautioned people to truly count the cost of following Jesus.

In the late 19th Century and early 20th Century, a Russian peasant boy was dutifully taught the Word of God by his parents and fellow villagers. They labored diligently, hoping the Scriptures would shape his life, not knowing that the boy would one day become Premier of the Soviet Republic.

Sadly, the adult life of that young boy – named Nikita Khrushchev – didn’t reflect the truth of the Scriptures by which he was raised.