In another post from late March, the priest suggested it was unlikely his words would change much, saying, “The soldier will not lay down his machine gun. The President will not go to a monastery. The Patriarch will not stop preaching about gay parades … ”
The Rev. John Burdin, center, leads a service at Resurrection of Christ Orthodox Church in the Russian village of Nikolskoye. Video screen grab via CurrentTime.tv
Yet Burdin framed his actions as a requirement of his Christian faith.
“Your job is not to change, but to testify,” he wrote.
Asked by if he was concerned Russian authorities would find and punish him for his posts, Burdin was defiant.
“There is a Russian proverb: ‘If you are afraid of wolves, do not go into the forest,’” Burdin said.
When asked again this week, Burdin invoked Psalm 27.
“The Lord is my enlightenment and my Savior — whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defender of my life — whom shall I fear?”
This article originally appeared here.
