“Rebirth and Renewal” in the Latvian Lutheran Church

The recent upsurge of religious dissent in the Baltic republic of Latvia is a somewhat unexpected phenomenon. Unlike its fervently Catholic neighbour Lithuania, Latvia has never been renowned for its religious loyalties, although before the war the majority of the population (56 per cent) were Lutherans. 1 Since the annexation of the Baltic states by the Soviet Union in 1940, Latvia has not been a centre of religious protest even in the Latvian Baptist Church, for example, the "unregistered" wing has hardly any members. The Latvian Lutheran Church in particular has always remained quiet, subdued and willing to cooperate with Soviet laws on religion. In the last few years, however, an unofficial revival movement has been growing up among the Latvian Lutheran clergy; in 1987 it developed into a religious rights movement, thus coming into open· conflict with the Soviet authorities, as well as its own church leadership.