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 millio ...

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 in 1917. This prompted him to take up the cause of those persecuted for their religious faith. In 1969 Bourdeaux founded at Chislehurst 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 The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...

. 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 List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

and the Eastern Bloc.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 ...

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 st ...

.Keston Center
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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 {{reli-studies-stub

History

See also

References

External links