Flaviu Leontiuc is an Austrian pastor of Romanian origin who like many others, left the post-socialist Romania and relocated to Austria. He graduated the Baptist Theological University in Bucharest, and is a Phd. Student in Baptist Theology from MBTS Kansas City (to graduate in the Summer of 2022).
Between January 2012 and December 2020 he pastored the Ekklesia Wien Curch (ordained as presbyter in 2013 and in 2017 as pastor). At the moment he is pastoring the Ekklesia Graz Church, within the FKÖ Church of Austria, Freie Christengemeinde branch.

Austria, we are back to the 1930’s…

Is this oppression or opportunity?

It’s the opportunity to side with Dietrich Bonhoeffer this time – a strong opponent of the Hygiene State back then. The churches allied to the political system (the great majority) have abandoned the opposing pastor to face Hitler alone. He was saying: “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

If it wouldn’t have been for the European and Oriental Christian warriors and martyrs, we wouldn’t have had the fundamental human rights, which need to be regained today. This is the price we pay for indifference and wrong choices – it is only by blood (some of the protesters were torn apart by dogs), only by sacrifice, only by fight (spiritual fight – fight in prayer), braveness, and the desire to think not only about ourselves, that we can win.

Our children have the right to live in the freedom that – at least for a short period of time – we had. Here are a few of the “great accomplishments” of the collaboration  between the Austrian government and the Constitutional Court of Austria, from the last couple of years:

1. The Assisted Suicide Law and the Euthanasia  Law (check out this map for areas where they are enforced as laws: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterbehilfe?fbclid=IwAR1TSZsmjkYACxO_gJe3HAUeApwUm1YtpwIHCgJMxInYUNIKzN34-Wd2wTw#/media/Datei:Assisted_suicide_in_Europe.svg )

2. The Mandatory Vaccination Law, adopted Thursday 20^th January 2022 by the Austrian parliament. Let’s not forget that the fundamental human rights have been developed on a Judeo-Christian foundation. (A very interesting article on this topic can be found here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/philosophy/human-rights-religion-christianity-philosophy-theology?fbclid=IwAR2o5ULHMr2kKYgET2NOo0Xm-n8NyTlQwXmUOC8kS_aDL9iMHlHtbKZrRy8 )
The right to life, in Christianity, is an inalienable right. As long as Christ’s iron rod represented the standard for government in a state or on a continent, the foundation was as solid as if made out of iron.
Joining iron with clay (humanism, paganism) are causing the interaction between good and stability (represented in the Bible by iron) and clay mixed with iron to cause the destruction of the entire system, which becomes compromised.
Throwing in the mix concepts that go against the nonnegotiable values of God, like for instance the abolition of the fundamental human rights, censorship of free speech, will not produce safer, sounder structures in our societies. (A good example of that is Austria’s annexation to Germany by free will in 1938.)

In such a system, God’s Word is misinterpreted. The sun is turning to blood. One of Hitler’s favorite passages in the Scripture was Romans 13:1-5. He invoked it a number of times before another massacre.

With Appreciation,
Dr. Pst. Leontiuc Flaviu-Cristian
Pastor at Ekklesia Christian Center Graz