An Untold Story of Faith and Perseverance in the Early Soviet Union
MATTHEW HEISE
The Gates of Hell: An Untold Story of Faith and Perseverance in the Early Soviet Union
Copyright 2022 Matthew Heise
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The Prayer for Martyrs (page xvi) includes Psalm verses from the New Coverdale Psalter in The Book of Common Prayer (Huntington Beach, CA: Anglican Liturgy Press, 2019), copyright of the Anglican Church in North America.
Print ISBN 9781683595953
Digital ISBN 9781683595984
Library of Congress Control Number 2021947101
Lexham Editorial: Todd Hains, Elliot Ritzema, Erin Mangum, Mandi Newell
Cover Design: Joshua Hunt, Brittany Schrock
To my parents, Walter and Betty,
whose unflagging devotion to my academic efforts
will always be appreciated.
And to my dear and loving wife, Raziyeh,
who inspires me daily in her walk with Christ—
my love for you is profound.
And to the martyrs of the faith
who stand as a host arrayed in white,
washed in the blood of the Lamb!
War, Revolution, and Reformation
2. “THE CHURCH IS SEPARATED FROM THE STATE”
3. “ANY PROOF OF BROTHERLY LOVE”
4. A POWERFUL, INVISIBLE HAND FROM THE DARK
The Malevolent Might of the Cheka
The Departure of the ARA and the NLC’s Struggle to Continue
The First All-Russian Lutheran Synodical Convention
A Bible School Is Born in the USSR
The Status of the Lutheran Church in 1926
Managing Relations with Church and State in 1927
10. “THEY WOULD NOT SEE HIS FACE AGAIN”
A Last Synod and Mission Festival
11. “A DECLARATION OF A RELENTLESS STRUGGLE”
The Battle Against Religion Is Joined
12. “HE … SHALL THINK TO CHANGE THE TIMES AND THE LAW”
Stalin’s First Five-Year Plan Gets Underway
13. “FAITHFUL TO HIM TO THE GRAVE”
Inspiring a New Generation of Believers
The Koch Trial and the Decision in the Hansen-Muss Case
The Servant of the Church as Enemy of the State
17. “STAND AND EAT, YOU STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO”
Words and Prayers of Encouragement
18. “STUCK DEEP IN SNOW AND ICE”
The Spiritual Life of the Church in Late 1931 and Early 1932
Conflicts in the Church as OGPU Pressure Intensifies
Seminary Struggles, Famine, and the Recognition of the Soviet Union
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About The Gates of Hell: An Untold Story of Faith and Perseverance in the Early Soviet UnionDecimated by war, revolution, and famine, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Russia was in critical condition in 1921. In The Gates of Hell, Matthew Heise recounts the bravery and suffering of German-Russian Lutherans during the period between the two great world wars. These stories tell of ordinary Christians who remained faithful to death in the face of state persecution. Christians in Russia had dark days characterized by defeat, but God preserved his church. Against all human odds, the church would outlast the man-made sandcastles of communist utopianism. The Gates of Hell is a wonderful testimony to the enduring power of God’s word, Christ’s church, and the Spirit’s faithfulness. |
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