- Name: Iosif Ton (Țon)
- Born: 1934
- Birthplace: Socialist Republic of Romania
- Overcome Story: Lost his faith, regained it, opposed church restrictions; after being exiled he influenced and encouraged the church over radio (RFE).
- Interview: January 2023
- Links:
TBD
Saved from being a “chaibur” (rich peasant part of the privileged bourgeoisie) by a epic flood, Iosif moved to the city, next to his future wife, and graduated from college with a degree in philology. Later he got the opportunity to study theology in Oxford and had a promising career if he managed to stay within the lines.
The lines, drawn by the political elite were too constricting, and he used his voice to write what the church should be in a socialist country. This earned him a beating and an interrogation. He was followed for the rest of his time in Romania and only managed to not “be disappeared” because he had friends in the West that watched his career, and other pastors who stood up with him.
Eventually he was told to leave the country in three days. From the US he continued to teach and write. He lead the Romanian Missionary Society, and spoke for many hears on Radio Free Europe, past the political censors, directly into the homes of Romanians.
Today, he lives with his wife and devoted partner in Oregon and continues to find ways to encourage the church to be exemplary.
Reflection Questions:
- If you escaped from a socialist/communist country why would you go back for? (family, mission, goal)
- Why would you have to write content in secret? What does it say about the content, you or the society in which you write?
- If you were asked to collaborate with the authorities how far would you go? Would you turn in your friends? Would you inform on your friends? What if you were bribed or threatened?
- Is Marxist thought good, bad, or otherwise? How would you judge it (based on logic, outcomes, etc.)?
- Can Marxism create the “new man” it sought to create? How about freedom or Capitalism? How about God?