Fire from Heaven

In 1965, Dr. Harvey Cox wrote a book entitled The Secular City, as an attempt to offer a theology for the age of coming postmodernism. In it, he regarded rapid urbanization and cultural deconstruction as challenges that demand answers from 20th century Christianity.

But in the mid-1990s, Cox wrote another book entitled Fire from Heaven, which served as a response to some of the questions raised previously in The Secular City. The new research suggested the rapidly growing Pentecostal movement as the answer to the postmodern quest for religion and spirituality. As such, Pentecostalism represented the process of spiritual restoration of significance and purpose to oppose despair and hopelessness (p. 33). The book further proposed that Pentecostalism in global perspective is a solution to the modern-day Christianity crisis.

Formative Context
The research begins at the turn of the twentieth century with the American context as the original formative environment for modern-day Pentecostalism (chapter one). Since the time was a peak for millennial expectations and holiness quests, a second Pentecost was a natural culmination. The factors that presupposed the Pentecostal movement are then used to provide further proof for the success of Pentecostalism as religious and social reformation. Since, this is not constrained geographically to its roots and tradition, a global impact Christianity is possible.

Pentecostal Beginnings
After establishing the contextual formative factors of modern-day Pentecostalism, Fire from Heaven considers its beginning at the Azusa Street revival. The research describes it as a revolutionary event of social reformation of classes, genders and races which did not just spark Pentecost but aided its spread in America. The focus on William Seymour is well deserved, since the Azusa Street events were the end of a long formative process through which Pentecostalism emerged. On the other hand, Los Angelis in the beginning of the 20th century was not only a proper social context for such event, but also provided the right medium through which this event could spread nationally. This is the difference between Pentecostal historians who see a heritage of historical developments that lead to modern-day Pentecost, and commentators outside Pentecostalism who only have a glimpse of the largely publicized events and accounts.

Pentecostal Growth
One aspect of Pentecost, which seems central for the research, is its power to influence and grow. Fire from Heaven gives a brief account of modern Pentecostal history in regard to the global growth and increasing influence of the movement. The interesting aspect in the approach is that the author is an outsider in regard to Pentecostalism and observes the historical developments as cause and effect processes, rather than personal heritage. Yet, even with such an approach, Pentecostalism becomes a personal experience for the author which he uses as a proof for his thesis. Cox admits that the rapid growth of Pentecostalism is not an accidental event, but it is supported by the fact that this particular religious movement is able to provide applicable answers to religious quests and crises and thus serves as a movement for social transformation. This research finds the power of Pentecostalism in its simple but applicable message.

Toward Pentecostal Theology of Experience
The heart of Fire from Heaven is the proposal of three major primitive developments that have been attributed to the Pentecostal message: primal piety, primal speech and primal hope (p. 82). These are easily identified in Pentecostal circles as holiness, glossolalia and eschatological hope. Of great interest to the Pentecostal believer are the associations which Fire From Heaven offered. For example, the sign of speaking in tongues expresses the Pentecostal appeal for interdenominational union and racial equality which serves as a restorational factor for the original creation and order before the division at the Tower of Babel.

Furthermore, this story of Pentecostalism proposed that miracles and wonders were not connected to power alone. Instead, they were the results of piety and holiness of both the individual Christian and the ecclesial community. Finally, the recovery of the first hope became the answer for the present quest for existence. As such, the eschatological return of Christ for judgment over all and to restore the creation to its original order became the motivation and meaning for the Pentecostal Christian in the present life.

Pentecostalism in a Global Context
Another Biblical practice applied by early Pentecostals was evangelization with special interest to its global aspect of missions. Chapters 7-12 of Fire from Heaven deals with the global spread of Pentecostalism as a religious movement that was able to respond equality in different cultural contexts. Cox uses chapters seven and eight to show that Pentecostalism approached the 20th century world not only as a religious movement, but as a social one as well. Modern-day issues like the role of women, music, etc., which were coherent factors in the world’s 20th century history, were viewed and addressed by Pentecostals as well.

Chapters nine through twelve are Cox’s personal observations and evaluation of Pentecostal worship praxis in Pentecostal churches around the world. Unfortunately, European Pentecostal churches are not a part of this in-depth analysis, which limits the global overview of the research. The mentioned examples, however, give enough material to show Pentecostal characteristics, approaches and reasons why more and more people join this movement. The book finishes with a return to American Pentecostalism and its effect on present American spirituality as well as cultural and social developments.

Mission Applications
The above book review agreed with my understanding and practice of Pentecostal theology since I have learned and lived it in the underground Bulgarian Church of God. As I read the pages of Fire from Heaven, I began to feel that something had been lost since the time when modern Pentecost began. The twenty first century Christianity offers everything except the primitivism, purity and power of its own Holiness roots. My visit with Dr. Cox at Harvard Divinity School in the summer of 2000 not only served as a proof for me, but it provided the groundwork for the writing of my masters thesis on the subject of “Pentecostal Primitivism Preserved.”

The central theme of my research was an appeal for remembering and returning to the past. Based on my own Eastern Pentecostal tradition and personal salvific experience, my paper went a step further than Dr. Cox’s Fire from Heaven and called the Christian Church to neo-primitivism as expressed in the rediscovering and reclaiming of the basic order of the Primitive Church of the first century. Additionally, my master’s thesis reformulated the three primal distinctives of the Pentecostal experience as power, prayer and praxis. Finally, the paper called for a reclaiming of the original experience as the answer for the church of the 21st century, but only when expressed in discipleship after the example of Christ. The conclusion pointed out that only through such process would the Pentecostal community be enabled to preserve its own identity and transmit the faith once delivered to the saints of the future generations.

We have used this approach in the mission work in Bulgaria for the past few years and it has proven to be an effective Biblical strategy for missions. While it is yet a bit early to speak of its successes and failures, I might add that its practical implementations have gained a large interest among ministers and the membership of the Bulgarian Church of God. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the political and economical challenges in Eastern Europe have strongly affected the Evangelical Churches in Bulgaria. As the Protestant Church in Bulgaria is entering a new constitutional era in the history of the country, more than ever before, reformation in doctrines and praxes is necessary in order to adjust to a style of worship liberated from the dictatorship of the communist regime is needed. Fire from Heaven is an encouragement that Pentecostalism as a church model and social-religious formative process is the answer for contexts equal to the present Bulgarian reality.

New Protests in Bulgaria over New Security Chief

BBC News: Opposition MPs in the Bulgarian parliament have protested after a media tycoon was appointed to head the national security agency.

Delyan Peevski, 32, a member of the country’s Turkish minority party, was voted into the post without a debate by the ruling Socialists and their allies. He had been nominated by the new Prime Minister, Plamen Oresharski. President Rosen Plevneliev demanded a review of the vote, questioning Mr Peevski’s “reputation and competence” as a crowd of thousand protesters gathered outside parliament in the capital, Sofia.

Mr Peevski joined a Socialist-led government in 2005 as deputy emergency response minister but was sacked two years later and investigated over corruption allegations. The investigation was later dropped. The Socialists have been governing in a fragile minority government as a result of last month’s general election, which followed unrest over the country’s economic crisis.

External specialist: Mr Oresharski has defended the appointment of Mr Peevski, saying Bulgaria needs to take serious steps to stop organised crime and smuggling and he is best suited for the job, despite lacking experience. “Peevski was chosen because he is not part of the system and we deliberately looked for such an external specialist so that he can restructure it,” he told reporters.

However, the speed of the appointment has raised questions. British Ambassador Jonathan Allen wrote on Twitter: “The appointment has been rushed through with no hearings, debate or opportunity to find out about candidate. Why?” President Plevneliev, from the Gerb party which lost the election, said the decision would have “longstanding negative consequences for Bulgaria”.

20 Signs of the Last Days (Revisited)

1. The Spirit poured out on all flesh (Joel 2:28)

2. Israel restored as a political state (Deuteronomy 28:64, 30:3 Jeremiah 29:14, 30:3 Isaiah)

3. Universal apostasy (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4)

4. The watering down of the gospel (2 Tim 3:5, Matthew 15:9)

5. False prophets and false Christs (Matthew 24:24)

6. Good will be called evil and evil good (Isaiah 5:20)

7. Worldly knowledge will increase (Daniel 12:4)

8. Earthquakes, floods, famines, plagues and diseases such as the world has never seen (Matthew 24 and Luke 21)

9. Peace will be taken from the earth and wars will increase throughout the world (Matthew 24 and Luke 21)

10. Wickedness, murder and crime among men, while the belief in the occult will increase (Matthew 24, Luke 21, 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 4:3-4)

11. People will not believe the signs of the Last Days (2 Peter 3:3-4; Matthew 16:1-4)

12. Increase in persecution of the Christians (Matthew 24:9; Mark 13:9)

13. Spread of Nuclear Weapons as predicted by the Bible (Isaiah 24:1; Zechariah 14:12; Matthew 24:21,22)

14. Middle East Tensions and an unified Arab league (Genesis 16:12; Psalm 83; Isaiah 2:3-4)

15. The new tower of Babel (Genesis 10; Isaiah 13:1-11; Jeremiah 50-51 Revelation 18)

16. Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38:1-4; Revelation 20:8)

17. The Revived Roman Empire (Daniel 2:34-45; 7:7-24; Revelation 13:1-2; 17:3-16 )

18. The Anti-Christ (1 John 2:18-19; 4:3; 2 John 7)

19. The Mark of the Beast (Revelation 13:18)

20.  The FINAL SIGN: The Gospel will be preached to end of the world (Matthew 24:14, Revelations 14:6-7)

Firestorm

The following response paper will dialogue with the main points from Susek’s Firestorm filtered through the Bulgarian reality, and will examine their effectiveness among ministry teams in the context of the Bulgarian Church of God. Several presuppositions must be taken under consideration in order to understand the Bulgarian context of ministry. They are the severe economical and political crisis which followed the fall of the Communist regime along with rapid liberation of the church and consecutive revival that have led to unexpected church growth. These factors, combined with generally low ministerial training, have lead to conflicts in a number of churches causing continuous tensions, church splits and even denominational schisms. While the majority of evangelical churches are still experiencing ongoing revival, the above failure conflicts have most certainly brought disappointments and loss of motivation along with the resignation of ministers and the exodus of congregational groups. The reasons for this have been widely speculated, since the practice of exodus interviews (29) is unknown and therefore inapplicable.

The growth factor (26) has proven to be a cause for Phase 1 conflict. While the church was underground, believers maintained very close relationships between each other. The rapid growth of the church, however, has limited the relationship dynamic and the personal approach between pastor and congregation as well as among members. Although, the church is successful number-wise, relationships in large congregations are usually difficult to maintain by pastors who are working second jobs since the congregations are unable to support them, have limited ministerial training and operate under a postcommunist church mentality. To prevent the negative effects of these dynamics, our ministry has dedicated time and resources for quarterly training sessions for the members of our team. As a result, our ministry team has been able to successfully deal with several conflict situations, and the number of churches for which we provide pastoral care has grown from 11 to 17 in the past three years.
The characteristics of Phase 2 have strong implications in the Bulgarian context as due to the underground history of the church and other identity formation factors, most church conflicts are treated with avoidance. Therefore, along with the training, our ministry team has been able to use prayer and fasting as suggested in Phase 2 (38). Through the quarterly training seminars, our team has successfully trained and involved more than 30 leaders and laity within the local congregations in an around the year chain fasting that stops only on major Bulgarian holidays. Even then, some may chose to fast for the services or special needs. This has worked well with the suggested training in spiritual warfare from Phase 4 (53).

The suggestion for crises counselor from Phase 3 will not work in Bulgaria at this time simply because there are no evangelical crises counselors available. The Eastern Orthodox Church which historically has predominated in Bulgaria does not use such methods. Among many other demanding roles (168), the pastor then becomes the only consultant which the church can use. In the context of church conflicts, this practice has not proven to be as effective as needed. As a results strong dependency on God, supernatural interventions and miracles that derive from the practices of the underground church have remained the main strategy in dealing with church conflict.
The exodus of small and large groups from the church in Bulgaria has been a process which has intensified in the past five to seven years. This dynamic has become so strong that is not rare for a local church to lose 30-50% of its congregation while gaining new converts. As a result the general size of the church has remained the same, as new converts have taken the place of the groups that have left. The most common postexodus formations are home groups with ten to twenty members who operate on individual bases separated from the church.

The legislation process described by Phase 5 is rarely used in the Bulgarian church context. The few cases resolved that way has harmed the church more than it has helped. Therefore, the role arbitration (58) is usually taken by the national or regional overseer. In these cases, church properties and resources have not been a major problem since most congregations do not own but rent a building for their meetings.

Rebuilding as suggested in Phase 6 (60) is an urgent need. The idea for interim pastors (66) is not practiced since usually there is a shortage of ministers, and often one pastor takes care of several congregations.

The four pillars (TRIM, 69) identified by Susek are true for the Bulgarian reality. Also true is the incompatibility between the pillars of the pastor and the congregation, which are indeed the most common grounds for conflicts and separation. The hiding behind strong characteristics is a general approach toward relationships and ministry, since both church and minister have very little accountability one to another. This is a new dynamic caused and enforced by the state religious laws. Fortunately, many congregations are returning to the old model of accountability which existed during the time of the underground church.

The unresolved psycho-social needs (86) described as a factor in Chapter 8 are a big part of the Bulgarian context of ministry. The economical and political crises have created an environment of high unemployment and emigration where not only individuals, but the majority of the Bulgarian nation is beginning to loose hope of recovery. The failure of personal and professional realization has been projected over the church as last resort for these needs. Every time when the church has been unable to respond to such dynamics conflict has been inevitable.

Other common causes for conflict within the Bulgarian church are described in Chapter 9. Resistance against authority (90) is an undividable part of postcommunist mentality. The rapid church growth factor (91) is also present through the postcommunist revival which the church has experienced. Marketing the church (93) is beginning to gain speed as well. Freedom (94) has been a main issue for the church liberated from the Communist Regime.

Chapter 12 suggested two important dynamics that can help the conflicts within the context of the Bulgarian church. The first one is the choice between the peacekeeper and peacemaker which can compensate for the hesitation which many Bulgarian pastors experience and which turns to avoidance. Secondly, a statement of purpose for fighting the firestorm would also be of a great importance.

As Chapter 17 suggests, an honest assessment of the damage must be completed before healing process starts. This is very much true for the Bulgarian. Many pastors and churches are still in the beginning of the story of forgiveness and reconciliation told in Chapter 20. They are in the place of hurt, but have not yet made the step toward healing. It is time for the processes described in Chapters 18-22 to be applied. I do disagree with the statement in Chapter 21 about rebuilding spiritually from ground zero. I am not persuaded that during a spiritual storm we go to the bottom of our spirituality. On the contrary, I do believe that we have just enough spirituality within us to ask and give forgiveness, to give and take a second chance and thus reconciled with people and God to continue fulfilling the vision with which He has entrusted us.

Mission Bulgaria 2005-2012 Completed

We are currently finalizing our Mission Bulgaria project through a seven-year long commitment, which has touched the lives and ministries of over 250 local churches in the country of Bulgaria. Along with these congregations, our international ministry team has worked with the Bulgarian Diaspora churches in the United Kingdom, Cyprus, Spain, Germany and France. Six Bulgarian churches are currently operating in Cyprus and four in the U.K., as there are projections for the registration of other Bulgarian churches as well. It has been a journey worth taking.

In relation to our ministry work in Bulgaria in the period of 2005-2012, among many others we’ve completed these seven milestones:

1. The publication of a complete revision of the Bulgarian Bible

2. Completing a new literal translation of the Bulgarian New Testament from the original Greek including the four gospels, acts, epistles, and the apocalypse

3. Establishment of the Bulgarian Chaplaincy Association with the special recognition of the US Department of State

4. Foundation of the Masters of Chaplaincy Ministry Program for Eastern Europe

5. Our national X event for youth every summer since 2005, which is accompanied with a Bible Camp for young ministers and a national mobile educational strategy

6. Building a broadcasting network which supports LIVE streaming of services and events for over 20 Bulgarian congregations every week

7. Implemented a long-term church planting proposal for establishing Bulgarian ethnic congregations outside of Bulgaria

After completing 7 years of ministry in Bulgaria, we are publishing a detailed overview of our work and results in a soon to be published monograph called simply Confessions. This new book speaks of the lessons we’ve learned in the ministry and issues of church and politics within the religious life of the country we’ve struggled to resolve. It addresses:

• The separation of church and politics of false religiosity
• Entering an organic relationship with God
• Depending fully in the ministry of the Holy Spirit
• Renvisioning the reality of the Kingdom
• Raising a new Pentecostal generation
• Reliving His glory
• Leaving a legacy worth remembering

As we are celebrating our 7-year long accomplishment of Mission Bulgaria, we are reminded that in 2013 God is doing a new thing.

50 Bible Hour Episodes for St. George’s Day

Our weekly Bible Hour program has reached its 50th LIVE show just in time for the Bulgarian celebration of St. George’s Day. We began this ministry endeavor in 2002 initially with 14 lessons from the Church of God Declaration of Faith, which were built to a six-month curriculum as we taught them every Sunday at the Central Church of God in Sofia and various other locations throughout Bulgaria.

This spring we filmed ten of the lessons to be included with the rest of the weekly broadcast and another ten will be released by the end of the summer. Just recently, we also published the lessons in an easy to use study book which can be implemented in the Sunday School format in dozens of our churches in Bulgaria.

And last but not least, for the Bulgarian culture and heritage holiday on May 24th, our team released a Bulgarian Study New Testament.

Annual Conference of the Bulgarian Churches in North America

Bulgarian Churches in the United States meet this weekend for their annual conference in Dallas, Texas. They are hosted by the local Assemblies of God as the Bulgarian churches represent Full Gospel, Foursquare, the Church of God and independent works. Currently, there are regular Bulgarian church meetings in Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Minneapolis. Through the years, small groups have sporadically started meetings in Buffalo, St. Louis, Seattle and three places in Florida: Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa and Jacksonville. Through the years, we have assisted with the church projects in Atlanta, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. There have also been attempts to restore the meetings in Washington State, where the difficulty is that most Bulgarians live in the outer suburbs.

See all Bulgarian Churches in the United States, Canada and Europe on our catalog website http://bulgarianchurches.com/

Pentecostalism and Post-Modern Social Transformation

Not by Might nor by Power is a work that provides a significant contribution to the process of developing Pentecostal theology and more specifically its social concern. This book deals extensively with the Latin America Child Care. Its structure is organized around issues concerning South American Pentecostals. This review will first offer a chapter-by-chapter overview of the book, second discuss several of the significant issues of the book, and third will show the book in the current context of ministry.
The book begins by establishing the foundation of Pentecostal faith and experience. The author uses the historical background of Pentecostalism connecting it with the story of the Latin American Pentecostal movement thus establishing the global transformative role of the movement.

Chapter two claims that through global transformation, Pentecostalism becomes a social relevant movement. The author examines this role of the movement within the current Latin American political and social context. A very important point is made about the parallel appearance of the Pentecostalism in different parts of the world, thus making the movement autonomous in each country where it was present. This development was possible only because Pentecostalism in its original North American context emerged among the poor and oppressed denying the authority of the rich and powerful and moving toward social liberation.

Chapters three and four deals with the compatibility of Latin American culture and Pentecostalism and is based on the topics discussed above. This way, chapter three is a paradigm merge between the topics dealt within chapters one and two. The Pentecostal characteristics are predominating in the discussion. Chapter four continues with the Pentecostal relevance to social processes and dynamics in Latin America. In this way of thought, the economical environment of Latin America is the factor that enables Pentecostals to participate in the social transformation. Chapter five brings a case study dealing with the Latin America Child Care. The LACC presents a paradigm for further society involvement, which is presented as the central proving point of the research.

There is a challenge for a better presentation of theology and praxis in chapters six and seven. The book claims the ability of Pentecostals to offer social action alternatives and calls for various forms of social expression which are developed based on coherent doctrinal statements. These include politics, eschatology, triumphalism and other important issues. In relation to the premillennial views of Pentecostalism, Petersen calls external critics to carefully reconsider the claim that Pentecostalism is purely dispensational. The book explains that in its very nature Pentecostalism and its view of the work of the Holy Spirit denies any limitations to the last, and at the same time proclaims the rapture of the church and the imminent return of the Lord. Thus Pentecostalism presents a unique already-not-yet eschatology which has served as a developmental factor of its social concern.

Concerning the relationship between Pentecostal eschatology and political involvement, Petersen critiques the purposeful abstinence of political involvement and viewing of politics as a rather worldly practice. The book urges Pentecostals to view politics as a tool for social involvement and transformation even in regard of the soon return of the Lord. In fact, the research seems to propose that political involvement is part of the eschatological expectation of the church.

Toward Context of Ministry Applications
While Latin America is quite separated from our present context of ministry in Bulgaria, Not by Might nor by Power presents many similarities between both, especially in the problematic issues of Pentecostal theology and praxis. Similarly to the problems in Latin America, in the beginning of the 21st century the Protestant Church in Bulgaria is entering a new constitutional era in the history of the country. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the political and economic challenges in Eastern Europe have strongly affected the Evangelical Churches. More than ever before, they are in need of reformation in doctrines and praxes in order to adjust to a style of worship liberated from the dictatorship of the communist regime. In order to guarantee the religious freedom for our young, democratic society, the Protestant Movement in Bulgaria needs a more dynamic representation. Such can be provided only by people who will create a balance between the old atheistic structures and the new contemporary, nontraditional style of ministry.

Similar is the case among Bulgarian Evangelical Churches in North America which also share analogue dynamics with congregations of Latin American immigrants. Several facts are obvious from such comparison. It is apparent that Bulgarian immigrants come to North America in ways similar as other immigrant groups. Large cities which are gateways for immigrants are probable to become a settlement for Bulgarian immigrants due to the availability of jobs, affordable lodging and other immigrants from the same ethnic group.

The emerging Bulgarian immigrant communities share religious similarities and belongingness which are factors helping to form the communities. As a result of this formation process, the Bulgarian Evangelical Churches in North America emerge. It also seems natural to suggest that as this process continues, Bulgarian Evangelical Churches will be formed in other gateway cities and other large cities which meet the requirements to become a gateway city. Such has been the case with Latin American churches. If this is true, it should be proposed that the Bulgarian Churches in North America follow a strategy for church planting and growth which targets these types of cities.

Pentecostalism and Post-Modern Social Transformation
Almost one hundred years ago, Pentecostalism began as a rejection of the social structure which widely included sin, corruption and lack of holiness. These factors had spread not only in the society, but had established their strongholds in the church as well. Pentecostalism strongly opposed sin as a ruling factor in both the church and the community, seeing its roots in the approaching modernity. As an antagonist to modernism, for almost a century Pentecostalism stood strongly in its roots of holiness and godliness, claiming that they are the foundation of any true Biblical church and community. Indeed, the model of rebelling against sin and unrighteousness was a paradigm set for the church by Jesus Christ Himself.

In the beginning of the 21st century, much is said about the church becoming a postmodern system serving the needs of postmodern people in an almost super-market manner. Yet, again, it seems reasonable to suggest that the Pentecostal paradigm from the beginning of modernity will work once again in postmodernity. While again moral values are rejected by the present social system, Pentecostalism must take a stand for its ground of holiness and become again a rebel – this time an antagonist to postmodern marginality and nominal Christianity or even becoming a Postmodern Rebel.

Bulgarian Elections 2013

Although one of the rightist parties just won the 2013 parliamentarian Bulgarian elections by a fraction, it lacks the needed majority to form an independent government. The Socialist party, second in the ballot, is searching an uneven alliance with the nationalists from “Attack” and the Turkish ethnic DPS (Right and Freedom Movement). Neither the Union of democratic forces nor the political movement of ex-king Simeon II Saxe-Coburg-Gotta was able to cross the 4% election barrier required to enter Parliament. Thus, the only two parties who in years past were able to form independent democratic governments (respectively 1997 and 2001), now remain in the periphery of Bulgari’s political life.

BBC: Bulgaria election fails to end political stalemate
DW: Bulgaria election fails to end political deadlock
NYT: Few Vote in Bulgaria as Apathy Prevails

In regard to the current political crises, as early as 2009 our team warned that if the newly elected government continues to use the same local level (city, municipality) political paradigms to run the country as EU member crises will be inevitable. Two years later, as half of the parliamentarian term has passed, we further advised in “Election’s Perspectives for Bulgaria” that as Bulgaria’s Prime Minister elect did not take the much expected place as a presidential candidate, his political strategy would be strongly criticized by his opponents as inadequate and insufficient to answer Bulgaria’s problems. In the beginning of 2013 as political distress grew, the government was forced to resign amid open protests and high rate of the government disapproval.

Meanwhile, after almost entering Bulgaria’s parliament in 1997, the Bulgarian Christian Coalition, traditionally representing the Protestants in the country, remains on the borderline of any political existence. Bulgarian evangelicals were never able to reach their political legacy again, although the new Bulgarian census showed over 25% increase of evangelical population in Bulgaria to some 65,000 people strong. The alternative party, Christian Democratic Forum has showed no political activity since it was established a decade later and quickly defeated by having less than 1,000 votes nationwide. The Bulgarian Christian Coalition has also chosen not to run in the upcoming elections.

Newly Revised Bible Released for the Bulgarian Easter

The Revised Version of the 1940 Bulgarian Bible, which our ministry has been working on since 2005 and released earlier in 2012, was presented at various book markets, festivals and churches for the Bulgarian Easter on May 5th.

The 1940 revision was initiated in 1920-24 by the British and Foreign Bible Society, reprinted multiple times and smuggled in Bulgaria under communism. It is perhaps the most read Bulgarian Bible of all times. While a number of new versions have attempted to replace it, this revision made by our team in the past seven years while ministering in Bulgaria has preserved the original text in its entirety and made it available to Bulgarian readers abroad.

Bulgarian Bibles to be released by our team in the summer of 2013:

• May 24, 2013: Bulgarian Culture Holiday: A New Study New Testament with commentary, charts, maps and explanatory annotation
• June 23, 2013: Pentecost in Bulgaria: Luke: A New Bulgarian Translation – the final of four volume new translation series which we began in 2007

Bulgarian Bible Revisions and Translations released by our ministry so far:

• 1871 Constantinople Bible (in its final Vienna Revision of 1914)
• John: A New Bulgarian Translation (2008)
• Matthew: A New Bulgarian Translation (2010)
• Mark: A New Bulgarian Translation (2011)

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