Only days after his return from the Nations for Christ
Congress (NFCC '92) in the Baltic capital of Riga, Latvia, CRI
international coordinator Paul Carden discusses the thirst for
information on the cults in the former Soviet Union and its
satellites, and CRI's plans to develop a more effective outreach
to this needy part of the world.
*Newsletter:* _What led you to go to NFCC '92?_
*Carden:* Many months of prayer and waiting upon the Lord.
We've been monitoring the situation in the former Soviet Union
since before the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the way the cults
are spreading there now is nothing short of appalling. Worst of
all, the Christians in those nations have next to nothing -- no
full-time resource people or ministries, no in-depth materials --
to help them discern and effectively resist these groups, much
less evangelize them.
You see, while the Christians there are going all out to make
the most of their freedom, the cults are doing the same. The
amount of money and effort that the Mormons, Scientologists,
Moonies, Hare Krishnas, and other groups are pouring into these
places is alarming. And it's just the beginning. Frankly, it's
hard for me to put the urgency of the situation into words.
I'm also very troubled by the potential influence of both the
Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) and Robert Schuller there,
which could undermine the gospel message in the churches.
*Newsletter:* _Who attended the congress?_
*Carden:* Over 1,000 Christian leaders and lay workers from
all 15 former Soviet republics, plus 200 or so observers and
workshop leaders from all over the world. It was quite an
exciting group to be with!
*Newsletter:* _What did you hope to accomplish there?_
*Carden:* Three things: equipping, fact-finding, and
connecting.
*First,* we knew that this event represented a strategic
opportunity to distribute literature on the cults that would then
be carried throughout the whole former Soviet empire. I took
about 13,000 tracts on Mormonism and Jehovah's Witnesses in
Russian, Ukrainian, Latvian, and Estonian -- plus dozens of
English-language books on the cults, the occult, and sound
doctrine for seminary and Bible school libraries and key
individuals. It was well over 300 pounds worth of literature....
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