The result of the Reformation - a broad anti-Catholic movement that swept Europe in the 16th century - was the formation of an independent direction of Christianity, called Protestantism. Over the following centuries, it was transformed into a number of religious movements, representatives of one of which call themselves adherents of the "Christian Evangelical Church" and members of the Temple of Christ. Let's try to understand the intricacies of their spiritual life.
Features of the doctrine of Evangelical Christians
Followers of the Christian Church of the Evangelical Faith, like Catholics and Orthodox, set as their goal the salvation of the soul and gaining eternal life in the Kingdom of God, but the paths they preach have some peculiar differences. Their fundamental principle is the assertion that for the salvation of a person, only his personal faith in the Messiah - our Lord Jesus Christ is sufficient.
This is completely with themrepresentatives of other Christian denominations are in solidarity, but the fact is that adherents of the Christian Evangelical Church put personal faith as almost the only condition, relegating to the background good deeds, sacrifice and even love for one's neighbor, which the Savior pointed out as an inalienable property of His followers.
Spiritual leaders of this branch of Protestantism in public speeches always emphasize that neither belonging to any religious organization nor participation in sacraments can guarantee the salvation of a person's soul. Moreover, the most radical of them preach the doctrine according to which, with faith, a person can enter the Kingdom of God, even mired in sins and not caring for his neighbors.
Born Again
In this case, the question involuntarily arises: in what way is their commitment to Christ expressed, except for verbal statements, and how does this agree with the words of the Apostle James that faith without love is dead? Of course, the followers of the Christian evangelical church are by no means against good deeds and sometimes do them with all the fervor of their hearts, but do not assign them any significant role in the salvation of the soul.
At the same time, one of the important elements of their faith is the doctrine of the mysterious union with God performed by a person at the moment of his repentance, which in Christian theology is commonly referred to as "born again". A person who has felt this process in his soul should be overwhelmed with joy from the realization that everythinghis previous iniquities are forgiven, and from the hope of a sinless existence in the future.
Other Features of the Life of Evangelical Brothers
In addition to the peculiarities of their doctrine, the life of the Christian Evangelical Church has a number of ritual differences. Thus, worship services, which its adherents themselves call "meetings", are held in evangelical churches almost exclusively on Sundays and extremely rarely on weekdays. More often, the gathering of community members takes place within the framework of so-called home groups in residential premises suitable for this purpose. At these meetings, besides singing psalms and reading prayers, believers are engaged in joint study of the Bible.
Note in passing that while recognizing Holy Scripture, Evangelical Christians reject Holy Tradition, which is basically compiled on materials taken from patristic literature (works of the Holy Fathers of the Church) and the decrees of various Councils. This is explained by the fact that neither the saints of God, nor even the church hierarchs, are authority for them.
Another characteristic feature of the followers of the Christian Evangelical Church is the rejection of icons, in which they see a relic of idolatry. At the same time, among the rites they perform, the leading place is occupied by traditional Christian sacraments - Baptism, performed, unlike our customs, only in adulthood, and Communion, which they in their own way call the "Lord's Supper" or "Breakfast". Like most Protestant denominations, evangelicals do not recognize the church hierarchy, believingthat when communicating with God, a person does not need any intermediaries.
Followers of Calvin
Appearing in the 16th century on the waves of the Reformation and having received a powerful impetus for its development, the Protestant movement quickly spread in Europe and, covering millions of people, caused a number of religious wars. Its spiritual base was formed on the basis of the ideas expressed by the French theologian John Calvin, as well as representatives of Anabaptism.
Participants of this radical religious movement for the most part rejected personal property and, preaching the community of property (and some even of women), reached complete absurdity, repeated several centuries later by all sorts of utopian communists.
Stages of spiritual development
The movement of Evangelical Christians, which has received wide development in our days, originated in the thick of Protestant movements, but before being formed in its current form, it underwent a number of significant changes. As historians testify, one of its earliest manifestations was the so-called Mennonite - a Protestant denomination named after its founder - the Dutchman Menno Simons, who preached the non-use of force under any circumstances. His followers refused to take up arms and serve in the army.
In their further development, evangelical Christians, closely communicating with Baptists, Methodists, and later with Pentecostals, learned much from their ideologicalbaggage. In particular, it was from them that the idea of “rivalism” was borrowed - a return to early Christian ideals, trampled in subsequent centuries by the hierarchs of the Catholic Church and turned, in their opinion, into empty words.
Capital Branches of Evangelical Christian Brothers
As mentioned above, the mass movement generated by the era of the Reformation in the following centuries gave rise to a number of independent religious movements, which included the followers of the Evangelical Church, who created their branches in most countries of the world. Russia was no exception.
The main office of the Christian Evangelical Church in Moscow is located on Irkutskaya street, at 11/1. It is led by Pastor Rick Renner (pictured above), who is a US citizen and temporarily residing in the capital, according to his residence permit. In addition to his religious activities, he is known as a writer and publisher of spiritual and moral books.
Rick Renner missionary work
In 1993, the overseas pastor came to Riga, where he founded the Christian Evangelical Church "Good News", which, having successfully survived all the political and social upheavals of the 90s, then turned into a powerful religious organization. Based on his Latvian experience, Mr. Renner created similar structures in Moscow, and somewhat later in Kyiv.
Despite the fact that in all cities where permanent branches of the Evangelical Church are open,they have their own offices, prayer meetings of its members are held, as a rule, in temporarily rented premises. Addresses and times are published in advance on one of the organization's websites.
It is interesting to note that, in addition to lectures, sermons and various kinds of conversations, Rick Renner also conducts extensive cultural and mass work. In particular, in all three cities he founded amateur choirs of the Christian Evangelical Church. Despite the fact that their repertoire consists of purely religious chants, they are performed at such a high artistic level that they are a success even among listeners who are very far from faith.
Creating an International Protestant Movement
An important step in the activities of Protestant religious communities was the creation in 1983 of the international movement "Word of Life". The Christian evangelical church from the first days was among its most active participants. In 1995, the founder and spiritual leader of this organization, the Swedish preacher Ulf Ekman, visited Moscow and proclaimed the creation of the largest united Protestant center in Russia. The aforementioned American preacher Rick Renner became his closest assistant. Since then, Russian evangelical brothers have been in close cooperation with members of the Temple of Christ from other countries.
