Amsterdam – „Amsterdam 400“, the Baptist anniversary conference, ended on 26 July with a call to win Europe for Christ. For three days, 900 participants from 60 countries had celebrated the 400^th birthday of the Baptist movement. In 1609, in the backroom of an Amsterdam bakery, religious refugees from England had founded the world’s first Baptist congregation. David Coffey (Didcot/England), President of the Baptist World Alliance, appealed to those in attendance to follow the example of Christ in fulfilling this calling. Following him includes the willingness to accept privation. Yet it is a privilege to suffer for Jesus and the Gospel. Coffey voiced the opinion that Europe will remain a heathen continent. He criticised that Frank Sinatra’s pop song, “My Way”, is now the song played most frequently at secular funerals and in Karaoke contests. This song deals with the final thoughts of a dying person and portrays an absolutely un-Christian philosophy of life: “I did it my way.” Christians should therefore not sing this song. They should instead act according to the Biblical truth: “Christ is my life, and dying is my gain.”

Applying the Bible practically in one’s life

Vyacheslav Nesteruk (Kiev), the President of the Ukraine’s Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, stressed in a Bible study the significance of the Bible as a guide for daily life. “The Bible is a GPS-navigational system for your life. It tells you what you should do, and what not to do.” According to Nesteruk, many problems in the lives of believers would not exist “if they really lived according to the Bible”. It does not suffice to read the Bible and meditate on its texts – it instead needs to be put into practice in one’s own life. He also called on those in attendance to express more of the joy of living. Christians indeed have many reasons for being happy. Someone who does not have feelings of joy should examine himself as to whether he or she might have allowed sin to come into their lives. He also called on his listeners to bring more non-Christian friends to worship services. God is particularly active in those persons who do not yet know him.

Opposing a „war of the heart“ among Christians

Teddy Oprenov, Pastor of Sofia/Bulgaria’s First Baptist Church, appealed for greater unity among Baptists and Christians. Christians should not permit a “war of the heart” among Christians on matters of worship styles, for Christ himself has called on his followers to practice unity. Unity is above all a matter of one’s personal attitude, not a matter of interpersonal relationships. It is not permissible that Christians battle with each other simply because God has presented them with differing gifts. He described how he as a soldier in the Bulgarian army had during the communist era developed a close relationship to believers of other confessions. At that time there was frequent gunfire on the Bulgarian-Turkish border and it was possible to be wounded or killed. His unit included three other evangelical Christians, who mistrusted each other because of their various styles of worship. One day, in a trench located between a wheat field and a vineyard, they took a break and each prayed in his own way. In the end, the member of a Brethren congregation broke into tears when he remembered that his congregation was celebrating Communion at that very moment. The four of them consequently decided to put their mistrust aside and also celebrate Communion – with crushed grapes from the vineyard and trampled grains of wheat. That became for Oprenov the most moving Communion of his life. Yet he was only able to report on the occurrence 20 years later in his congregation, for it had continued to harbour strong reservations concerning other denominations.

Sharing life

Toivo Pilli (Tartu), the Rector of Estonia’s Baptist Union, spoke out against superficial conversations on faith. Exchanging arguments on the pros and cons of believing in hopes of winning someone for the faith, is today no longer sufficient. It is instead much more important to passionately share a common life with others. A youth group in Tartu took this unusual route in order to show the people of the city that young Christians are also concerned about the well-being of all. That had for ex. built doghouses for homeless dogs and donated blood at the local hospital. They heard thereby that 200 grams of blood suffice to save the life of another. “One could develop an entirely new theology of salvation from that,” the theologian added in jest. Pilli called on others to become passionately active in mission. Passion is evident when one finds the time to be active in mission.