‘We’re all gonna die anyway’: the eschatological tranquillity of Russian Baptists during the pandemic

Abstract

ABSTRACT The article discusses how the Russian Baptist community reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic and state-imposed restrictions. After initial fears of the unknown and unprecedented threat, most believers normalised the situation and positioned it in the context of their faith, Gospel message, and eschatological expectations. I analyse their eschatological tranquillity in the context of the Russian Baptist interpretative tradition of applying the Bible to everyday life, and moral potentialities that the pandemic and restrictions created for believers.