After the Berlin Wall fell, a group of Christian colleges in the U.S. seized the opportunity to begin strategic faculty and student exchanges with universities inside the Soviet Union. They could not have foreseen the doors that would open next. During a 1990 visit to Russia, John Bernbaum and his colleagues received a surprising invitation from a Russian government official: come help build a faith-based university in Moscow. Thus, after seventy years of fierce religious persecution under communism, the Russian-American Christian University (RACU) was born.
In Opening the Red Door, Bernbaum presents an insider's account of the rise and fall of a Russian-American partnership. As a founder and later president of RACU, Bernbaum offers a ground-level perspective on Russia’s post-communist transition and the construction of a cultural-educational bridge between the two superpowers. He describes how American RACU staff worked to understand Russian history and culture—including the nation's rich spiritual heritage—so they could support their new Russian friends in rebuilding an educational system and a society. He documents the story of the first private Christian liberal arts university to be accredited in Russia's history, from its first steps, through its major successes, to its facing increasing opposition during the Putin era.
Opening the Red Door offers unique insight not only into Russian culture and post–Cold War history but also traces the dynamics within international educational institutions and partnerships. When he first traveled to Russia, Bernbaum writes, he thought of it as a nation of mystery. But after more than twenty-five years of work there, he believes Russia can be understood. His journey of understanding will prove instructive to educators, administrators, students, missionaries, and anyone interested in international relations.
Cuprins
Foreword by Philip Yancey
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
1. The Red Door Slowly Opens
2. The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!
3. Entering the Soviet Heartland
4. Getting Started
5. Surviving the Coup
6. Meeting with Gorbachev and the KGB
7. Reading Russia Right
8. Seizing the Initiative
9. Laying the Foundation in Russia
10. Learning Together and Telling the Truth
11. A New Way to Educate
12. Russia’s Generation Nyet
13. Assembling RACU’s Building Blocks
14. Birthing in Chaos: The First Five Years
15. Stability Bears Fruit
16. Terrorism, Economic Collapse, and Growing Opposition
17. The Struggle for Survival
18. Changing Course
19. Lessons and Legacies
Appendix A: Historic Milestones in RACU’s Development (1990–2016)
Appendix B: RACU’s Board of Trustees
Appendix C: RACU’s Board of Advisers
Appendix D: RACU/RAI Provosts
Appendix E: RACU’s Faculty and Staff (American and Russian)
Index
Despre autor
Philip Yancey has written twenty-five books. Early on he crafted best-selling books such as Disappointment with God and Where Is God When It Hurts? while also editing The Student Bible. More recently, he has explored central issues of the Christian faith, penning award-winning titles such as The Jesus I Never Knew, What's So Amazing About Grace?, and Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? Yancey's books have garnered thirteen Gold Medallion Awards from Christian publishers and booksellers. He currently has more than fifteen million books in print, published in over forty languages worldwide. Yancey worked as a journalist in Chicago for some twenty years, editing the youth magazine Campus Life while also writing for a wide variety of magazines including Reader's Digest, Saturday Evening Post, National Wildlife, and Christianity Today. He recently released his memoir, Where the Light Fell.
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