Russia (MNN) — Evidence of Boris Yeltsin's influence on Russia will remain for years to come as teens come to Christ. Reforms instituted under his leadership have opened doors for organizations like FEBC to offer Christian broadcasts throughout Russia.
The "Talking with Teens" program was the idea of Olga Denisova of FEBC. Even in a country with such a history of atheism, Denisova's program has gained incredible popularity with Christian and non-Christian teenagers alike.
Denisova's passion for teens as well as her background in acting, psychology, music,
and Bible have added to the success of the program. However, she attributes it to something more. "Honesty. You must treat them as adults by taking them seriously and listening to their opinions, no matter how wrong or misguided they might be. That's why they participate in the program: they want to be heard It's also why thousands tune in regularly," said Denisova.
Her program touches on topics of life, love, and relationships, and inevitably touches on the spiritual aspects of those things. "We often have heated conversations about spiritual issues. But open discussions can be the best way to influence thousands of listeners, because their questions and objections to the Christian faith are being voiced and answered," Denisova said.
To the parents of the youth who are invited to speak, this is surprising. They assume that their children don't think about God since their parents were raised under communism.
Recently there was a discussion with two Christians and a non Christian concerning their goals in life. "It was interesting to see how the non-Christian reacted when the two Christians talked about praying for their goals. He was really rather envious of their relationship with God," said Denisova.
In the future, FEBC hopes to have a relevant and constantly-changing Web site that will keep teenagers connected to the radio broadcasts. Since these teens are the first generation to grow up in a relatively-free Russia, they'll be making a big impact on Russia in ten years.
A letter was received recently from a man who was caught up in drugs before he started listening to "Talking with Teens." He said, "Your youth broadcasters are very honest and real…that's why I was willing to believe when they explained that God has the power to free me from sin. Thank you for your ministry. You literally saved my life!"
