BARRED FROM RUSSIA

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 355, 17 October 1932, Page 7

BARRED FROM RUSSIA

church connegtion VISITING REPRESENTATIVE OF BAPTIST WORLD ALLIANCE. INTERNATIONAL GOODWILL. Barred from Russia hecause of his chureh conneetion, Dr. J. H. Rushhrooke, general secretary to the Bap- J tist World Alliance, who arrived in the Dominion does not appear to hear any ill-feeling, and in speeehes in Wellington reminded his audience that Bolsheviks were "not all devils." Since 1920 Dr. Rushhrooke has heen serving as Baptist Commissioner in Europe, and sinqe 1926 he has held his present position. The f ormer one involved administering a great denominational relief fund to help the countries that were dis'tfessed as a result of the war. Baptists contributed £250,000 in cash and £100,000 iri kind, mainly clothing and food, to this fund, and about half of it went to Russia. Dr. Rushhrooke went to that country six times, but during the last few years he has heen barred by the Soviet Government, Whieh keeps out ariy people who afe travelling on behalf of any religious bodies, and have indeed barred people who are prominently corinected with religious bodies indepen'dent of the cause of their visit, Dr. Rushhrooke says. "Therefore," he said, "I have . to speak about Russia on the strength of what I saw there, and of what information reaches me through various . channels. "I know something about Baptists in Russia. The movement began there 65 years ago, and the number of Bapin the country is certainly considerable. A prominent memher of the Soviet j Government had told Dr. Rushhrooke J that he estimated the number at 3,500,000, by whieh he must havb meant what was known as community strength, not church membership. There were also other groups known as Evangelical- Christians, who were Baptists in everything but name. "The Baptists were persistently persecuted under the Tsar, and of course they are having a bad time now," said Dr. Rushhrooke. He had, he said,' found prejudice against Russia in various places, and had tried to correct it. "I hope while I am here not only to serve our own denomination, but also to get into touch with tliose bodies that work for internationUl peava and goodwill," Dr. 'Rushhrooke said. "In the Australian cities I spoke almost everywhere for the League of Nations Union, and I also found a warm welcome from Rotary Clubs and other organisations of that sort. "Certainly the international situation to-day is such as to call for close and serious considerations, and any chance I have of interpreting the position in Europe, and of helping to , stimulate public opinion regarding the ; issues of world peace, I should welcome with all my heart."