The Keston Institute (Keston College)
[ is an organisation dedicated to the study of religion and ]communist countries
A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Cominte ...
, based in Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, England. It was founded in 1969 by the Revd Canon Michael Bourdeaux (March 19, 1934 Cornwall, United Kingdom - March 29, 2021).
History
In the 1950s, Michael Bourdeaux spent a year in Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
as a part of the first wave of British exchange students; he soon found only 41 Russian Orthodox Church
, native_name_lang = ru
, image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg
, imagewidth =
, alt =
, caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia
, abbreviation = ROC
, type ...
es to still be functioning out of the 1,600 before the Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...
in 1917. This prompted him to take up the cause of those persecuted for their religious faith.[
In 1969 Bourdeaux founded at ]Chislehurst
Chislehurst () is a suburban district of south-east London, England, in the London Borough of Bromley. It lies east of Bromley, south-west of Sidcup and north-west of Orpington, south-east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater L ...
the Centre for the Study of Religion and Communism[''The Future of Freedom in Russia'', by William J. Vanden Heuvel. Published by Templeton Foundation Press, 2000. . p. 165.] together with Sir John Lawrence, and with the help of Leonard Schapiro
Leonard Bertram Naman Schapiro (22 April 1908 in Glasgow – 2 November 1983 in London) was the leading British scholar of the origins and development of the Soviet political system. He taught for many years at the London School of Economics ...
and Peter Reddaway, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University
, mottoeng = "God is Our Trust"
, established =
, type = Private federally chartered research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.8 billion (2022)
, preside ...
. In the early 1970s he bought the old parish school on Keston
Keston is a village in Greater London, England, located within the London Borough of Bromley, Greater London. Prior to 1965 it was withing the historic county of Kent. It is part suburban, part rural in nature and lies on the edge of Hayes Com ...
Common and the centre was renamed Keston College. Later it broadened its purview to include former communist countries with its main concerns being the former Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
and the Eastern Bloc
The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...
.[About us]
Over the years it played a key role in the revival of the Russian Orthodox Church
, native_name_lang = ru
, image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg
, imagewidth =
, alt =
, caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia
, abbreviation = ROC
, type ...
, and has become a leading voice on religious freedom
Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedom ...
in former communist countries, with an emphasis on the former Soviet Union. Eventually the enterprise was relocated to Oxford.
In 1984 Michael Bourdeaux won the Templeton Prize
The Templeton Prize is an annual award granted to a living person, in the estimation of the judges, "whose exemplary achievements advance Sir John Templeton's philanthropic vision: harnessing the power of the sciences to explore the deepest quest ...
. Bourdeaux retired from Keston in 1999. The current chairman at the Keston Institute is Xenia Dennen
Xenia may refer to:
People
* Xenia (name), a feminine given name; includes a list of people with this name
Places United States
''listed alphabetically by state''
* Xenia, Illinois, a village in Clay County
** Xenia Township, Clay County, Illin ...
.
Since 2007, the Keston Institute's archive and library have been under the care of the Keston Center for Religion, Politics, & Society at Baylor University
Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the fir ...
, Waco, Texas
Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the ...
.Keston Center
/ref>
See also
*Giles Udy
Giles William Udy (born February 1956) is an English writer and historian of the Soviet Gulag system. He is a member of the council of the Keston Institute and holds an MBA from the Cass Business School. He is a regular contributor to ''The Tim ...
References
External links
Keston Institute Official Website
Baylor University Keston Center
Organizations established in 1969
Organisations based in Oxford
Schools of religion
Baylor University
1969 establishments in England
Religion and politics
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