E-Newsletter

He Is Risen Indeed!

Regularly in the news the last several months has been Russia, a nation which many Americans view as unfriendly or even an enemy of the United States.  Gabriela Baczynska wrote last month in Reuters, “With the Russian Orthodox Church counting 165 million people in its flock, it may be [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's best tool to pursue his dream of reintegrating at least part of the former Soviet Union, the collapse of which he once called ‘the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century.’”

Baczynska reported that the Russian Foreign Ministry and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow (Kirill, the “Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia”) “…issued twin statements on what they said were attacks on revered historic monasteries in Kiev and Pochayiv, western Ukraine, warning of the risk that a religious conflict could ensue.”  She wrote, “Russia has used the alleged threat to the worshippers of the Moscow-backed church in arguing it had the right to send in troops to Ukraine to protect its nationals and Russian speakers.”

Of course, there are some from the Church who criticize it and Russia’s government.  As written by Nadieszda Kizenko in a September 2013 piece in the Foreign Affairs publication, “Devout Orthodox Christian journalists, academics, and political scientists -- as well as free-thinking priests -- are becoming increasingly assertive as alternative spokespeople for their faith.  This burgeoning Orthodox intelligentsia is already posing a challenge to the conservative church hierarchy and, by extension, to Vladimir Putin’s regime.”

I can’t help but recall the story of a journey reportedly taken by a Russian Communist leader, Nikolai Bukharin, who had taken part in the Bolshevik Revolution.  As the story goes, Bukharin traveled from Moscow to Kiev in order to address a large crowd of Communists on the subject of atheism.  Following his remarks against faith, Bukharin looked at the audience and asked if there were any questions.

A man then approached, and he mounted the platform.  Looking out at the crowd assembled before him – despite Bukharin’s anti-faith remarks that had preceded him – this second man is said to have shouted, “Christ is risen!”  Those before him stood and shouted back, “He is risen indeed!”

This story involving Nikolai Bukharin is told often.  We have not found a primary source historical reference to it.  However, I cannot imagine that this is a story that the Communists would have ensured was officially recorded.

But what a powerful story it is!  “He is risen indeed!”

A Bipartisan Victory for Southern Virginia

Thursday, April 17 was the long-awaited groundbreaking of the Commonwealth Crossing Business Centre in Henry County.  This ceremony followed nearly two years of coordinated work by local officials, the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation, Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, Congressman Robert Hurt, and my office in order to overcome regulatory roadblocks and advance this important, job-creating project.

As Senator Kaine noted at the groundbreaking ceremony, “Just as Henry and Martinsville had to work together to make this happen, those of us in Congress had to work together to make sure the [Army] Corps [of Engineers] did the right thing” and approve the grading permit for Commonwealth Crossing.  My office was glad to be of assistance in these efforts.

While the development of the Commonwealth Crossing Business Centre is very good news, rest assured that our fight continues for the creation of jobs throughout our region.

As always, if you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671.  To reach my office by email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov.

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