The Center for Apologetics Research · Information About the Center

CFAR Mission Statement

The primary task of The Center for Apologetics Research in St. Petersburg, Russia and Kiev, Ukraine is to equip Christian leaders and laymen in the Former Soviet Union (FSU) for discernment, defense of the faith and cult evangelism (1 Peter 3:15, Jude 3, 2 Timothy 2:25) by providing training and resource materials in their national languages.

CFAR Statement of Faith

Because of our desire to uphold and teach the truth of Holy Scripture, we set forth the following statement as basis upon which the Center shall build and operate. The Center's founding cosponsors, participating agencies, and all staff shall subscribe to this statement.

We believe that:

1) The Holy Scriptures, composed of the Old and New Testaments, are fully inspired by God, infallible and inerrant in the original writings and completely trustworthy in all areas in which they speak, the supreme and final authority in faith and practice.

2) There is one Eternal, Almighty and Perfect God, Creator and Sustainer of all things, eternally existing in three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

3) Jesus Christ, incarnated by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, true God and true Man, is the only mediator between God and man. He alone was perfect in nature, teaching, and obedience.

4) The Holy Spirit is the Regenerator and Sanctifier of the redeemed, the Bestower of spiritual fruit and gifts, and the abiding Comforter and Teacher of the church.

5) In Adam the human race was created in the image and likeness of God. Through the fall of Adam man became radically corrupt, alienated from God, and disintegrated at the heart of his being. The desperate need of man is restoration to fellowship with God; yet man remains totally unable to restore himself.

6) Eternal salvation is provided for man solely by God's grace through the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ. Man is saved through faith alone in Christ alone, independant of his works, but good works are a necessary result of true faith.

7) Jesus Christ was resurrected bodily from the dead; ascended into heaven; and will return at the consummation of the age to both resurrect and judge the just and the unjust.

8) Eternal, conscious punishment, including separation and loss of fellowship with God, is the ultimate destiny of unregenerate man, along with Satan, with all his hosts.

The Cults in Russia and Ukraine.

The Cults are very active in Russia and Ukraine. Jehovah's Witnesses alone claim to have over 250,000 active members distributing their literature on a regular basis in the former Soviet Union. Find out more about Cults in Russia & Ukraine. This photo-essay features information on Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Hare Krishnas, and other cults and sects active in Eastern Europe.

Ministries of the Center

The Center for Apologetics Research in St. Petersburg, Russia was formed in 1993 as a pioneering ministry partnership joining Christians from the West and the Russian-speaking world. The Center in Kiev, Ukraine began it's ministry in 1999. This is still the only work of its kind in the former Soviet Union - a permanent evangelical outreach with a full-time staff, dedicated to equipping believers for discernment, the defense of the faith, and cult evangelism.

Literature
The Center has much literature on apologetics including over 45 articles, 25 tracts, as well as several books and video films. See our materials list for details. Literature can be obtained by mail or through our web page. We also have a CD with a complete set of the Center's materials. Please write for more information. CFAR materials can be copied and distributed freely as long as they are used for non-commercial purposes. Please see Using Our Literature for details.

Web Page
CFAR materials may also be downloaded or read on-line here at the website of the Center.

Training
The Center equips Christian leaders and lay workers through seminars, conferences, and classes in cooperation with other ministries. We have native Russian speakers who lecture on the cults and except several invitations each year to teach at seminars offered in large cities in Eastern Europe. They also except invitations, as schedules permit, to teach accelerated courses (1 or 2 weeks) on the cults at Christian Universities. We also consult and provide various materials to assist instructors who are teaching college level courses on cults and sects.

Correspondence
Letters seeking help arrive daily. They come from from pastors, missionaries, priests, prisoners and lay-people -- including new believers studying with cult missionaries. Others call the Center with urgent pleas for counseling and other personal assistance. We try to provide information and help to those who are dealing with cults in Russia and Ukraine.

Research
The Center serves as a key informational resource to denominations, parachurch groups, and the secular media, providing expert interviews and critical background for national and local television, radio, newspapers and magazines.

Video Loan Program
Churches in Russia and Ukraine can borrow a copy of the Video "Witnesses of Jehovah" in their home churches for 60 days free of charge. Write us for details.

CFAR CD
CFAR has developed a CD with formatted copies of all of our articles, tracts, newsletters, and even 2 complete books. Formatted versions of all of these materials may be printed out, copied, and distributed free of charge for non-commercial purposes. The CD is offered free to selected Christian schools and major denominational headquarters. Write for details and qualifications for obtaining these free materials. The CD can also be purchased at cost by other individuals and ministries.

CFAR Contact Information

In Russia
The Center for Apologetics Research
194044 Saint Petersburg
PO Box 954
Russia
Russia@ApolResearch.org

In Ukraine
The Center for Apologetics Research
01001 Kiev
PO Box В-92
Ukraine
Ukraine@ApolResearch.org

Important: Please note that the inclusion of materials about a particular group on this web site does not necessarily mean that the group is considered a destructive cult.
The English web pages primarily contain descriptions of our apologetics materials. Most of the materials themselves are available from CFAR only in Russian and Ukrainian at this time.

The Center for Apologetics Research · 194044 Saint Petersburg · PO Box 954 · Russia · Russia@ApolResearch.org
The Center for Apologetics Research · 01001 Kiev · PO Box В-92 · Ukraine · Ukraine@ApolResearch.org