Christianity

John Piper on the Death of Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Don’t miss John Piper’s tribute to Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Piper writes:

‘Yesterday Alexander Solzhenitsyn died at the age of 89. I pause here on my vacation in the woods of Wisconsin to say, Thank you, heavenly Father, for the inspiration of this man’s life.

‘No one did more than Solzhenitsyn to expose the horrors of the failed communist experiment in Russia. Hitler’s purge would pale, if such things could pale, when compared to ten times the carnage in Stalin’s gulags.

‘Solzhenitsyn inspired me because of the suffering he endured and the effect it had on him. Here is the quote that I have not forgotten. It moves me deeply to this day. After his imprisonment in the Russian gulag of Joseph Stalin’s “corrective labor camps” Solzhenitsyn wrote . . .’

Read the rest here.

3 Comments

  • Joe Talburbest

    Calvinism says that nothing depends on man, that faith is already predetermined. Also in its sharp protest against Catholicism, Protestantism rushed to discard together with ritual all the mysterious, the mythical and mystical aspects of the Faith. In that sense it has impoverished religion. Solzhenitsyn

  • Mike

    Wow, what a powerful quote. I really enjoyed ‘A day in the Life of Ivan Desonovich.” I’m going to have to go back and reread it. I hope he is sitting at the feet of Jesus in worship now.

  • Joe Talburbest

    I really appreciated Solzhenitsyn, his insight and courage. Great man. I also came across this quote I thought some might enjoy. He stated it in the context of deriving value from all religous backgrounds. “Calvinism says that nothing depends on man, that faith is already predetermined. Also in its sharp protest against Catholicism, Protestantism rushed to discard together with ritual all the mysterious, the mythical and mystical aspects of the Faith. In that sense it has impoverished religion.” Solzhenitsyn

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