Trouble in Kazakhstan

https://evangelicalfocus.com/world/33581/baptist-church-raided-twice-in-kazakhstan

My heart goes out to Christians being put under pressure by wicked governments and we should be in prayer for the Church in Kazakhstan and throughout all of Central Asia.

That said, there are some problems with this story.

First of all, Evangelical Focus should not be relying on information coming from Forum 18. The Norwegian-based activist group has a track record of associating and collaborating with pro-Western think-tanks and organisations that promote the foreign policy aims of Atlanticism and Western Liberalism. It must be admitted that many Western Christians wouldn't have a problem with this, but given that those who are serious about their commitment to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ form no such allegiances and remain adversarial to all - this kind of bias and assumption is a problem.

I grow concerned when I see overlap - people associated with Forum 18 also collaborating with the likes of Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and The Jamestown Foundation. These are think tanks closely associated with Western intelligence agencies and Western imperialism. As I've often said, listening to the likes of Anthony Cordesman (d.2024) on NPR was often insightful but you always had to listen carefully and weigh the assumptions of his statements and the kind of unaddressed and unchallenged question begging that takes place in Western media. Ostensibly non-partisan, these groups may transcend the Left-Right divide in Western politics but they are nevertheless completely dedicated to Western interests, security, and geopolitical narratives.

This is not to say (even for a moment) that we ought to sympathize with the Kazakh government or any other for that matter. These are powers ordained by God, but powers that represent the world and its interests. They are by definition violent and willing to use violence to retain and expand their power. This is the nature of government.

Kazakhstan and all the nations of Central Asia are caught in the midst of a growing Cold War struggle between the West, China, and Russia. They don't want agitation - either from Islamists or Western ideologues pushing liberal ideology, which includes notions of rights, checks and balances, and social contract. While this is not really a problem from my standpoint, many who have conflated Christianity with Enlightenment Liberalism are likely to take offense and even feel the need to challenge such systems - in the name of the Kingdom no less.

These nations are largely fictitious and only emerged with the break-up of the USSR in 1991. By fictitious I mean they have no true sense of nation-hood, cohesion, or any kind of cultural underpinnings in which democracy or liberal society will be able to function. They are held together by authoritarian rule. In its absence, these countries will quickly devolve and be either swallowed up by outside powers, fall into civil war, or be overtaken by warlords and organised crime. It is perhaps an unfortunate situation but basically these states fear subversion, the development of subcultures, and outside agitation. Because Western Evangelicalism has compromised itself and formed alliances with empires such as Britain (historically) and now the United States, these bodies are unfortunately viewed as potential fifth columns. Once again, I stress that churches in such contexts must be diligent to divorce themselves from politicised (and politically compromised) Western Evangelicalism.

Forum 18 is not trustworthy and yet I don't doubt the broad strokes of the story.

The problem is that when churches turn to the likes of Forum 18 and inculcate their ideology and arguments, they quickly lose their way. The Church ought not to declare its 'right' to gather and worship, and raise its children in the faith. Nor should it seek the state's granting of said 'rights'. We're always happy enough to have a state leave us alone but these questions (in the end) have nothing to do with whether or not the state grants, forbids, or even acknowledges our existence at all. I will grant this New Testament model is incompatible with the institutional mindset that has been embraced by most contemporary Western Church leaders. This touches on the question of the nature of the Church, Biblical authority, sufficiency, and even the very nature of doctrine and how theology is pursued.

As Christians we are called to obedience. We gather, we worship, we raise our children in the faith. We preach the word and administer sacraments. We don't ask for permission and we will not stop.

The problem is too many refuse to follow New Testament commands and examples. When the Bestial powers persecute, we bear witness. We can suffer or we can flee. But we do not fight. We do not go to Egypt for help or call on outside empires for military succour.

I think it's perfectly acceptable for an indicted Christian to employ legal counsel who can advocate for them in the courts, but even this must be handled with care and without compromise of principle. This is very difficult especially in the labyrinthine and fundamentally dishonest nature of American jurisprudence which involves a lot of word games, dodgy tactics, and the like. Obviously in other contexts it can be quite different.

Churches should not register with the state - ever. The very notion is anathema. And so I pray these congregations stand strong and keep gathering in quiet, humble defiance. The state has no right to forbid the instruction of children and their participation in Church life. It's an obvious Bestial attempt to subvert the Church and represents a strategy to downgrade it over the course of one or two generations.

In the West, due to the compromise of most Church leaders (along with the confusion brought about syncretism and idolatry), the majority of Christians voluntarily register, fly the national flag in their meetings, sing songs to the state, honour its wars, repeat its propaganda, and subvert attempts to raise their children in the faith by sending them to public schools.

See also:

https://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2025/01/new-religious-legislation-in-kyrgyzstan.html

https://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2022/10/kidnapped-poison-of-russian-sacralism.html

https://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2023/06/persecution-in-uzbekistan.html

https://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2023/12/pentecostal-problems-in-belarus.html