Category
3MT - Three Minute Thesis
Description
During the 20th century, western observers seemed to view the Soviet Union as an enormous monolith of grayness. Like a black-and-white movie, Soviet citizens trudged to work under gray skies, listening to gray radio propaganda and living gray lives punctuated only by the redness of unexpected government purges. However, this view of the Soviet Union misses the complexities and colors that made life survivable to the average Soviet citizen. Like a Technicolor film, the story of Soviet evangelical youth brings light and color to modern understandings of the Soviet experience. Despite severe pressure from their secular surroundings, evangelical youth displayed resilience and creativity throughout the Soviet era, becoming key figures in the preservation and growth of the Russian Baptist church. During the 1920s, Soviet evangelical youth built on the experience and example of western youth movements to develop and maintain an active presence in society, in the process drawing both religious and non-religious youth to their gatherings. Silenced by the harsh repressions of the 1930s, they slowly reemerged to engage in the turmoil, the transformations, and the opportunities of the post-World War II period. When government restrictions on the religious education of children provoked a split in the state-recognized evangelical union in the 1960s, an underground church movement emerged even more passionate to reach the next generation. Building on rising religious interest during the 1970s – 1980s, youth activity blossomed into the “Golden Years” of the 1990s, when religious freedom resulted in massive spiritual revival. For the most part, western scholars have ignored this story. Although a few historians have touched on the topic, none of them have examined evangelical youth in a systematic, comprehensive way. This research seeks to remedy this situation by examining the experiences and impact of Soviet evangelical youth.
Shining Lights in a Crooked Generation: The Experiences and Impact of Soviet Evangelical Youth
3MT - Three Minute Thesis
During the 20th century, western observers seemed to view the Soviet Union as an enormous monolith of grayness. Like a black-and-white movie, Soviet citizens trudged to work under gray skies, listening to gray radio propaganda and living gray lives punctuated only by the redness of unexpected government purges. However, this view of the Soviet Union misses the complexities and colors that made life survivable to the average Soviet citizen. Like a Technicolor film, the story of Soviet evangelical youth brings light and color to modern understandings of the Soviet experience. Despite severe pressure from their secular surroundings, evangelical youth displayed resilience and creativity throughout the Soviet era, becoming key figures in the preservation and growth of the Russian Baptist church. During the 1920s, Soviet evangelical youth built on the experience and example of western youth movements to develop and maintain an active presence in society, in the process drawing both religious and non-religious youth to their gatherings. Silenced by the harsh repressions of the 1930s, they slowly reemerged to engage in the turmoil, the transformations, and the opportunities of the post-World War II period. When government restrictions on the religious education of children provoked a split in the state-recognized evangelical union in the 1960s, an underground church movement emerged even more passionate to reach the next generation. Building on rising religious interest during the 1970s – 1980s, youth activity blossomed into the “Golden Years” of the 1990s, when religious freedom resulted in massive spiritual revival. For the most part, western scholars have ignored this story. Although a few historians have touched on the topic, none of them have examined evangelical youth in a systematic, comprehensive way. This research seeks to remedy this situation by examining the experiences and impact of Soviet evangelical youth.
Comments
Graduate