After the fall of the Romanov dynasty, Russia fell into the hands of the Bolshevik political party. They led the country into one of the darkest chapters in world history when religious people and dissidents were targeted, imprisoned, and murdered. This history is hard to hear but important for us to know.
Our special guest this episode is Felix Corley of www.forum18.org.
In this episode, we discuss why Vladimir Lenin persecuted Christians and how Joseph Stalin instituted a policy of fear in the Soviet Union.
When the Russian tsars fell, they left a power vacuum. Who would rule Russia after the Romanov dynasty? The Bolshevik’s rose to power, led by Vladimir Lenin. Lenin immediately began persecuting anybody he didn’t like.
In this episode, we’ll examine the dark realities behind the Russian revolution: how it started with good intentions but ended with the death of millions. We’ll also see how a culture of fear and suspicion held the nation captive.
This is part of our series examining how the rise of communism in Russia impacted the Christian church. Check out the rest of season three for more information. We’re working hard to make Truce the best Christian podcast on the market. Please rate and review the show!
What is the difference between communism and socialism? They get used interchangeably in our culture, but do they really mean the same thing?
In this episode, we’ll give a textbook definition of each and then see how those ideas change in the wild. Our guests today are my friend Brian Faehnrich, Professor Barbara Engel (author of “Russia in World History“), and Roland Elliott Brown (author of “Godless Utopia“).
The basic difference between communism and socialism is where the profit goes:
In communism, the profits go to the government
In socialism, the profits can go to the people
Also, communism is inherently atheistic, in keeping with the vision of Karl Marx.
Select Links:
President Trump’s speech before the United National General Assembly on September 24, 2019 (CSPAN)
Christmas and New Years can be a stressful time for us. But what if you had to celebrate two Christmas’ and two Years’? Our special guest Jennifer Eremeeva (author of Have Personality Disorder Will Rule Russia) is an American married to a Russian. Each year they have the potential of four holidays in less than a month. But why?
The confusion has to do with a discrepancy in calendars. It turns out that the old Julian calendar, which is used by the Russian Orthodox Church, is several days different than the Gregorian calendar that we use. This has to do with an old disagreement between the Catholic and Orthodox churches.
Subscribe to Truce so you’ll get every new episode as it is released!
Boiled veggies. Beets really do stain eveything else!
Follow my journey as I make Herring Under Fur Coat!
Herring Under Fur Coat Recipe:
This recipe is pretty simple, but it may take a few hours to make so do this one in advance.
Ingredients:
1 jar of mayonnaise (squeeze-able is easiest)
3 medium size beats (peeled)
4-5 carrots (peeled)
1 large potato (peeled)
1 jar of pickled herring
1 bag of grated cheddar cheese
1 bunch of fresh green onions
1 jar of pickles
Cooking Instructions:
Peel the beats, carrots, and potato then put them on boil for an hour. Yes, it will look like blood and the beats will dye the other veggies.
While the vegetables are boiling, open the pickled herring (if in a jar). Remove any bones. Dice. Keep refrigerated until it is used.
After the vegetables are boiled, grate each of them separately with the small holes.
On a pie plate make a mound with the potato. Spread it out to the edges of your plate.
Cover the potato with the following layers: mayo, pickled herring, green onions, mayo, carrots, mayo, pickles, beats, mayo, grated cheese.
Place the whole thing in the refrigerator and let it sit for 2-3 hours before consuming. Overnight is okay too. The whole thing will turn a light pink color.
Serve it like any other dip with veggies, crackers, or tortilla chips.
One murder changed the course of Christian history. And it wasn’t of a pope or church leader – it was the murder of Russia’s last czars, the Romanovs. This is the beginning of our series on how communist Russia shaped modern Christianity in America. Tsar Nicholas II made many crucial mistakes: allowing Rasputin into his life, ignoring workers, the Russo-Japanese War, and many others. How we dealt with these tragic errors led the country into the hands of the Bolsheviks.
Oh yeah, and we made stroganoff. The recipe is below.
Truce is a listener-supported show. Please consider donating a little each month via Patreon (which entitles you to some cool bonus material) or helping out with a one-time gift on Paypal. These gifts are not tax-deductible.
Our research was greatly aided by the following books:
Egg noodles (as many as necessary – we used half a bag)
1 lb ground beef
1 can mushrooms (small)
1/2 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1 diced onion
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 cup dairy-free sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Directions:
Brown ground beef in a skillet. A little extra beef is fine. Elk and deer meat work just as well, though you may want to add more seasoning if it is too “gamey”.
Put hot water on to boil for the noodles.
Drain the fat from the beef.
Add noodles to hot water.
When the meat is brown, add in garlic powder, pepper, mustard powder, onion, and mushrooms. Cook at about medium heat and stir.
When the onion has softened a little, add in the mayonnaise, sour cream, and beef broth. Let that simmer for about 15 minutes.
Drain noodles. Stroganoff is best served over a big heap of noodles. Put the beef mixture over the noodles and enjoy!
Questions we examine:
Why did communism take over Russia?
Who were the last tsars of Russia?
Who was Rasputin?
What was the Russo-Japanese War about?
Why did Lenin want to stay out of WWI?
Was Tsarina Alexandra crazy or just on a lot of drugs?
How did the downfall of the Russian tsars impact American Christianity?
