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A cooperative effort between Overseas Council for Theological Education (OC) and Peter Deyneka Russian Ministries (RM), with the support of 14 foundations, churches, and individual donors, begun in 1993, has greatly assisted Russian-speaking theological education. It has provided texts and reference materials for more than 90 Protestant training programs in the former Soviet Union.
Phase I--Research and Collection
Following a February 1993 "Moscow Consultation for Theological
Education," Overseas Council funded and Russian Ministries identified
and purchased copies of over 4,000 titles on Protestant and Orthodox
Christianity in the Russian language from which suitable seminary texts
could be selected. Three collections of these titles have been made
during the process of the research; bibliographic data on each has been
entered into an electronic database; and an annotated bibliography has
been published for use by schools, teachers, and publishing houses. The
resulting theological collections and the detailed catalogue and
database of Russian Christian books are unique resources for the study
of nineteenth and twentieth century Russian theology and church
history. Two of the three theological book collections have been
donated to Moscow's Russian-American Christian University and to the
Kyiv Theological Seminary of Evangelical Christians-Baptists.
Phase II--Reprinting
Publication of basic textbooks for immediate use by the growing
number of Evangelical theological training initiatives in the former
Soviet Union began in the summer of 1993. A committee of Russian and
Ukrainian theologians, primarily presidents and deans of leading
Protestant theological schools, reviewed the research of Phase I and
made selections which would be most widely acceptable to the Protestant
community. Overseas Council and Russian Ministries agreed to print or
reprint up to 20,000 copies each of as many as 20 textbooks under the
imprint of the Bible Pulpit Series (BPS).
Phase III--Publishing Newly Translated Books and Original Writings by Russian Authors
More theological texts need to be published in the Russian language
to give greater balance and breadth. For example, Alister McGrath's Reformation Thought: An Introduction
is the only serious work available in Russian on a very broad subject
of critical importance to Protestants. Also, more up-to-date
scholarship is needed. For example, Merrill Tenney's New Testament Survey,
while respected, does not touch on some important biblical
archeological discoveries made in recent years. In addition, more
scholarly works are needed for higher level training programs. As
examples, the Russian translation of Halley's Bible Handbook inadequately covers many subjects of interest to serious Bible scholars and no Hebrew grammar is yet available.
Furthermore, several fields still lack textbooks appropriate for Evangelical seminaries, including patristics from a Protestant perspective, biblical theology, and some areas of church history and philosophy. Finally, some extremely valuable theological texts will not be published without assistance because of high prices associated with limited demand. Reformation works are in this category because Russian-speaking Christians are unfamiliar with Reformation historical and theological issues.
Results to Date
The Bible Pulpit Series National Committee selected 40 titles for
reprinting. To date 420,000 copies of 25 books, including nine
reference works, have been produced. (See Table I.) Over 150
organizations have purchased BPS titles. It is probable that a majority
of Protestant pastors in the former Soviet Union now have at least some
of these works in their personal libraries. These books currently are
serving as primary texts for more than 3,000 Bible school and seminary
students in more than 14 subject areas. In addition, the work of the
BPS National Committee has fostered healthy and supportive
relationships among Protestant church and seminary leaders and faculty.
Texts were originally distributed to theological institutions at 15 percent (in Ukraine) to 30 percent (in other republics) of the actual printing costs. This provided theological institutions with incentive to become local distributors of theological literature, not only for their own student body, but also for local churches. Pricing the books at retail levels provided some income which helped the schools cover operating costs.
The BPS Catalogue provides information to publishers which helps avoid the problem of translations being started in different locations, as was once discovered during the research. Dissemination of the BPS book publishing plan has helped the publishing plans of various Christian publishers.
The BPS National Committee also serves as a marketing focus group. Every book that is accepted has a very high probability of being sold out within a 12-month period. The cooperation among schools, publishers, and distributors has helped to keep prices very reasonable in spite of incredible inflation in recent years. Finally, through the BPS text project, Russian Protestant theological authors now are receiving book contracts, funded by volumes sold to nonseminary buyers.
Plans for Phase III
Projections for the final phase of this text project include the
publication of up to 240,000 volumes of 50 new theological and
reference titles and 61,500 volumes of reprints in the next five years.
(See Tables II and III.) Emphasis will also be placed on making the
Bible Pulpit Series self-supporting through sales, thereby establishing
a viable publishing effort which will serve the Protestant theological
community for many years to come.
Editor's note: To order titles in the Bible Pulpit Series, contact the Association for Spiritual Renewal (Russian Ministries)
Members of the Bible Pulpit Series National Committee
Yuri Apotov, Executive Secretary, Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (ECB) of Eurasia
Alexander Brinza, Director, Irpen Biblical Seminary (ECB), Kyiv, Ukraine
Nikolai Kornilov, Professor of Church History, Moscow Theological Seminary (ECB)
Genadi Kostikov, Dean of Students, Donetsk Christian University
Fyodor Mokan, Director, Kishinev Bible College (ECB)
Anatoli Prokopchuk, Director, Kyiv Biblical Seminary (ECB)
Vladimir Rygyzov, Director, Moscow Evangelical Christian-Baptist Correspondence School
Peter Penner, President, St. Petersburg Christian University
Victor Avdeyev, Director, St. Petersburg Christian University
Sergei Sannikov, Director, Odessa Theological Seminary (ECB)
Genadi Sergienko, Dean, Moscow Theological Seminary (ECB)
Maria Sternik, Professor of Old Testament, Moscow Theological
Seminary (ECB); Vladimir Charlamov, Professor, Moscow Theological
Seminary (ECB)
Vladimir Shevchenko, Publishing Director, Association for Spiritual Renewal (Peter Deyneka Russian Ministries)
George Law, Vice President, Association for Spiritual Renewal.
Table I:
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Bible Atlas | Daily, Tim | Angus Hudson |
35
|
50,000
|
| Bible Dictionary | Nustrum, Eric | World CM |
522
|
25,000
|
| Bible Knowledge Commentary Vols. 1-2, 4-5 | Walvoord, John and Roy B. Zuck | Scripture Press |
2,123
|
20,000
|
| Bible Handbook | Halley, Henry Hampton | Zondervan |
859
|
20,000
|
| God's Design: A Focus on Old Testament Theology | Martens, Elmer A. | Baker |
280
|
5,000
|
| Greek-Russian Lexicon | Weisman, A.D. |
1,870
|
50,000
|
|
| How to Prepare Biblical Messages | Braga, James | Multnomah |
257
|
5,000
|
| How to Read the Bible for All It's Worth | Fee, Gordon and Douglas K. Stuart | Zondervan |
215
|
20,000
|
| In Search of Meaning | McGee, Robert | Rapha |
112
|
5,000
|
| Key Biblical Terms in the New Testament | Barnwell, Katharine, Paul Dancy, and Tony Pope | SIL |
494
|
5,000
|
| Kingdom of the Cults | Martin, Walter | Bethany |
341
|
25,000
|
| Lectures in Systematic Theology | Thiessen, Henry C. | Eerdmans |
437
|
20,000
|
| New Testament Exegesis | Fee, Gordon | Westminster Press |
128
|
20,000
|
| New Testament Greek for Beginners | Machen, J. Gresham | Russian Bible Society |
230
|
20,000
|
| New Testament Survey | Tenney, Merrill | Eerdmans |
435
|
20,000
|
| The Old Testament Speaks | Schultz, Samuel J. | Harper |
413
|
20,000
|
| Reformation Thought: An Introduction | McGrath, Alister | Blackwell |
315
|
25,000
|
| Seven Laws of Teaching | Gregory, John | University of Chicago Press |
79
|
5,000
|
| Short Greek-Russian Lexicon | St. Petersburg Christian University | Bibles for Everyone |
140
|
5,000
|
| Theology of the New Testament | Morris, Leon | Zondervan |
392
|
5,000
|
| Truth Twisters | Berry, Harold | Back to the Bible |
390
|
40,000
|
| Understanding Church Growth | McGavran, Donald | Eerdmans |
465
|
10,000
|
| TOTALS |
10,532
|
420,000
|
Table II:
|
|
|
|
|
| Basic Theology | Ryrie, Charles |
|
|
| Bible Knowledge Commentary, Vol. 3 | Walvoord, John and Roy B. Zuck |
|
|
| Biblical Preaching/The Preacher's Portrait | Robinson, Haddan and John R. W. Stott |
|
|
| Building on Firm Foundations | McIlwain, Trevor |
|
|
| How to Read the Bible for All It's Worth | Fee, Gordon and Douglas K. Stuart |
|
|
| Introduction to Christian Theology | McGrath, Alister |
|
|
| Librarian's Manual | Weimer, Ferne L. and Kenneth D. Gill |
|
|
| Survey of the Old Testament | LaSor, William |
|
|
| The Kingdom of the Cults | Martin, Walter |
|
|
| Theological Glossary for Christian Translators | Grosman, Eugene |
|
|
|
|
|||
| Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar | Mounce, William D. |
|
|
| Introduction to Christian Education | Karnaukh, Alexander M. |
|
|
|
|
|||
| Evangelical Dictionary of Theology | Elwell, Walter A. |
|
|
| Christian Theology | Erickson, Millard J. |
|
|
| Hebrew Grammar | Machen, J. Gresham |
|
|
| Textbook on Patristics | Charlamov, Vladimir |
|
|
| The Story of Christianity | Gonzalez, Justo Luiz |
|
|
|
|
|||
| Hastings Bible Dictionary | Hastings, James |
|
|
| New Testament Introduction | Guthrie, Donald |
|
|
| TOTALS |
|
|
Table III
|
|
|
|
|
| A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament | Bauer, Walter |
900
|
5,000
|
| A Hebrew and English Lexicon | Brown, Francis, S. K. Driver, and Charles H. Briggs |
1,120
|
5,000
|
| A Student's Dictionary for Biblical and Theological Studies | Huey, F. B., Jr., and Bruce Corley |
208
|
5,000
|
| A Theology of the New Testament | Ladd, George E. |
764
|
5,000
|
| A Textual Commentary in the Greek New Testament | Metzger, Bruce M. |
775
|
5,000
|
| Biblical Hebrew: An Introductory Grammar | Kelly, Page H. |
453
|
5,000
|
| Christian Apologetics in World Community | Dyrness, William A. |
197
|
5,000
|
| Concordance | Prokhanov, Ivan |
1,500
|
5,000
|
| Feeding and Leading | Gangel, Kenneth |
330
|
5,000
|
| First Epistle to the Corinthians | Fee, Gordon |
880
|
5,000
|
| Genesis: An Introduction and Commentary | Kidner, Derek |
224
|
5,000
|
| Holman Bible Handbook | Dockery, David S. |
894
|
10,000
|
| Institutes of the Christian Religion | Calvin, John |
1,700
|
2,000
|
| Life Together | Bonhoeffer, Dietrich |
128
|
7,500
|
| Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament | Rienecker, Fritz |
864
|
5,000
|
| Love Is Stronger Than Death | Kreeft, Peter |
141
|
5,000
|
| Old Testament Exegesis | Stuart, Douglas |
142
|
5,000
|
| Pocket Lexicon of the Greek New Testament | Zerwick, Max |
c200
|
3,000
|
| Pocket Concordance to the Greek New Testament | Schmoller, Alfred |
534
|
3,000
|
| Romans (2 Vols.) | Dunn, James D. G. |
976
|
5,000
|
| Selected Works of Francis Schaeffer | Schaeffer, Francis |
800
|
10,000
|
| Student Vocabulary for Hebrew and Aramaic | Mitchel, Larry A. |
88
|
5,000
|
| The Hermeneutical Spiral | Osborne, Grant |
392
|
5,000
|
| The Joy of Discovery in Bible Study | Wald, Oletta |
96
|
5,000
|
| Toward an Old Testament Theology | Kaiser, Walter C. |
315
|
5,000
|
| Values in Changing Times | Henry, Carl F. H. |
96
|
2,000
|
| TOTALS |
14,717
|
132,500
|
Mark Noll Critiques the Textbook Titles
It was very interesting to see what books the Russian textbook
project is trying to provide. By no means did I know all authors and
titles, but I would say that, of the works I recognized, things leaned
pretty heavily toward the conservative Evangelical, dispensational
Evangelical, and Reformed Evangelical end of things. It is not
just for fair play, but because I value some Wesleyan, Holiness, and
Pentecostal insights, that it would have been good to have at least
Wesley's Standard Sermons and maybe a few other works from
those theological traditions represented. (Gordon Fee was the only
Pentecostal author whose name I recognized.)
Table I seemed weighted to older books (Thiessen, Tenney, Schultz, even Leon Morris) that I would not pick as representing contemporary Evangelical scholarship at its most Christian and most scholarly. I missed what I would consider some classic works of Christian (even Evangelical) exposition and apologetics: C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity; John Stott, Basic Christianity; F. F. Bruce, The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? Some of Stephen Evans' apologetical works are also quite good in my opinion.
I am very pleased to see Derek Kidner's Genesis commentary. Could even more Tyndale Old and New Testament commentaries be added? Is James D. G. Dunn the best major Romans commentary? C.E.B. Cranfield's on Romans is very fine for a longer work and might be more broadly acceptable to Evangelicals than Dunn. Last, it would seem to me that Dan Clendenin's books on Orthodoxy would be a must to be translated immediately. Thanks for the chance to react; God bless all who are involved in the effort.
Mark Noll is McManis Professor of Christian Thought, Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL.
Jack Graves Responds
The list of choices for reprints (Phase II) was very much a
pragmatic one--the committee had to choose from what already existed.
In many cases what had been chosen for translation by earlier
missionaries and workers were not works selected on the basis of
research, but rather works with which the missionary or worker was
familiar. This is the unfortunate, near-universal Protestant approach
to new translation work.
The task of selecting new works for translation (Phase III) has
been guided by research. On the one hand, the committee has chosen to
give support to translation and publication efforts already underway by
various parties. On the other hand, works have been targeted for
translation in the future because they address weaknesses in the
literature. The goal of the committee has been to find works that would
have the widest use. At least three Wesleyan works have been deferred
due to poor editing. While some of the authors are from the
dispensational tradition, I think an examination of these particular
works will find very little reflection of that theology. (See, for
instance, the New Testament commentary by Walvoord & Zuck.
Similarly, Fee's book on hermeneutics was chosen not because it
reflects Pentecostal theology, which I do not recall that it does, but
because it happens to be an excellent small book on the subject.
Written permission is required for reprinting or electronic distribution of any portion of the East-West Church & Ministry Report.
© 1996 Institute for East-West Christian Studies
ISSN 1069-5664