Pastor Anton Kalyuzhny leads New Life Church, one of the largest non-denominational churches in Ukraine, founded shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Situated at the heart of Kyiv’s evangelical community, Pastor Anton is a passionate leader in a country where the Orthodox Church predominates. He brings deep experience in how the church has engaged with Ukraine’s ongoing war with Russia, with involvement dating back to the Revolution of Dignity, where he served as a pastor in Maidan Square during its bloodiest days in 2014. During an hour-long interview following the Sunday service on October 20th (a 12-minute edited video is attached), Pastor Anton shared powerful insights and issued a heartfelt plea to conservatives and evangelicals in the West. He urged them to rise above disinformation that distorts their perceptions of Ukrainians, particularly evangelicals, who are striving to keep their churches alive and free from the repression seen in Russian-occupied territories, where hundreds of churches have been forcibly shuttered. Reflecting on how the war has reshaped faith and ministry in his church, Pastor Anton explained that war demands a confrontation with pain and evil. For believers, this means learning to lament while recognizing God’s shared sorrow. He says, “When you are in a war, you cannot run away from pain and evil. You need to learn how to lament…and see that He's crying with us.” He also emphasized the stakes for future generations, stating that Ukraine must not be lost—it must be preserved for the next generation. He described Ukraine as the most blood-soaked land of the past 150 years, having endured World War I, World War II, the Russian Revolution, the Holodomor, Soviet oppression, and more. This history, he noted, has fostered a mentality of resilience and sacrifice. Unlike Americans, who have never experienced the loss of freedom, Ukrainians understand the agony of living under Soviet domination, which many consider worse than death. When asked whether he ever feels persecuted, Pastor Anton laughed at the notion, asserting that Christians in Ukraine enjoy more freedom than those in the U.S. He explained that Ukrainian Christians can openly share their faith in schools, public gatherings, and on any platform without restriction. He says, “We can talk about our faith in school. We can talk in any gathering in a city. We can talk and pray. We have absolute freedom.” Pastor Anton also addressed claims that the Russian Orthodox Church is being persecuted, describing it instead as a tool of Russia’s war strategy. He alleged that the church has been weaponized as part of a vast network of propaganda and espionage, with examples of Russian soldiers hiding in churches and Orthodox priests directing artillery fire. He stressed that the Ukrainian government is not attacking the Russian Orthodox Church but simply requiring that local Ukrainian churches not be headquartered in Moscow. This, he explained, is not about religious repression but about preventing exploitation by Russia. Ukrainians, Pastor Anton explained, were prepared for the war long before 2022. Since 2014, they have learned to think clearly, remain calm amid sirens, explosions and blackouts, and keep moving forward. Something akin to the English slogan from the Blitz in WW II: “Keep Calm and Carry On”. However, Pastor Anton expressed deep frustration over the misunderstandings between Ukrainian evangelicals and their counterparts in the U.S. He noted that most Ukrainians are staunchly conservative, yet they are often mislabeled as liberals or socialists by American conservatives. He highlighted the role of propaganda and the influence of conservative media figures, whose stance on Ukraine he described as far removed from the realities on the ground. Pastor Anton urged evangelical believers in the U.S. to listen to their Ukrainian counterparts rather than relying solely on conservative media narratives. Finally, Pastor Anton underscored the harsh realities faced by evangelicals under Russian occupation. He noted that when Russian forces take over, one of their first actions is to close evangelical churches. Hundreds of churches have been shut down, and pastors have been killed. Despite these severe challenges, Ukrainian evangelicals remain connected to their oppressed counterparts, bearing witness to their suffering. Pastor Anton lamented that many in the West continue to prioritize voices like Tucker Carlson over hearing directly from Ukrainian believers, describing this as a profound betrayal that feels like “a knife in our hearts.”
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
February 2025
Categories
All
|