Reflections on Ukraine: These Reflections were written because of my deep involvement with friends and partners in Ukraine and my desire to raise financial support for them and help Americans understand the context for their struggle against the Russian invasion. The full archive and current issues of Reflections are now available on Substack — subscribe to receive new essays directly to your inbox.

Opening the Red Door: 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, my colleagues and I 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, I present an insider’s account of the rise and fall of a Russian-American partnership.



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Reflections on Russia: A series of brief essays intended to educate RACU’s donors and other interested people about Russia’s fascinating history and culture. The essays covered the following topics: Russia’s rich legacy of literature and music, Soviet and post-Soviet education, religious life both during and after the Soviet period, bilateral diplomatic relations between the US and Russia, challenges facing Russian youth especially after the fall of Communism, and observations about Russia’s DNA and cultural values. My goal was to help Westerners gain an understanding of the economic, social and cultural challenges facing Russians.

Catching the Volga Bug: When Marge and I moved to the Russian city of Gorky in 1992 (renamed Nizhni Novgorod), we were the first Americans to live in this city, which had been closed to foreigners for forty years. This is my account of that incredible experience.

Getting Russia Right: This essay was published in God and the Global Order: The Power of Religion in American Foreign Policy (2010)