For 11 years I worked as Assistant to Georgi Vins. He was a the internationally known Russian evangelist who spent 8 years in Russian prisons and labor camps before being exiled to America in a dramatic 1979 exchange. (The U.S. swapped 2 captured Soviet spies for 5 well-known prisoners in the Soviet gulag—4 human rights activists and Vins, a Christian preacher.) During those years of laboring alongside Georgi Vins, I often interpreted his Russian to English at church services and Christian conferences. He was always a popular speaker, who spoke out about the then-persecuted church in the USSR. During Q & A sessions, there was never a shortage of hands. I well recall how one man, after learning details of the persecution, asked, “Isn’t there a way for believers to live peaceful lives and avoid the oppression and harassment?” After a pause, Georgi Vins replied, “If a Christian stayed home instead of going to church; if he didn’t pray openly; if he didn’t let others know about his faith in Christ; then yes, he could probably avoid persecution. But that’s not the Christian life.” Mr. Vins died in 1998, but over the years, that answer has often resurfaced in my Read More ...