Freedom of Religion

By Trif Trifonov

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. —Galatians 5:1

At four in the morning, the doorbell rang, then again and again. There were three strangers there—two were wearing suits and one a military uniform. ’We have a search warrant,’ said their leader then he pushed me back and intruded into the sleeping house. Within three hours they rummaged everything—books, beds, cabinets, drawers. When at about seven, the sunshine shone through the window, they ordered me to go with them for a ’little inquiry’...

Thank God, this is not a story of the present. But it is not fiction either. It’s a real story. This took place in the life of Bulgarian pastor Haralan Popov during the first years of the communist regime. Today, the situation in Bulgaria is very different, some might say. We live in a democracy, and none of these things happen. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by our constitution: “All citizens shall be equal before the law. There shall be no privileges or restriction of rights on the grounds of race, national or social origin, ethnic self-identity, sex, religion…” (Article 6). “The practicing of any religion shall be unrestricted; (2) Religious institutions shall be separate from the State” (Article 13).

Yet, in the last three months, our parliament tried hard to violate these fundamental rights. Christians in Bulgaria encountered a sad reminder of a bygone communist past.

It all started with a parliamentarian bill sponsored by three political parties that passed on first reading in October 2018. The bill supposedly aimed at preventing religious terrorism but actually violated freedom of religion, especially for smaller denominations.

As I write, the bill has passed on second reading. Thanks to peaceful protests, hundreds of letters, pressure from abroad, and the prayers of the saints, most of the restrictive texts were dropped. Yet, a few clauses remained in the new law. How would this affect the churches?

For now, it looks like evangelical churches won a victory. The relative freedom we have enjoyed will more or less continue. Bulgarian evangelicals can take a breath of fresh air. Yet, this momentary victory does not blind us to the totalitarian tendencies of the Bulgarian government.

Bulgaria’s restrictive lawmaking is happening against the backdrop of a new wave of persecution in the Middle East, India, Northern Africa, and China, as well as the resurgence of nationalism in Europe. Will we have freedom of religion in Bulgaria in the long run? Will new restrictive measures hinder the spread of the gospel?

Opinions are split. Many fear the church will be unable to carry out the Great Commission. Our wings will be clipped, and we won’t be able to fly to the unreached; our legs will be amputated so we can’t go to the needy; our hands will be broken and unable to feed the hungry.

Indeed, we have seen this in our history. During communism, the church survived but didn’t thrive. She was deprived of her best leaders, had no access to the public arena, and found evangelism a risky business. Personally, I learned about the existence of evangelical churches only after the fall of communism.

Other voices say the church needs to be shaken and sifted, so the chaff is separated from the wheat (Matthew 3:12). The proponents of this view point to communist China. In the last 30 years, Christianity has grown to more than 100 million adherents in China.

Though persecuted, the Early Church also grew rapidly in number. Persecution caused many to flee and take the gospel to the ends of the Roman world. If we believe God is our King, no restrictions in secular laws should hinder the gospel. The question is whether we are ready to pay the price.
Personally, I think Christians should treasure and defend religious freedom for three reasons. First, God created us with this “unalienable right.” Religious freedom is rooted in Scriptures and is at the heart of the gospel. God doesn’t coerce His followers but invites them into a relationship with Him. God is love, and love presupposes freedom. Christian commitment to religious freedom reflects our beliefs about the character of the Creator.

Second, the struggle for religious freedom is directly related to the second great commandment to love our neighbor (Matthew 22:38). God has given each human being dignity. When the basic human right of religious freedom is withheld, human dignity is damaged.

Finally, restrictions on religious freedom hinder people from hearing the gospel and receiving the greatest gift imaginable: salvation and eternal life.

It is true Christianity in China is growing rapidly, in spite of restrictions and pressure from the state. Yet, how can we be sure it would not grow even faster if freedom of religion were available to that vast country. The rapid evangelization of South Korea provides a good example.

Back to the situation in Bulgaria: if the state continues to exert more control over the church in Bulgaria, it is possible some Christians would immigrate to places they can worship freely. This would bless their receiving countries but render Bulgarian society rather salt-less.

At the same time, many churches would have to go underground. Other churchgoers would just be happy with state interference in church life. Orthodox propaganda would increase, and state control would also grow. This might lead to a situation similar to what we experienced during communism.

Plato said, “The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.” Once, we paid that penalty, and we are still recovering from that evil. May God give us wisdom and courage to defend our religious freedom to ensure all Bulgarian citizens have access to the gospel.

About the Writer: Trif Trifonov and his wife Vanya were appointed to the Bulgaria team in 2014. The family is planting a church in Varna, a city on the Black Sea. They are focused on engaging the atheistic population through seminars, events revolving around national holidays, and the innovative Bread House (bread-making classes featuring discussion about the Bread of Life). Learn more: IMInc.org.