When visiting a Russian Baptist service, it is fairly easy to identify the four marks of evangelicalism as defined by David Bebbington: conversion, Christcenteredness, the centrality of Scripture, and activism. However, some Western visitors may sense the marks of another less familiar Orthodox spirituality, a sense now well-documented in Constantine Prokhorov’s book, Russian Baptists and Orthodoxy, 1960-1990. Prokhorov and I have often found ourselves together in academic settings, and we have had lively discussions concerning the roots of Russian evangelical spirituality. (I myself researched Ivan Kargel, a church leader and pastor who was not Russian by birth, yet had tremendous influence on evangelical theology and spirituality in the Russianspeaking world.) Prokhorov investigated what seems to me to be a familiar focus on the indomitable nature of Slavic spirituality.
After reading Prokhorov’s well-researched work, it is clear that he has done an outstanding job of showing the commonalities between Russian Orthodox and Russian Baptist spirituality. He is careful to stay within the years 1960 to 1990, thereby avoiding the influences of recent Western missionaries. He uses words such as mirror, commonality, continuity, shared mentality, and parallel to describe similarities. I pondered the simple truth that a fish does not know it is wet, which has forced me to wrestle with the question of cultural influences on spirituality. Some of Prokhorov’s arguments may lack the logical preciseness that some might desire. Yet when multiple examples of Orthodox-Baptist commonality are given, he is convincing. For example, it might not be logically true to claim that the Russian Baptist custom of kissing fellow believers is a reflection of Russian Orthodoxy, because it is also clearly commanded in the Bible. Yet the spiritual kiss is not retained in Western expressions of Christianity, while it does remain a part of the Russian Orthodox tradition. Prokhorov also sees a parallel between the baptismal rite of Russian Baptists and the processes of taking Russian Orthodox monastic orders. In addition, the author sees similarities between Russian Baptist reverence for the Bible and Russian Orthodox veneration of icons.
In illustrating Russian Baptist affinities with Orthodox worship and tradition, Prokhorov does not rely exclusively on Baptist confessions, creeds, and public statements, but also draws upon Baptist hymns, poetry, sermons, and comparisons of the actual practice of Orthodox and registered and dissident Baptists. Unfortunately, Prokhorov fails to treat similarities between the Russian Orthodox theology of deification and Russian Baptist teachings on holiness. Still, overall the book is well-organized, easy to read, well researched, and thoroughly documented from primary sources. The author is to be commended for his sound arguments and useful insights regarding the relationship between Russian Baptist and Russian Orthodox spirituality and history.
Has it been a case of the indomitable Russian soul touching Russian Baptists and Russian Orthodox alike? Or has it been a case of Russian Orthodox spirituality infusing all Russian souls including Baptists? Regardless of how one answers these questions, Prokhorov clearly shows that Russian Orthodoxy is a force that has had a major impact upon the spirituality of Russian Baptists. His study is well worth the read.
Gregory Nichols, Greater Europe Mission, Prague, Czech Republic
Editor’s Note: See also Mark Elliott, “Eastern Orthodox and Slavic Evangelicals: What Sets Them Both Apart From Western Evangelicals,” East-West Church & Ministry Report 3 (Fall 1995), 15-16.