OPINION: Vladimir Putin, the advent of the new Russian order and the Church

Forget about the "New World Order"! The "new" Russian "order" is about to come and if anything, we should be paying close attention to this very intriguing process.

Vladimir Putin is leaving office and getting ready to change his modus operandi from a President to a Prime Minister of the Russian federation.

What significance does this have for the Church? How are we to interpret the cheap political maneuvering of the sleek KGB agent-turned-president?

I will now offer a very brief opinion here, but later will submit a more in-depth analysis, hopefully aided by submissions from some leaders in Russia and the region.

For starters, let me say here that my concerns with Putin's Russia have nothing to do with the "end-time" hype, so prevalent in some Christian circles. My concerns is for the harvest, the people, the precious lives of millions of Russians who have never experienced true freedom, haven't heard the Gospel and are potentially an instrument in the hands of cunning autocrat who shamelessly bullies the world into complying with his energy policies and aspirations.

1) POSSIBLE RENEWAL OF A NEW "ANTI-SECT" CAMPAIGN

Not that the "anti-sect" narrative has not been at play in Russia's and Eastern Europe's social exchange in the last 10 years. But a new level of intensity may be coming our way and we need to be aware of it.

The departure of Vladimir Putin from the presidency can possibly mark an era of ushering in more internal unrest. The Protestant church in Eastern Europe and Russia still functions under a cloud of mistrust, fueled by antagonistic Eastern Orthodox or Communist-minded lobbies in the media and society in general. The nationalistic and pro-Putin propaganda machine loves to blow out of proportion "the problem" with the so called "sects." By the way, this "anti-sect" talk really comes from Western Europe, but I don't have time to elaborate on this topic right now.

In order for Putin to remain popular and needed, he must to continue to solve problems and defeat (assumed) common Russian "enemies." If there are no problems and enemies, Putin's propaganda machine will create them. Don't forget that there is no such thing as independent media in Russia. The government controls all TV stations and major newspapers. All they need is an order and the "investigative" programs will star pouring in.

This is a favorite tactic of cheap autocrats who capitalize on the lack of information among the masses, as well as on their fears. The Western Protestant vs. Eastern Orthodox narrative is a winning formula for Putin, who may press for changes in the law and for limitation of the freedom of religion in order to solve artificial "problems" created by his own media puppets.

2) ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS

Russia is now the 10th largest economy in the world. And yet, upon examination, we find out that it's really more of a petrostate type of operation, rather then a developed free market economy based on a functional free society united by the common pursuit of individual and national prosperity.

Russia now flirts openly with Iran. Putin considered inviting the leaders of Hamas to Moscow and now departing from office, Putin officially declared the beginning of new arms race. But all of this is really a smoke screen for the real agenda of Putin and the circles around him. And the real Russian agenda is just like the real Chinese agenda and that is - economic power.

With Putin's admission of a bloated government we might even expect some stiumuls for private initiatives to be encouraged. The best thing would be to assist the Russian church in getting involved in the economic exchange so she can position itself as a player for years to come.

3) FAMILY VALUES AND FREEDOM IN SOCIETY

The Church must continue to saturate the Russian people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and particularly help with the development of healthy families, godly children and successful marriages. The foundation of truly free societies are free individuals and families. The Church therefore can be be a great factor in the development of grass-roots civil initiatives and the formation of non-profit organizations and various other structures. Such structures are needed in order to educate society in the basics of free thinking, the conservation of the natural family and the values which make a society truly free.

Yes, there is a new era coming to Russia. With a power hungry Putin at the helm of this very important nation I have more concerns than positive expectations. And yet at the same time, this could be the time when the Church will make some very strategic moves and will take advantage even of the adverse circumstances which usually accompany everything that the ghost of Communism hovers over.

George P. Bakalov/GBMI, Inc. is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.