Image above: The priest is hidden behind a silhouette for security reasons.
For security reasons, he wishes to remain anonymous and we do not mention the interview location.
He is a pastor in Kazakhstan - a country where 10 years ago Christians enjoyed extensive freedom, but where the situation today is completely different. In recent years, some pastors have been imprisoned for their faith, churches are being closed and evangelical Christians are often portrayed as sectarian in the media.
The pastor answers my question: First of all, role models are important for children, and if you as a parent behave differently during the week than on Sundays, you are not a good role model for your children. We have to ask ourselves, are we really Christians? Because you can't fool children.
I know it is difficult and hard when children want to be serious Christians and therefore come under a lot of pressure and propaganda when we as evangelical Christians are portrayed as sectarian. That's why it's not easy for my son. He is not shy, but boldly testifies about Jesus. Now that he is studying at university, four of his classmates have come to faith.
Several times he has been called in to the university management and banned from proselytizing. He responds: "I haven't done anything wrong, just shared my beliefs." I think the reason for his boldness is that he has seen the many persecutions my wife and I have gone through.
Let me give you another example: A man from the church has a 15-year-old daughter. At her school, 300 teenagers gathered and a mullah and some of the authorities came and talked about sects. They mentioned our church and said that it was destroying our country. It was pure brainwashing.
When it came time for questions, the girl, who is ethnically Kazakh from the Muslim majority, stood up and defended her Christian faith, saying that she only came to this church. After that, many classmates became open and more people started coming to church.
Being a Christian is not easy as you are under a lot of pressure. If you're under 18, you need permission to go to church, so teenagers can't come. That's why my son has a home group and he tries to organize events for young people to encourage them to witness.
In the church, we have also started organizing events and camps for children and young people to encourage and strengthen them in their faith - in the midst of persecution. We now see a fire in them and they ask when the next camp will be. It's important that we do something for them, as the children have many concerns.
What do you do on a personal level as a father?
When my son was 12 years old, I saw on our computer that my son had participated in a chat where someone wrote that he was sectarian. As a parent, I was angry that they did that, but when I read further down in the chat, I saw how outspoken he had been. I realized that I shouldn't go in and defend him, but instead spend time with him and encourage him.
The teenage years are important. If you help your children answer their questions about faith, it can last a lifetime. Children and young people care more about what their friends believe and less about what their parents believe. It is therefore important to build a close relationship with our children to keep and even strengthen their faith.
But is it not challenging as a parent?
Unlike ethnic Russian priest children, Kazakh priest children can even get beaten up, and not all children can handle the pressure. Some Kazakh clergy children have had to move schools and have told their parents: "Mom and Dad, at the next school we won't saythat We are Christians." When things are like this, it's important that we have an open relationship and talk to the children about things as they are.
When things are like this, it's important that we have an open relationship and talk to the children about things as they are.
Once, 5-6 years ago, I had to defend my son to his teacher. In class, the teacher had said that the church he attended was sectarian and from the USA, which is not true. It was provocative as the teacher knew that my son was a Christian and that I was a pastor. But by defending him, my son saw that I supported him and it encouraged him.
In Denmark, Christian parents have a different challenge - humanism, but the key here is the same - to be a role model for their children, the pastor concludes.
As a father of three young children, I can feel that the words of the outspoken pastor are thought-provoking. A few years ago, the pastor and his son spent the night in my home. I know them quite well and have seen the son's passion. I think that if his mother and father, as well as many other parents in the country, are so bold, then we must also be able to be so in Denmark, where we as Christians have much more freedom.
