Putin perfectly fits the role of the Man on the White Horse in some quarters. He's consciously self-assured, assertively macho, a "no regrets, no apologies" kind of guy. That he's a murderous former KGB officer is so pre-Berlin-Wall kind of a thing. All his admirers in the West seem to know is that he pooh-poohs nuance and political pleasantry in favor of being a no-nonsense autocrat.
He's also (though hardly alone in this in Russia) clearly anti-gay, which seems to be enough to draw praise and admiration from a lot of American conservative Christians. That his regime in Russia has been less than tolerant of Christian sects beyond the Russian Orthodox, or that his proxies / puppets in the Ukraine have been even more violently so, seems to have escaped their attention. "He rides a pony barechested, just like Jesus probably did! And he's fighting back against the homosexual agenda? What more could you ask for?"
Religious Right Hero Vladimir Putin’s Forces Persecute Christians In Ukraine
The same Religious Right activists who accuse President Obama of persecuting Christians by supporting gay rights, have over the last few years hailed Russian leader Vladimir Putin as a hero and globa
Putin claims a sincere belief. From his Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Putin#Religion):
—
Putin's father was "a model communist, genuinely believing in its ideals while trying to put them into practice in his own life". With this dedication he became secretary of the Party cell in his workshop and then after taking night classes joined the factory's Party bureau.[22] Though his father was a "militant atheist",[362] Putin's mother "was a devoted Orthodox believer". Though she kept no icons at home, she attended church regularly, despite the government's persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church at that time. She ensured that Putin was secretly christened as a baby and she regularly took him to services. His father knew of this but turned a blind eye.[22]
According to Putin's own statements, his religious awakening followed the serious car crash of his wife in 1993, and was deepened by a life-threatening fire that burned down their dacha in August 1996.[362] Right before an official visit to Israel his mother gave him his baptismal cross telling him to get it blessed "I did as she said and then put the cross around my neck. I have never taken it off since."[22] When asked whether he believes in God during his interview with Time, he responded saying: "…There are things I believe, which should not in my position, at least, be shared with the public at large for everybody's consumption because that would look like self-advertising or a political striptease."
—
Whether his fervor in support of the Russian Orthodox Church is personal or driven by nationalism, he is clearly no welcomer of non-Orthodox denominations, and is yet another example of having (formally or not) an "established" state religion and high officials insistent on it remaining as such.
I would think that the whole Gog and Magog stuff would rule Putin out as a topic of admiration in evangelical circles.
+John E. Bredehoft Never underestimate the ability of evangelicals (well, humans) to ignore stuff you'd think would be obvious.