The book I read for my Political Science class was In God’s Underground, by Richard Wurmbrand. The first half of his life ended on February 29, 1948. His kidnappers belonged to the communist secret police. He had been arrested during the war by the Fascists who ruled in Hitler’s day, and again when the Communists took over. His whole philosophy had been materialistic until then, but his heart could not be satisfied with it. He believed in theory that man is only matter, and that when he dies, he decomposes into salt and minerals. Although he reads the Bible for its literary interest, his mind closed at the point where he felt God’s foes were right. As he read on tears filled his eyes. He could not help comparing Christ’s life with his.In 1940 relations between Rumania and Britain were severed, and the English clergy had to leave. Since there was none else, he had to try and carry on the Church work. He studied and taught himself to preach, and was ordained as Lutheran pastor.As the war progressed, many from the Christian minorities-Adventists, Baptists, Pentecostals- were massacred or driven into concentration camps with the Jews. He was arrested, tried , beaten and imprisoned.On the day of his conversion he had prayed, “God I am an atheist. Now let me go to Russia to work as a missionary among the atheists”. After the war he worked for the Western church mission. As he brought soldiers on his side they published the Gospel in Russian. Later in his prison cell, soft music could be heard down the hall, then it became distorted and he heard a woman’s voice screaming and sobbing. It was his wife. There were sounds a of a whip hitting flesh. This guard Dulgheru told Richard “do you know I can order your execution, tonight, as a revolutionary?” Then with that he struck Richard across the face.Each night that passed he rarely went without dancing. He made up songs and sang them softly t...
