Struggling with freedom's paradox

Released from Communism's grip, Christian boy finds freedom,
leaves some elements of society prisoners of their own making

In most places of the world, admitting your Christian faith does not take an act of courage. But for someone who grew up behind the Berlin Wall, being a devoted Christian meant ostracism by peers and suspicion by the communist government. "In East Germany you would think twice before saying you were a Christian," said Michael Furchert, a 25-year-old Christian speaker who currently is visiting Duluth from Berlin.

Furchert discovered Duluth through the Internet, where he met Diane Oesterreich, manager of The Victory Path, an International Christian Management program that invites speakers, musicians and songwriters to share their talents and stories with the Duluth Community. It wasn't long before Oesterreich realized this young man from Berlin had a powerful story to tell.

"I could see his depth and passion for helping other people. I couldn't let go of this guy. He's going to touch lives all over," Oesterreich said."He lives what he says. What he says is 100 percent him."

Born and raised in a small village outside of Berlin called Neulewin, Furchert learned about disadvantages and limitation at an early age. Furchert and his Christian family struggled against the dictatorship of a communist system that taught its people there was no God, and that one should, without question, be dedicated to the ideals of communism. All other beliefs were considered a threat to the system.

"As soon as we (Christians) would stand up in public, we would be considered as hostile subjects against the government,"Furchert said. "So when you were sure you wanted to be a Christian, you had to stand up."
That is exactly what he did.

At the age of seven, Furchert refused to join the Organization of Young Pioneers, an organization every pupil was expected to join. He said the organization influenced the beliefs and thoughts of children so they would surrender their lives to communism. His teachers were suspicious and his peers were intolerant of his decision. He became an outcast.
"The teachers and principals would look at me like I could be a dangerous enemy of the system. I was just 7 years old, but they would already get afraid I could make trouble for them,." Furchert said.

Then at the age of 14, Furchert refused to take part in the Youth Consecration, an important ceremony signifying the transition from youth to adulthood. To participate, each student had to pledge allegiance to the communist state and all it represented. For Furchert, this was not an option. So his peers ridiculed him, because according to the communist system, he would always be considered a child.

He also refused to sing songs at school that praised communism, and he refused to join the military service even though he risked the possibility of prison. "I would always tell pupils and teachers that I later would refuse to go to the army and that I rather wanted to be in prison where God would still love me,"Furchert said.

Today, Furchert remembers his childhood within the confines of the Berlin Wall as if it were a dream. When the Wall finally fell in l989, Furchert was 17. Freedom had become a reality instead of an impossibility. Lives changed, and so did Christianity. "After the Wall came down and Germany was reunited, Christianity changed. It became weaker and not as honest," Furchert said.
"Too much freedom can get you away from standing straight and honest for God."

Even today, proclaiming yourself as a Christian in Germany is not a casual act, according to Furchert. "If a well-educated person in public says that they believe in God, people will say "
oh my gosh, I thought you were a smart person.
"You would not say you were a Christian if you were not," he said.

Although living in East Germany was difficult, Furchert said it shaped him into the person he is today. A person who, because of his faith, is not afraid to take advantage of his freedom and take risks in order to help others in need. "Freedom was everything I could have in life. I could experience different countries, different languages, different people,"he said.

After 1989, Furchert decided to further his studies and Christian faith. He became a youth group leader, a part-time evangelist for drug addicts and other troubled people, and he held seminars and Bible studies classes. He has traveled throughout Europe, the United States and Mexico as a camp counselor and social worker.

At one point, Furchert found his dream job as a counselor at a youth camp in Great Britain. But for reasons still unknown to him, he decided to leave everything that was familiar to him behind to help those who lived on the streets of Los Angeles. Witnessing the lives of the homeless in L.A., Furchert was struck by the paradox of freedom. In East Germany, he was a victim of a society that squelched freedom. In L.A., drug addicts, prostitutes and gang members lived in freedom, but became prisoners of their choices, he said.

Furchert hopes to continue his travels and tell his story of faith, sending the message that freedom is something that must be appreciated and used responsibly. He also hopes to communicate to others the important role his faith in God and Christianity has played in his life.

by Sandi Dahl