Bible Studies on the Church of God Declaration of Faith

This small book has been over ten years in the making. It is a commentary and study guide for the doctrinal teachings of the Church of God aligned with our Declaration of Faith. It was initially prepared for Bible School and seminary students due to the lack of Sunday school and teaching literature in the Bulgarian vernacular. Through the years however, it has became the standard teaching tool in Sunday schools and programs across the country being used in several Bulgarian churches across Europe as well.

The Bible series was initially published in single lesson leaflets for the Church of God in Sofia. Our team would prepare the lessons every week and print about a thousand copies of each to teach at the beginning of each Sunday morning service. As we gathered information from the local churches at the 2002 Church of God national minister’s meeting, it was reported that thousands of leaflets were being copied, distributed and taught each month without us even knowing about it. Our team has further presented the complete series in the Church of God congregations of Sofia, Pravetz, Ruse, Gabrovo and even Chicago. We are grateful that after all these years it has finally seen its publication as a book accompanied with the video teachings of our weekly Bible Hour broadcast program.

Lessons accompanied with video presentations included in volume 1:

Lesson 1: My Bible
Lesson 2: Holy Trinity
Lesson 3: Jesus Christ
Lesson 4: Repentance for Salvation
Lesson 5: Difficult Questions
Lesson 6: Fasting
Lesson 7: Prayer
Lesson 8: Holiness
Lesson 9: Holy Ghost Baptism
Lesson 10: Giving and Charity
Lesson 11: Water Baptism
Lesson 12: Divine Healing
Lesson 12: Divine Healing
Lesson 13: Holy Communion
Lesson 14: Last Days
Lesson 15: Resurrections
Lesson 16: Fruit and Gifts of the Spirit
Lesson 17: Theology with Melody
Lesson 18: Ministry and Praxis
Lesson 19: Angels
Lesson 20: Pentecostal Primitivism

A Psychological Exploration of Communist and Post Communist Bulgaria

From an environment of uncertainty and hopelessness, the Bulgarian Evangelical believer turns to the continuity of faith in the Almighty Redeemer. Pentecostalism as practical Christianity gives a sense of internal motivation to the discouraged. In a society that is limited in conduciveness for progression of thought or self actualization, one finds refuge in the promises of Christianity. It becomes a certainty which can be relied upon. Historically, having undergone severe persecution, the Bulgarian Evangelical believer is one who possesses great devotion to his or her belief. Having to defend the faith fosters a deep sense of appreciation and in an impoverished country, faith becomes all some have. Christ becomes the only one to whom to turn for provision. In the midst of this complete dependence is where miracles occur. Furthermore, it is in the midst of miracles where the skepticism which is prominent in post communist Bulgaria is broken. When those who believe are healed from cancer and even raised from the dead, there is no room for disbelief or low self-esteem.

About the Bible

About the Bible (3a Bibliata) is a publication series of some 100 research articles written for the Bulgarian Evangelical Newspaper between 2004-2010. They include topics as paleography, manuscript collage, textual criticism and much more. The historical outline explores the translation of the Bible in various languages from its conception to present day and early Bible versions (Coptic, Armenian, Georgian and others). Special attention is paid to the early Slavic and Gothic manuscripts. Then, the timeline continues with the Bibles of the Protestant Reformation from Hus, Wycliffe, Luther, Zwingli, Geneva all the way to the King James Bible of 1611. The last part of the book includes a detailed exegetical and text-critical exploration of the Bulgarian Bible versions including early translations of the 19th century, the Constantinople Bible, Revised Protestant editions of 1924 and 1940 and all available modern revisions (Bible Society, Veren, WBTC, Bible League) and the New Bulgarian Translation of the Bible (2007-2013).

New Books Published in 2012

Pentecostal Primitivism Preserved

In  attempt to answer the present ecclesial predicaments, this work suggests a way of remembering and returning to the past. Judging from his own Eastern Pentecostal Tradition and personal salvific experience, the author calls the Christian Church to neo-primitivism expressed in the rediscovering and reclaiming of the basic order of the Primitive Church of the first century. Dr.Donev proposes a new understanding of the Pentecostal experience expressed in power, prayer and praxis. Furthermore, reclaiming of the original experience is the answer for the church of the 21st century expressed in discipleship after Christ.

Looking Over the Wall

This book is the result of over a decade of research and personal experiences of living in Bulgaria for the past seven years. It embodies documents, articles, personal interviews and essays dealing with psychological explorations of communist and post communist Bulgaria. Along with a historical overview of Bulgaria, the author presents the development of psychotherapy throughout the country and addresses future concerns for the state of counseling within a post communist context. Furthermore, the author examines the Pentecostal experience of the Bulgarian evangelical believer drawing on a paper presented at the 36th annual Society of Pentecostal Studies Conference.

 

Bulgarian Churches in North America

Bulgarian Churches in North America results from a comprehensive dissertation work on emerging Bulgarian American congregations. The book incorporates some twenty years of research, which the author began while involved with the establishment of the first Bulgarian Church of God in North America initially located in the city of Chicago. The work presents an overview of the historical presuppositions and immigrant dynamics associated with Bulgarian churches is offered to enlighten the current problem of ministry. Next, a detailed contextual analysis describes the churches participating in the project. The work concludes with a series of prognoses of the explored movement of evangelical churches, various considerations and an A-to-Z church planting proposal to serve as a paradigm for ministry.

Cooking Traditions of Bulgaria

Bulgarian cuisine is distinct, yet eclectic at the same time with Mediterranean influence and flavors of its surrounding countries. Bulgaria borders the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey. Greece is also a neighbor, along with Serbia and Macedonia to the west. This cookbook features 50 personal, but authentic recipes in attempts to further the tradition of keeping alive century old recipes of Bulgarian cuisine. I have tried to keep the recipes as authentic as possible with using American based ingredients and with every dish, dessert or drink there is a story to be told…

 

The Life and Ministry of Rev. Ivan Voronaev

This book tells the story of the life and ministry of the family who brought the message of Azusa Street to Eastern Europe and Russia. The research has taken close to a decade to complete. It started with a brief article on the beginning of the Pentecostal movement in Bulgaria, where unfortunately most church archives were destroyed during Communism. Consecutively, the research led my wife and I on a long journey from the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives in Nashville, to the Assemblies of God headquarters in Springfield and the Graduate Theological Union at Berkeley. Both papers included in this book were presented at two consecutive meetings of the Society for Pentecostal Studies in Minneapolis (2010) and Memphis (2011).

 

The Case of Underground Chaplaincy in Bulgaria

This book embodies documents, articles and essays dealing with the rediscovering and reestablishing of chaplaincy ministry in Bulgaria after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, including the envisioning and establishment of the Bulgarian Chaplaincy Association and it’s proposal for the reestablishment of chaplaincy within the Bulgarian Armed Forces submitted to NATO’s Manfred Wörner Foundation in 2006, which subsequently led to the envisioning and establishment of the Master’s Program in Chaplaincy Ministry via the Bulgarian Evangelical Theological Institute and New Bulgarian University of Bulgaria in 2009.

It is our sincere prayer that after all said and done chaplaincy is finally endorsed and established in the Bulgarian Arm Forces.
 

MATTHEW: A New Bulgarian Translation

In 2007, we set course with a pilot edition of the new translation including the Gospel of John, which was printed for Christmas. Our team continued with a full edition of the Johannine works, which included The Gospel of John, Epistles and Apocalypse, published for Easter 2008. In 2009, we presented a partial methodology behind the translation at the Logos Software’s annual BibleTech conference in Seattle and at the 2010 BibleTech in San Jose, our team was able to show in an actual work setting the software used to prepare the Bulgarian interlinear text to the Nestle-Aland critical edition of the New Testament. Finally, we were able to publish in print the complete translation of the Gospel of Matthew for Christmas 2010. The printing of Mark and the Lukan Corpus are scheduled respectively for Easter and Christmas of 2011.

 

MARK: A New Bulgarian Translation

The new literal translation of the Gospel According to Mark hits the Marketplace on Monday via bookstores across Bulgaria as annual book fairs are usually held during the spring season. This time has been long waited by theologians and Bible scholars as this is the first series of literal translations from Nestle-Aland in the Bulgarian vernacular. It is the third volume our ministry has put out with the complete Johannine works in (2008) and the Gospel according to Matthew (2010). Final editorial revisions before printing are being made on the last of the volumes, which includes Luke and Acts, with plans to make it available to the general public by the end of the year.

Two Bulgarian Bibles Printed in 2012

We are proud to announce the publication of two Bulgarian Bibles in 2012. The first is the original Bulgarian translation of 1871 known as the Constantinople Bible – perhaps one of the best translation works by the American Bible Society ever. The digital remake and its new publication in paper in 2012 took our team some seven years of work.

The second one is the 1940 Revised Bulgarian Bible initiated in 1920-24 by the British and Foreign Bible Society. It is perhaps the most read Bulgarian Bible of all times. While a number of new versions and revisions have attempted to replace it, our team has preserved the original text and made it available to Bulgarian readers abroad.

 

 

Both translation have been part of the Bible Works software since version 7 and its online equivalent YouVersion.com (now Bible.com) for several years now. We are also appreciative of the fact that almost immediately after the publication, both Bulgarian Bibles were picked up for distribution by Amazon.com and their sub-stores internationally, thus making them available to Bulgarian readers in all countries where Amazon is present, which covers virtually every region with Bulgarian population outside of Bulgaria.

Obama, Marxism and Pentecostal Identity

Time and time again in the past several years, while ministering in churches across the United States, friends and partners ask us about our opinion on the political situation at home and around the world. Many of them ask the direct question of America becoming more and more socialist-like. Our response is that while people have the right to own a business, there cannot be communism, but this barely scratches the surface.

“Looking over the Wall” answers this and many other important questions about the current global reality from a very distinct Pentecostal and the same time post communist point of view. Yet, the text does it in a way, which can actually relate to popular American culture and current economic reality. The book provides Christian answers as of what defines our identity and makes us human – a right communism strips from the persona, the family and the church without much regard of the consequences that follow.

But this drastic dehumanization has an almost irreversible effect on the human psyche – a slavery mentality that penetrates the very heart of men and women and leaves forever its mark of fear, depression and insecurity. The book traces how Pentecostalism as faith and ideology has the power to deliver post communist communities from the grasp of oppressive governments and transform them into a socially relevant culture changing force. At the same time, it remains a warning to theologians who dare to flirt with Marxist idealism being fulfilled in the context of the New Testament ecclesia. And rightfully so!

The book is a must read for any and all who are ministering or planning to minister in a post communist culture or among post communist groups regardless of their geographical locale. For the principles it shows are valid for post community mentality everywhere. Preview and purchase your copy directly at Amazon.com

So, what do you eat over there?

An introduction to Cooking Traditions of Bulgaria

After 11 years of higher education and three earned degrees in theology, there is still one question I have difficulties answering. I stumble every time when inquiring of our missions work in Bulgaria or just interested in the local culture someone asks me, “So what do you eat over there?” My short answer generally is: “Food!” But that hardly covers it all.

Kathryn has done a fine job answering this question through her new book with 50 authentic Bulgarian recipes. This is not just what Bulgarians eat in general, but what we have eaten during our missionary travels sitting around the table of hospitable brothers and sisters in the Lord.

They are truly Pentecostal recipes. And not because they were served “in the Spirit,” but because they were often done through what I perceive to be the one true Pentecostal confessions of the Bible “Silver and gold have I none, but what I have I give unto you…” For many of them we have shared with brothers and sisters living in the complete poverty of the mission field, yet willing like the widow of Elijah’s time to share their last bread with the ministers of God.

This is what makes these recipes truly missional. I cannot say that I have personally cooked them, but I can assure you I have personally eaten them all and enjoyed everyone and each of them after five long services on Sunday, a three day church fast or a night of crossing the snow covered Balkan Mountains. I challenge you to cook some of them for your family or church and send us feedback about your experience with the answer of the question so many of you have asked me through the years. May be next time we see each other, we can ask you “How do you like what we eat over there?”

Preview and Purchase Your Copy at: Amazon.com

Looking Over the Wall: A Psychological Exploration of Communist and Post Communist Bulgaria

Looking Over the Wall: A Psychological Exploration of Communist and Post Communist Bulgaria

This book is the result of over a decade of research and personal experiences of living in Bulgaria for the past seven years. It embodies documents, articles, personal interviews and essays dealing with psychological explorations of communist and post communist Bulgaria. Along with a historical overview of Bulgaria, the author presents the development of psychotherapy throughout the country and addresses future concerns for the state of counseling within a post communist context. Furthermore, the author examines the Pentecostal experience of the Bulgarian evangelical believer drawing on a paper presented at the 36th annual Society of Pentecostal Studies Conference. As well included is original research which develops a theoretical account of the sequences of internal motivation in addition to student survey results regarding counseling practices from the first Master’s in Chaplaincy Ministry Program in Europe at the Bulgarian Evangelical Theological Institute.

Preview and Purchase Your Copy at Amazon.com

Cooking Traditions of Bulgaria (Second Edition)

Bulgarian cuisine is distinct, yet eclectic at the same time with Mediterranean influence and flavors of its surrounding countries. Bulgaria borders the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey. Greece is also a neighbor, along with Serbia and Macedonia to the west. This cookbook features 50 personal, but authentic recipes in attempts to further the tradition of keeping alive century old recipes of Bulgarian cuisine. I have tried to keep the recipes as authentic as possible with using American based ingredients and with every dish, dessert or drink there is a story to be told…

Preview and Purchase Your Copy at:
Amazon.com

Bulgarian Bible (1871 Constantinople Edition) on Amazon.com

• Bulgarian Bible (1871 Constantinople Edition) now available worldwide through Amazon.com markets
• The Story of the Bulgarian Bible presented to The Pneuma Foundation
• New Printed Revised Edition of the Constantinople Bible Published (2008)
• Digital Constantinople Bible Published (2007)
• Cup & Cross Presents “The Story of the Bulgarian Bible” at ETS (2006)
• “The Story of the Bulgarian Bible” Presentation at ETS (video)

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