Bulgarian Evangelical Believers

By Kathryn Donev, M.S.

It is reasonable to ask the following questions: why is Pentecostalism so attractive to Bulgarian culture in the beginning of the 21st century? How is Pentecostalism responding so well to the need for faith within the postcommunist Bulgarian society? What is the reason Pentecostalism has spread so rapidly in the postcommunist age? Is Pentecostalism simply filling a spiritual gap or is it successfully responding to postmodern thinking?

The answers to the above questions are found in Pentecostal theology that affirms the “five-fold Gospel.” A survey conducted in the period 2004-2006 via Bibliata.com, a Christian Bulgarian media consortium, asked one hundred randomly selected Bulgarian Protestants about the fundamentals of their faith. Based on the survey results, the constructed profile of the average Bulgarian Protestant is: (1) fundamentally evangelical in doctrine, (2) more Armenian than Calvinistic, (3) more Pentecostal/Charismatic in experience, (4) more traditional than contemporary in conviction, (5) more theoretical than practical in teaching, (5) more conservative than liberal in practice and (7) more agreeing than disagreeing in fellowship.