GYPSY EVANGELICALS IN BULGARIA
A book by Magdalena Slavkova, 14th june 2008

The book “Gypsy Evangelists in Bulgaria” is the first of its kind entire scholarly exploration on an issue, broadly discussed in the last years, in the Bulgarian society. The mass transition of the Gypsies to Protestancy/proselytism to Christianity (process known as evangelization) is on one side a familiar phenomenon, but on the other - subject of guesses, producing negativism. Bulgaria is not the only country in which the gypsies choose to turn to Jesus Christ. This is a broadly rising tendency in entire Europe, and in the world as a whole. The protestant gypsies are received in the general European horizon for a long time, since they are a section of the world community to evangelicals.

Interesting historic facts about the originating and the development of the evangelization among the gypsies can be found on the pages of this book, also about the successful missionary activity of the western European and Bulgarian preachers, about the difficulties the protestant churches have gone through from the beginning of ХХ century till today, about how they withstand their position and preserve themselves as Prayer Houses, despite the political setting, even in periods of persecution and total restrictions.

The biggest advantage of this book is that it represents objectively the processes, the people and the events. It is so written, to be adequate for a full set of readers. The efforts of the young authoress are focused to showing the gypsies truthfully, such as they are, with their advantages and defects, people as all else. We can read in the book what does a gypsy church means, how does it look like, why does it change from a common devotional building to the most important institution in the Gypsy regions, how does the daily life of the believers go, in what way the people rejoice and express their honor to Jesus Christ, Whom they call their God. It is also interesting to find out why the gypsies (from the little children to the aged people) read actively the Bible and other religious literature, receive protestant education in the country and abroad, sing anthems and pray to their maternal tongue, organize conferences and teaching seminars. The book also shows the role and the authority of the new leaders of the gypsy regions – the gypsy pastors. The main characters of the book are the thousands of believers in our nation: common people, famous musicians, who had started their singing career by performing evangelical songs, leaders, businessmen, intellectuals. They are common in one very important thing – with their receiving Jesus Christ they change and start leading their life differently, proving everyday that they have become good people, humble and well mannered, not engaging in conflicts and solving misconceptions among themselves by means of conversation, thus demonstrating their love to Jesus with their every action.

This book is a constructive building tool for the common knowledge of the unified in their diversity citizens of European Bulgaria.

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