Opening the Red Door: The Inside Story of Russia's First Christian Liberal Arts University

by John A. Bernbaum, Philip Yancey (Foreword)

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.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

260 pages, Hardcover

Published September 17, 2019

About the author

Dr. Bernbaum is President of BEAM (Business and Education as Mission), Inc., a private foundation that supports educational programs in Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia. He previously served as President of the Russian-American Christian University in Moscow (1995 – 2014) and as Director of the American Studies Program and Executive Vice President of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (1976 – 1995). After completing his Ph.D. in European and Russian history at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, he spent four years at the U. S. Department of State (1972-1976). John and his wife Marge have raised a family of seven children and they currently live in Rockville, Maryland.

Reviews

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: An inside account by a founder and President of the Russian-American Christian University, from the surprise invitation received from Russian leadership to its closing.

The period of 1989-1990 was a heady time as the Iron Curtain fell and country after country overturned Communist leadership and talked of embracing democracy. Then the changes came to the Soviet Union itself under Gorbachev and Yeltsin as glasnost and perestroika gave way to the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the spinning off of republics as autonomous nations, leaving Russia, a large, but much diminished country, struggling to convert from a command to some version of a capitalist economy, and failing miserably in the effort.

This book originates in that era. A group of Christian college leaders with the Christian College Coalition (now the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities) who had ties with evangelical mission efforts to Eastern Europe sought to discern what opportunities this might present to build ties of understanding and opportunities for Christian influence in a country that had been officially atheist since 1917. They determined to explore possibilities for student study and cultural exchanges during a 1990 visit when a more daring proposal came from a Russian governmental official. Please come and set up a faith-based university in Russia!

John Bernbaum, then a vice president with the Christian College Coalition, was part of this delegation and was tasked to follow up this proposal, a task that eventually led to his presidency of the Russian-American Christian University (later the Russian-American Institute). In this work, he offers a first-person account of the history of this initiative from the initial proposal to the decision to close the doors years later.

Bernbaum traces this history from working groups to a joint Russian-American and the first classes in 1994-1995. He recounts the beginnings from agreements and charters, setting up tax exempt status in the US and gaining licenses in Russia. He describes the expansion of the program from initial English Language programs to a full program of undergraduate courses and the first graduation in 2001 (of 19 students). He traces the various moves to different temporary facilities and the nearly ten year process from 2001 to 2010 in securing land, gaining permits, building, and gaining occupancy permits for their own academic facility and the "perfect storm" that led to the closure of the Russian American Institute in 2011 and the sale of its building in 2014. It is a narrative of a both extraordinary and less than perfect Russian-American partnership.

The external events in Russia were critical to this history, as the initially open and supportive relationship with the Yeltsin government gave way to the Putin era, and an increasing chilling of American-Russian relations, coupled with increasing suspicion of any American effort in Russia. At first this manifested in community opposition and bureaucratic delays culminating in a reclassification of their tax status increasing annunal taxes from $2,000 to $500,000 coupled with a refusal of reaccreditation.

The brightest spot in the narratives are the descriptions of the students and their eager welcome and embrace of instruction by a joint American and Russian faculty. We also see how forming deep relationships of integrity with Russian officials overcame many barriers until political pressure became too great. This was matched by the generosity of Bernbaum's American partners.

The deep regret of course was that international relations finally made it impossible to continue this effort. The narrative offers evidence that the students who came through the program, the many faculty from both countries who taught in the program, and the student exchanges and programs in English and Russian that were formed, built bridges of understanding and equipped a cohort of students with a Christian vision for their work in Russia. One hopes this is a kind of "mustard seed conspiracy" that will one day bear great fruit in Russia, and in American relations with that great country. One also hopes and prays that the spiritual hunger that originated this initiative will be sustained and grow.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

[Becky B · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Communism started to crumble in the USSR, the Christian College Coalition (CCC) started to explore opportunities for student and faculty exchanges with universities in Russia and other Soviet states. Shocking everyone, the CCC found top leaders from Moscow strongly encouraging these exchanges and even asking the CCC to found a Christian university in Russia. Bernbaum shares his experience as an insider and leader in the CCC tasked with leading this initiative. He shares how the CCC formed relationships with Russian university professors, Russian leaders, and where opportunities led from those first days after the Iron Curtain came down until 2018. The road was not always smooth, but he shares the good he’s seen come out of even the bleakest situations. Throughout the book, Bernbaum also gives an up close look at what has happened in Russia politically, economically, culturally, and educationally, and how that affected country, foreign relations, and the programs the CCC was involved in.

This was an amazing, crazy, eye-opening read. It was fascinating and inspiring. It was informative and full of details, but also highly readable. It’s also a unique read in that what started off so promising ended in a way many would label a failure. But Bernbaum has a great perspective and shares several ways that God has used what happened during the highs and lows for good. Besides the crazy stories about a Christian group being welcomed warmly into a previously closed country, I learned so much I didn’t even know I didn’t know about modern Russia and what went on there during the 80s, 90s, up to present times. I was old enough to remember Gorbachev and Reagan’s meetings being in the news, but I had no idea what all was going on in Russia and how radical Gorbachev’s measures were. And I barely knew anything about Yeltsin or Putin besides them being the leadership faces of Russia before reading this. I really appreciate Bernbaum’s respect for the Russian people and understanding of where they were/are. Working cross-culturally and with a binational team can be super challenging, but he talks about working hard to create bridges and respecting both cultures. As an expat, I can tell you that is hard work, but is super important. He never talks about turning Russian education systems into American systems, in fact, he flat out says many times that forcing Russia to turn into America in any area won’t work and isn’t desirable. But he also doesn’t paint everything with a rosy glow, he is brutally honest about pitfalls of both Russian and American ways in various areas. It’s a healthy balance of finding the good, and encouraging change in areas that need it. If you want to better understand why the Cold War was dead and now it is coming back, this is a great read for that. If you like amazing stories of God opening impossible doors, you will like this. And if you like stories about how God opens and then shuts doors, working in ways that are sometimes hard to see, this is good for that too. And if you are interested in working cross-culturally in education, especially at the university level, this should probably be required reading. Highly recommended.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Tim Baumgartner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story about failure...or is it???

Some people have the misconception that to be a Christian, one needs to be a pastor.
Wrong.
This story of how the first Christian liberal arts university in Russia is about the task to influence the world for Christ in other professions (i.e. business, social work, education, etc.). While the school DID have 10 years of graduations, they were forced to close due to Vladimir Putin's administration basically forcing them out.

That being said, this book is a REMARKABLE story of perseverance, flexibility and thinking outside the box. Right after Mikhail Gorbachev tried to change the country from communism to a democracy, and Yeltsin took over, the minister of science and education asked the author (John A. Bernbaum & others) to open such a school. They did and dramatically changed the lives of students they taught. Since laws kept changing since their impetus, they eventually had to close, but they stayed open-minded enough to remain flexible and follow the new path God created (Russian-run educational programs and humanitarian projects since Americans were no longer able to operate freely in Russia).

Honestly, I think I would have QUIT YEARS prior to their closing. They faced SO many obstacles that were SO unfair, unreasonable, spontaneous, that they should NOT have dealt with because they were doing EVERYTHING--crossing their "t's" and dotting their "i's." But, as they went through those trials, God encouraged them in SO many ways as well. So, as long as you're doing what GOD wants, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!

This story and book can be a lesson to help those who are interested in education in foreign lands--especially higher education. It reminds us to record the things God does in life as REMARKABLE stories emerge when His people are faithful to do WHATEVER. It can give aid to help those who are stepping in after the demise of communism. It shows the importance of quality leadership.

What part of God's story are YOU a part of???

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book deeply troubling, if an interesting glimpse into a byway of history I had no idea about. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian government invited the Americans to set up a Christian University. I’m not clear why they wanted this to happen, but remarkably happen it did with the establishment of the Russian-American Christian University which flourished under the leadership of John Bernbaum for 25 years. It has now closed. The Christian College Coalition had already been looking for ways to forge links with universities in the post-Soviet world and was naturally enthusiastic to take up this invitation. It was a wonderful endeavour for forging American-Russian friendship but to me seemed both misguided and arrogant. Russia is a deeply Orthodox country, so why try to impose a western Christian viewpoint? Why should that hold sway over a Russian Orthodox one? I didn’t find the book inspiring in any way, and in fact found it a troubling read. It seems to take as its starting point that the initiative was a worthy and fully justified one – but was it? I also found the book very dry, reading more like a company report than an entertaining and engaging narrative, and found much of it tedious.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating read. Well documented and carefully crafted. Grateful for the courage and vision of all those who gave of themselves to make this vision a reality. I think of all of the seeds for God’s goodness that were planted in so many lives and systems.

[Helina Reyes · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay. There were a lot of slow parts because it’s more about the information of starting a school. I thought it would be more personable and more narrative. It was painful to finish this book… I learned new things though

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story, though not quite as gripping as the "reads like a spy novel" claims..

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

True story!
It’s a shame they took a while to get the school started and then it didn’t last long. But at least they tried and ran for a decade or so!

[Diogenes the Dog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating.

[Victor Mejia · Rating 5 out of 5]

History. Memoir. Spy thriller. All words that come to mind when trying to describe this book. What an amazing story! “Opening the Red Door” is the riveting story of the founding of the first private Christian liberal arts university to be accredited in Russia’s history, to its struggle for survival and eventual closing during the Putin era. This is the story of the Russian-American Christian University (RACU) and its detailed history from 1990 - 2015.

The author, John A. Bernbaum, worked for the Department of State in the 70s, then worked with the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. From its inception, RACU’s board of trustees, staff, and faculty firmly believed that the rebuilding of Russia after communism needed to be grounded in spiritual renewal and nurtured by quality Christian education, and this book details those efforts.

I also really enjoyed the parallel post-Cold War historical account of Russia for those twenty five years. Detailed accounts are given of the reform efforts, the August coup of 1991, the financial crisis, and the Putin era.

What was impactful to read was the legacy of RACU. It was interesting to read that even though in 2011 through strenuous circumstances the undergraduate program was shut down, the School of Social work and Counseling blossomed; it was the only faith-based program for social work in Russia. Faculty even held the first international Christian Counseling Conference in May 2011. The author also speaks very highly of RACU’s graduates. Being no strangers to setbacks and disappointments, they persevered and went on to do amazing work for the kingdom of God. It truly reminded me of James 1:27 (ESV): “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” That is exactly what they did, and what they continue to do.

If you like history, read this book. If you are interested in international relations, read this book. If you are a Christian educator of any kind (teacher, principal, homeschooling parent), read this book. As the dad in our homeschooling family, it has ignited my passion to have a Biblically-based education for my children, and to raise them as catalysts to impact the world for Jesus Christ. Thank you John A. Bernbaum, for all the work you did and do, and for writing this book.

*Book was graciously provided by InterVarsity Press for an honest review.