Research project on the topic: "The Russian Pentecostals during the August agreement (1945 - the end of 1980s.) "
TOPICS RATIONALE. Pentecostals, currently, are one of the largest Protestant denominations in the world and the remarkable phenomenon of religious, cultural and social life of Russia. Under the circumstances it is particularly urgent to examine them.
Moreover, the history of Pentecostal movements are closely intertwined with the history of other Protestant denominations in Russia, especially in areas such as the evolution of mystical pursuit of the Russian people, the experience of believers of various currents stay within the same Baptist church, the experience of survival and the struggle for an independent existence underground. Large scientific and practical interest is to study the example of persecuted Pentecostal "sectarians" in the Soviet state and society, the formation of the Protestant subcultures and social concepts.
Meanwhile, Pentecostals are still unknown denomination. For a long time, they ranked as a "totalitarian sect", which made it impossible to study them objectively. Also it appears that in the post-Soviet period there was no fundamental research on the Russian Pentecostal church, and the available work either outdated ideologically and methodologically, or focuses on local topics (biographies of members, stories of individual communities). The only major work is done by V. Franchuk ( "Russia requested rain from the Lord"), but this work is more likely can be attributed as a collection of documents rather than a research. In addition, it is dominated by material on Ukraine.
RESEARCH CHRONOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK. The August agreement - a contract between the leaders of Evangelical Christians, Baptists and Pentecostals, concluded under pressure from authorities in August 1945, The document specifies the conditions for accession of the Pentecostal church to the Baptists (out of which they had no legal right to exist). The chronological framework of the study called "Russian Pentecostals in the period August agreement (1945 - the end of 1980s)" covers the period from 1945 (with a brief coverage of previous story of Pentecostal church) to the end of 1980s. The emergence of legal Pentecostal unions confirmed the end of the agreement. This period was very important for both churches in the area of religious structures, subcultures and social concepts, the accumulation of spiritual experience and for the experience of relations between confessions, as well as state and society.
CONTENT. The study "Russian Pentecostals in the period August agreement (1945 - the end of 1980s.)" want to address the following questions:
1. Conclusion of the August agreement: prehistory of the August meeting, formulation and signing of the Agreement.
2. Implementation of the Agreement: Actions of the Baptists and Pentecostals leaders, the reaction to the document in local churches, oppositions.
3. Option: integration. Pentecostals inside the Baptists churches: the situation in their local communities, relations with Baptists and other confessions, the position of the Baptist leaders, search for unity.
4. Option: an illegal union. Pentecostal underground: its scope, relationship of illegal Pentecostal Church to the Baptist church, to other registered confessions, to the Soviet state and society, "underground life" in harassment, illegal establishment of the Pentecostal Union.
5. Option: autonomy. The process of registration of Pentecostal autonomous communities (since the beginning of 1970 - ies.): the changes in Soviet policy towards religious Pentecostals, the registration process and the development of autonomous communities, and their relations with the Baptist church and other confessions remaining underground, the fight against registration.
6. Pentecostal and Soviet society: the evolution of the situation of Pentecostals in the USSR, persecution, Pentecostals during the anti-religious campaign, propaganda against Pentecostals, relations with ordinary Soviet people, Immigration from the USSR, the formation of the Protestant subculture based on Pentecostal experience.
SOURCES. The plan is to use the following sources:
1. Documents from the state historical archives (central, provincial, former Communist party documents, FSB archives).
2.Church documents (published and unpublished).
3. Materials from the believers home archives.
4. Memoirs, diaries, private correspondence of pastors, ordinary believers, as well as people who had contacts with the Pentecostals.
5. Oral memories of believers and people who come into contact with Pentecostals.
6. Media (Christian, anti-religious and secular periodicals).
7. Art and Literature publications.
GEOGRAPHYCAL RESEARCH. Geography covers primarily the territory of the Russian Federation, with special attention paid to St. Petersburg, North-West and Central regions, as it is most accessible to study. Using diverse local material will allow, on the one hand, to trace the history of individual communities, some regional situation and especially their inner life, on the other hand, identify common trends of Russian Pentecostal history. The material related to the religious life of the former Soviet Union republics (Ukraine, Belarus and others.) can be used in cases where this is necessary to highlight the important processes, events and paradigms (such as clandestine congresses in Ukraine, the most demonstrative trials, etc.)
SITE SEARCH. St. Petersburg: SPbCU Library, National Library of Russia, Central State Archive of St. Petersburg, Central State Archive of historical and political documents of St. Petersburg, KGB Archive of St. Petersburg and Leningrad region, Protestant (especially Pentecostals) communities of St. Petersburg and Leningrad region.
In addition, research at the archives and gathering of oral reminiscences of believers required travelling to Moscow (Russian capital, with the most important central archives) and several provincial cities of North-West and Central regions: Ivanovo, Tver, Kostroma (Volga region) , Orel, Tambov (region known for spread of traditional mystical sectarianism), Petrozavodsk (autonomous republic of Karelia).
Moscow: Baptist archive, State Archive of the Russian Federation. The duration of business trips - 15 days.
Other cities of Russian Federation: local regional and former Communist party archives, Protestant (especially Pentecostal) communities. The total duration of business trips - 2.5 - 3 months.
DATES. The study is scheduled to perform in three years (with the creative holidays present - for two years). Among them:
1.5 years - collecting material.
1.5 years - writing studies, as well as an additional search is necessary to complete the work. At this stage the preliminary results of the study may appear in the form of articles and papers at scientific conferences.
FINANCIAL COSTS OF THE PROGECT:
I. BUSINESS TRIPS
Moscow:
1. Train tickets (round trip) - 1,300 rubles.
2. Accommodation (15 days) - 700 rubles per day. -- A total of 10,500 rubles.
3. Daily travel allowances - 300 rubles per day - a total of 4,800 rubles.
Total: 16,600 rubles.
Tver:
1.Train tickets (round trip) - 1,100 rubles.
2. Accommodation (15 days) - 500 rubles per day. -- 7,500 rubles.
4. Daily travel allowances - 200 rubles per day. -- 3,200 rubles.
Total: 11,800 rubles.
Tambov:
1. Train tickets (round trip) - 1,400 rubles.
2. Accommodation (15 days) - 500 rubles per day. -- 7,500 rubles.
3. Daily travel allowances - 200 rubles per day. -- 3,200 rubles.
Total: 12,100 rubles.
Orel:
1. Train tickets (round trip) - 1,300 rubles.
2. Accommodation - (15 days) - 500 rubles per day. -- 7,500 rubles.
3. Daily travel allowances - 200 rubles per day. -- 3,200 rubles ..
Total: 12,000 rubles.
Petrozavodsk:
1. Train tickets (round trip) - 700 rubles.
2. Accommodation - (15 days) - 500 rubles per day. -- 7,500 rubles ..
4. Daily travel allowances - 200 rubles per day. -- 3,200 rubles.
Total: 11,400 rubles.
Ivanovo - Kostroma.
1. Train tickets (the entire route) - 1,500 rubles.
2. Accommodation (21 day) - free with relatives.
3. Daily travel allowances - 200 rubles per day. -- A total of 4,600 rubles.
Total: 6,100 rubles.
TOTAL BUSINESS TRIPS VALUE: 70,000 rubles.