This sunday, I used the recent story of Mikhael Gorbachev's christianity as an illustration in my Easter sermon...specifically as an illustration of Christ as the "wonderful counsellor". I based my understanding on this article from the London Times and this article from the Daily Telegraph.
Today, the Chicago Tribune is reporting that Gorbachov is asserting that he has always been and remains "an atheist". Here's an excerpt from the article:
"Over the last few days some media have been disseminating fantasies—I can't use any other word—about my secret Catholicism, citing my visit to the Sacro Convento friary, where the remains of St. Francis of Assisi lie," Gorbachev told the Russian news agency Interfax. "To sum up and avoid any misunderstandings, let me say that I have been and remain an atheist."
I suppose this story is still developing, but integrity demands that I acknowledge that the illustration I used may well have been a gross misunderstanding. While I don't think it invalidates the point of the Easter sermon (you'll have to listen to it in context when we have it up on our website, and determine for yourself), my use of Mikhael Gorbachev as an illustration was premature at best.
Russell
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