Collection 450
[January 12, 2006]
Bunta, Vasile; 1961-
Interview; 1991
Audio Tapes
Restrictions: None
Biography
Full name: Vasile Bunta
Birth date: July 20, 1961
Family:
Parents: Geogri and Maria Bunta
Marital Status: Married to Laura Bunta
Children: One child
Conversion: December 1975
Education:
1980 Graduated from the industrial high school in Oradea, Romania
1988 Graduated from the University of Oradea
1989 Graduated from the School of the Prophets, a Bible institute run by the
Second Baptist Church of Oradea
1991-1993 Attended Wheaton College Graduate School in the United States,
graduating with a Master's Degree in Communications
Career:
1977-1980 Served in the children's ministry of the Second Baptist Church of Oradea,
first as guitar player, then as a teacher
1980-1982 Military service in the Romanian army
1982-1989 Returned to involvement in his church's youth ministry
1989- Youth pastor in the Second Baptist Church in Oradea
Other significant information: Attended evangelistic meetings held in Oradea during Billy Graham's 1985 visit to Romania
Scope and Content
Vasile Bunta was interviewed by Robert Shuster on November 7, 1991, at the offices of the Billy Graham Center Archives. The events described in the interview cover the time period approximately from 1960-1990.
T1 (71 minutes). Parents' membership in the Baptist church; description of his father as a peacemaker; his support for Bunta's marriage; Bunta's mother's character; influence of his father's example and prayers, government's infiltration of Orthodox churches in Romania; difference between Protestantism and Orthodoxy in Romania; learning from his parents to trust God; regulation of the Baptist church by the government in the 1960s; the set-apartness of Christians in society; understanding of God and Christ as a child; influence of Liviu Olah on the Second Baptist of Oradea; his teaching about prayer; beginning of the phenomenal growth of the church; leadership of Olah and Joseph Tson in the church; dealing with the government authorities; church's emphasis on evangelism; link between Christian life and evangelism; the process by which new Christians are baptized into the church; worship activities on a typical Sunday; development of other church activities during the week, such as Bible study and prayer groups; Vasile saved during the first great revival in the church; effect of revival at Second Baptist on other denominations throughout the country; persecution by the government; importance of young people in spreading the revival; reaction of the Orthodox church leaders; evangelistic work among gypsies; different levels of government persecution; Marxist efforts to produce a new type of person; his school friends reaction to his Christian faith; importance of music in his life; his military service; reaction of other soldier's to his Christian faith; going to engineering college and Bible school (School of the Prophets) after military service; persecution by teachers of Christian students; purpose of his education; coordinating the summer visits of Don Church and Wheaton student teachers to Romania starting in 1986; interrogation by security forces because of these visits; interrogators' fear of God; description of Graham's 1985 visit to Romania; evidence of the power of God in the services; reaction of non-Christians to Graham
T2 (25 minutes). Government involvement in Graham's visit, overthrow of Ceausescu in 1989, request by the government that the churches teach theology in the schools, lack of unity in church because of new freedom, church-state relations after the revolution, high regard for Christians in society, antagonism of Orthodox church to the Protestant churches, strengths and weaknesses in the church in Romania in 1991, growing corruption among the clergy, Bunta's plans to return to teach at a Christian college and serve as an assistant pastor, programs of Bible memorization at Second Baptist, favorite Books of the Bible
Provenance
The materials in this collection were given to the Archives of the Billy Graham Center by Vasile Bunta in November 1991.
Accession: 91-104
April 16, 1997
Robert Shuster
LOCATION RECORD
Accession: 91-103
Type of Material: Audio Tapes
The following items are located in the AUDIO TAPE FILE:
T1 - Reel, 3-3/4 ips, 1 side. Interview of Vasile Bunta by Robert Shuster. November 7, 1991. Approximately 71 minutes.
T2 - Reel, 3-3/4 ips, 1 side. Conclusion of interview of Vasile Bunta by Robert Shuster. November 7, 1991. Approximately 25 minutes.