Corruption in Christianity, It's Part of the Ukraine Story


Some eyebrows went up when Franklin Graham told Christians to "Pray for Putin." This thinking was foreign to most in the U.S. But it was very logical to Graham who is one of the dark corners of today's Christianity. 

In recent times Graham has been the personal guest of Putin on one visit to Russia and of the Russian Pope, Kirill, on another. Apparently, Graham has spent considerable time with each and stays in regular contact. 

The Russian revolution saw the Russian Orthodox church opposed by its government because Communist leaders perceived it was aligned with the previous government it had defeated. Debate continues as to whether Communist leaders themselves were against religion or whether they saw it as a political competitor. Stalin came along and allowed churches to continue. Stalin was followed by Nikita Khrushchev (I saw him in person) and the others who once again hammered down on the church. During his first two terms, Putin followed his predecessors in not approving of the Russian Orthodox Church. 

During all these decades church leaders in Russia struggled on. When Kirill came to head the church he had no better fortunes that the others. But, during the first Putin years he hit of an idea of saying the church stood for the Russian culture's version of "family values." If you were a real Russian, you stood for this. It was in the style of those in the U.S. who merge the cross and flag. Perhaps it was similar to Christian nationalism or the Moral Majority.

 The culture, especially the political culture, of Russian had rebranded the church so it fit the culture like a hand in glove. This move to Christian Orthodox nationalism hit Putin like a slap in the forehead, "Why didn't I think of this?" He soon began talking up the church and his own devotion to it. Today he regards the Russian Orthodox Church to be the only legitimate one for Ukraine. He is killing to put it in place there. 

Then, along comes Franklin Graham thinking, "Gosh, family values. These are my people." He hasn't caught on yet it is a corrupt political deal.

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