Gustave Doré, John Baptizes Jesus, Public Domain, courtesy of Wikimedia

Reported in The Baptist Standard.  Excerpt:

KYIV, Ukraine (BP)—A bill allowing Ukraine’s courts to outlaw Orthodox churches that maintain ties with Russia does not threaten religious freedom in Ukraine, a key Ukrainian Baptist leader asserted.

Rather, the law would provide a system for Ukraine’s government, as well as lay members of Orthodox churches, to learn whether any church leaders covertly are supporting Russia’s war efforts, said Igor Bandura, vice president of the All-Ukrainian Union of Associations of Evangelical Christian-Baptist.

“It’s not a question of religious freedom, but it is a question of national security, and here (on matters of national security) the state can react,” Bandura told Baptist Press. “We are not talking about the danger of religious persecution in Ukraine, because for us, religious freedom is very important.

“As Baptists, we still witness that Ukraine has religious freedom. We carefully are following (the proposed law’s) development.”

…

Brent Leatherwood, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, lays the blame on Russia for any attack on religious liberty in Ukraine the war has wrought.

Glory to Ukraine!