The Slavic Center for Law and Justice, founded in September 1998 by the Institute of Religion and Law and the Christian Legal Center, serves to "defend the rights of citizens and organizations in the area of freedom of conscience and religion." Its English-language Information Bulletin, distributed free-of-charge in print or by E-mail, provides brief accounts of relevant legal issues. Contact: Institute for Religion and Law, Leninskii Prospekt 20, podiezd 5, 117071 Moscow, Russia; tel: 7-095-795-39-79; fax: 7-095-954-92-55; E-mail: irlaw@glasnet.ru.
Evangelie za koluchei provolokoi [The Gospel Behind Barbed Wire]. Bimonthly. Circulation: 6,000. Reviewed by Maria Demeshkina.
Published bimonthly in Moscow by Russian Christian Radio (Russkoe Khristianskoe Radio), this magazine is distributed free of charge to inmates and to ministries working in prisons. Evangelical in character, biblical and informative in nature, it is geared towards the needs of inmates. It includes issues inmates face when they first become believers or upon their release, urgent prayer requests, questions about the Bible, testimonies, scientific arguments for God, sermons, book reviews, Christian poetry, and hymn texts. Highly recommended for ministries working with Russian-speaking inmates. Contact: Tatiana Kurakova, Russkoe Khristianskoe Radio, Box 141, 125047 Moscow, Russia; tel: 7-095-719-7538; fax: 7-095-719-7539.
The 33-page annotated English-language Panorama of Russia Religion Subject Catalog of current Russian books is now availableonline at http://www.panrus.com. Contact: Panorama of Russia, Box 44-1658, Somerville, MA 02144; tel/fax: 617-625-3635; E-mail: mbraun@channel1.com. See also East-West Church & Ministry Report 6 (Summer 1998), 14-15.
Kolesova, O. S. Seite rasumnoe, dobroe, vechnoe... [Sow What Is Reasonable, Good, Eternal...] St. Petersburg: Bibliia dlia vsekh, 1996. Reviewed by Olga Loukmanova.
This little book is a serious and thoughtful attempt to look at Russian classical literature and evaluate "the personal drama of Russian authors" and their work in the light of Christ's Gospel. O. S. Kolesova is an expert in language and literature, a teacher, lecturer, and journalist with experience in literary criticism. A sensitive and careful critic, her judgments invariably are charitable, yet always abide by the scriptural standards of truth and holiness. Kolesova discusses the very complex issue of redeeming classical literature for Christian education, calling her readers to develop the skill of careful analysis of great literary masterpieces: that is, the skill of discerning what is true and good and rejecting that which is false, without being too harsh and judgmental. The book treats the lives and writings of such great authors as Pushkin, Lermontov, Tolstoy, Turgenev, Pasternak, Gogol, Bulgakov, Dostoyevsky, and Nekrasov, and includes a bibliography of recommended works for each. Every name is known and loved by Russian readers and every name is the subject of controversies and debates.
After long years of Party-line opinions, falsehood, or silence, it is refreshing to read a truly informed opinion of a person who loves God, loves and knows Russian literature, and has experienced firsthand both Communist brainwashing and an awakening to the truth of Christ. Christians will find this book a helpful guide to Russian classical literature, and a helpful tool for learning the skills of biblical criticism. Kolesova's work also is a worthy example of an attempt to redeem a part of Russian cultural heritage for Christ. Here works analyzed on the basis of God's truth provide a truly powerful incentive to become reacquainted with some of Russia's greatest and most profound writers.
Harris, Mark, and Delissa Harris. Krasota sviatosti [The Beauty of Holiness]. Moscow: 1997. Reviewed by Maria Demeshkina. 113 pages.
Written for a teen and preteen audience, this helpful book on Christian ethics covers a great variety of topics. Beginning with the beauty of creation and its purpose, the authors explain to teenage girls how that beauty was lost, and how they can find a new life and grow and cultivate their beauty through a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. This 113-page, biblically based guide helps equip young girls to deal with practical issues such as peer pressure and romantic relationships. The American authors wrote the book while in Russia specifically to address needs experienced in their ministry. Highly recommended.
Contact: Mark and Delisa Harris, Box 139, 390000 Riazan, Russia, E-mail: markdelisa@compuserve.com.
An English edition is available with bulk purchases of the Russian edition.
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© 2000 East-West Church and Ministry Report
ISSN 1069-5664