The Puzzle of the Soviet Church: An Inside Look at Christianity and Glasnost

Portland, Oregon: Multnomah Press, 1989. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. 1st Printing First Edition per complete number line including number one. Hard cover in very good condition with blue boards and gold gilt spine lettering. Interior text block clean & tight; no writings, no markings noted. Light dust dulling to the top & side text block.Dust jacket in very good condition with only a ghost of shelf & edge wear. * From the jacket flap, ""At the hinge of history. . . In 1938, Winston Churchill called Russia ""a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma."" . . . The description is as true today as it was over fifty years ago . . . especially as Western Christians seek to make sense of the Soviet Church. . . . Are Gorbachev and glasnost mere blips on the historical screen? . . .Is the present ""openness"" simply a brief respite from a seventy-year pattern of persecution? Or does it herald lasting changes supportive of human rights and true religious freedom? . . .What might happen to Soviet believers if the window suddenly slams shut? . . . Dr. Kent Hill's commanding account of a Church at the hinge of history is based on both firsthand experience and more than a decade of study and reflection on the relationship between believers and the State in the Soviet Union. . . . While Christians must acknowledge the positive changes occurring in the land Lenin, we must not succumb to an unjustified judgment that religious freedom has now ""arrived"" in this troubled nation. Sober, clear-minded analysis is needed if we are to act responsibly in the days ahead. . . .""The Puzzle of the Soviet Church"" is a guidebook for prudent and effective action. It will help Western Christians come to grips with the complex history and current realities of believers in tHistrhe Soviet Union.""