February 18, 2002
Bibles set ablaze in Georgian vandalism
___TBILISI, Russia--A defrocked Russian Orthodox priest reportedly led more than 100 people to burn Bibles and books stolen from a Baptist warehouse in the Georgian city of Tbilisi Sunday morning, Feb. 3.
___The vandals arrived at the warehouse in three buses and were led by former Orthodox priest Basil Mkalavishvili, reported Lukhum Maisuradze, an official with the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia.
___"They broke locks with big iron sticks (and) forced their way into the warehouse owned by the Baptist church," Maisuradze said. The United Bible Societies of Georgia reportedly kept a large inventory at the warehouse as well.
___"They took out from there thousands of books, put them on a big pile outside the warehouse, and put fire to the pile, adding petrol to help it get burning," Maisuradze said. "The books put on fire included Bibles mainly in Armenian and other Caucasian languages."
___When asked why they were burning the books, the vandals responded that the books were "sectarian," Maisuradze added.
___The demonstration was broadcast that night on local TV.
___Bishop Malkhaz Songulashvili of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia expressed deep sorrow over the event.
___"I had just celebrated Eucharist at the Central Baptist Church in Tbilisi when I was given a copy of a semi-burnt Bible. The book was still warm," he said. "I felt incredible pain. It was a copy of the Bible burnt in the name of Christ and religion."
___Texas Baptists are engaged in partnership missions with Baptists in the Republic of Georgia.
___"Many times when we hear of persecution in remote areas of the world, the reports turn out to be only partially accurate at best. I believe this report to be highly credible, although I wish it were untrue," said Don Sewell, director of Texas Partnerships.
___Bishop Malkhaz Songulashvili was a guest of Sewell's at last fall's BGCT annual session in Dallas, he noted.
___Sewell urged Texas Baptists to pray for their fellow believers in the Republic of Georgia and to consider going there to help them. "We have construction and witnessing projects for you in this most needy area of the world, centering around the Baptist seminary in the capital, Tbilisi," he said.
___Merab Saprindashvili, general secretary of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia, communicated with Sewell, asking Texas Baptists to:
___Write to Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze (7 Ingorokva St., Tbilisi 380007 Georgia) protesting the burning of Bibles Feb. 3.
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