When you think of Christian persecution, Russia isn’t usually top of mind. After all, nearly 80 percent of Russians identify as Orthodox Christians, and the Russian Orthodox church enjoys the support of Vladimir Putin.

But for other Christians, the story is different. Baptists and Pentecostals have already felt the sting of Russia’s severe anti-evangelism laws, with officials raiding churches, arresting people for sharing their faith, and even shuttering theological schools.

In fact, a German court just accepted a Russian Baptist family’s appeal for asylum. They’ve endured “insults, physical violence, and threatening phone calls over their missionary activities, and police refused to offer protection.”

Germany has a history of welcoming Baptists, beginning with the fall of the Soviet Union back in 1989. As one German official told Christianity Today, “There are today many large Baptist churches in Germany where one might hear as much Russian as German.”

Shame on Russia, and good for Germany. Welcoming the victims of religious persecution is a beautifully humane thing to do. Perhaps the U. S. should try it.

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