It's hard to believe that in other parts of the world, Protestants face violence, threats and discrimination. Yet right now, just 5,000 miles away, our Protestant brothers and sisters face just that.

Since the fall of Soviet communism with the Berlin Wall in 1989, Protestantism has planted its roots in the newly-established representative democracy of Russia. As a result, a small portion of Russian citizens regularly attend Protestant churches. However, as The New York Times reports, Moscow's actions towards Protestantism hardly reflect Russia's constitutional guarantee of religious freedom.

In order to assemble for church duties and functions, Protestant churches are required to register with the Russian government. Rev. Vladimir Pakhomov, a Methodist minister, said members of his congregation received a warning from a Federal Security Service officer claiming that Protestantism is facing "difficult times, or maybe its end," according to The Times.

After filling out the appropriate paperwork for registering his Methodist church, Pakhomov's registration, as well as several following attempts to re-register, was denied. According to the Times, government official Yuri Romashin explained the church's denial for registration as a step by the government to guard against suspicious organizations that use religion as a cover.

This is one of several examples of religious inequality in Russia. To Pakhomov, the tone of these actions and patterns has hinted that Moscow feels threatened by Protestant churches that are based in the United States.

Putin has decided to handle this threat by discriminating against Protestant churches and pushing citizens to follow Russian Orthodoxy. The government's mindset has become one that believes that if you are a loyal Russian citizen, you must be Russian Orthodox.

SPU students cannot afford to let this kind of mindset prevail. All Christians, whether Orthodox or Protestant, should be given equal rights to congregate. Russia preaches that it allows its citizens this right, but doesn't actually follow through on it.

The Falcon would like to encourage students to prayerfully consider the situation in Russia. We need to be aware of what's going on in the global Christian community in order to effectively support it.