Paul Crego
The Historical Background
The narrative of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia begins in the nineteenth century with the Russian imperial habit of moving religious nonconformists to the periphery of its realm. Tsarist banishments of religious dissidents led to the formation of several different Protestant communities, including Baptists, in Georgia and its capital of Tbilisi, a multi-ethnic city and a regional administrative center of the empire. Protestant marginalization at the hands of imperial Russia and its established Orthodox Church gave way after the Russian Revolution and Civil War to Soviet anti-religious propaganda and repression. In general, Georgian Baptists suffered no differently than Georgian Orthodox, but with small numbers to begin with, any hostile measures against them at once threatened their very survival. In practice, Georgian Baptists found themselves dictated to not only by a hostile state but by authoritarian leaders of the officially recognized denomination in Moscow. Thus, independent thinking by Georgians was basically not allowed. As a result, Georgian Protestants were required to hew to traditionally held beliefs and practices as defined by their Moscow sisters and brothers.
Experiments Adopting Old and New Practices
In addition to this tsarist and Soviet era narrative, Songulashvili provides a detailed history of the Georgian Baptist Church’s development after the fall of the Soviet Union, which witnessed the emergence of an independent state, but also Baptists in the Caucasus winning their independence from Russian Baptists. As a result, Georgian Baptists were able to institute reforms, some of which were liturgical, in keeping with patterns of worship familiar to Georgians over many hundreds of years through Orthodoxy, Georgia’s historically dominant form of Christianity. Liturgical and other changes were instituted not merely to imitate Orthodoxy, but to explore ways in which Baptists could worship as Georgians were long accustomed. These liturgical reforms included the use of incense, more frequent communion, the use of the Revised Common Lectionary, and the establishment of the offices of bishop and archbishop. Moving beyond traditional Georgian practice, Georgian Baptists also began ordaining women pastors and have now also elected a woman bishop, Rusudan Gotsiredze.
The Issue of Homosexuality
The most controversial change Georgian Baptists have introduced concerns the issue of sexual orientation. Bishops Malkhaz and Rusudan have moved beyond tolerance to loving acceptance of lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons. In this volume Bishop Malkhaz gives historical background concerning the emergence of conflict over homosexuality as it became more public, both in Georgian society at large and in the Baptist community in particular.
The precipitating events were a small demonstration in Tbilisi in observance of the International Day Against Homophobia, 17 May 2013, and a counter-demonstration of thousands, almost all Orthodox Christians, who pursued the initial demonstrators who fled for their safety. Bishop Malkhaz spoke openly against the counterdemonstration: “I publically condemned both the violence and the religious justification of homophobia. I offered my apologies to the LGBT community who were physically and emotionally abused in the name of Christ. It was a privilege to be on the side of the most marginalized and hated group in the country.” Physical attacks on the bishop’s own home followed his public statements condemning violence against homosexuals.
Other Georgian Baptists opposed the position taken by Bishop Malkhaz. They pointed out that homosexuality had not received any detailed discussion within the church prior to the public pronouncements on the subject made by Bishop Malkhaz. These dissenting Baptists asked how Malkhaz could speak for his church on this controversial issue without a previously agreed-upon consensus within his own ranks. Bishop Malkhaz at least does acknowledge the consequences of his outspokenness on the issue of homosexuality, that differences of opinion have led to hard feelings and ill will within Georgian Baptist ranks.
Defense of Persecuted Groups
Bishop Malkhaz has also defended Muslims who have faced discrimination and violence at the hands of an increasingly nationalistic Georgian society. On more than one occasion he has specifically expressed and has condemned overt hostility toward Muslims. This defense of minorities has included not only homosexuals and Muslims, but also Yazidis, Jews, and some other small religious communities found in Georgia.
The Orthodox Church in Georgia forms a large majority of the population and is of ancient historical provenance. Its position in Georgian society is expressed both in the context of constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion, and also in the fact that the Orthodox Church has certain privileges guaranteed by the state in Georgia. These legislatively prescribed prerogatives do not amount to Orthodoxy being an established state religion, but the Orthodox Church behaves as though it were the state church. This elevated station, both legally afforded and perceived, means that Orthodoxy’s attitudes and actions on societal issues often carry the day. In this regard, it should be noted that many in the Orthodox Church speak of homosexuality as a disease, but not merely as a disease within an individual person, but also as a disease that must somehow be eradicated from society. This second attitude is virtually a call to violence, and it is an attitude that Bishop Malkhaz certainly condemns.
Paul Crego, Ph.D., works for the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.