T. K. Nikolskaya. Spiritual education in the denominations of Russian Protestantism
(Soviet period) // Petersburg historical journal, no. 4, 2024, pp. 111–122.


Abstract:

This article examines the development of spiritual education for ministers within the various
denominations of Russian Protestantism, including Evangelical Christians, Baptists, Seventh-Day Adventists and Pentecostals. The author illustrates that during the pre-revolutionary period and the initial years of Soviet rule, Russian Protestants pursued their studies in foreign countries, either independently or at the behest of their communities. Furthermore, following 1905, they were permitted to establish spiritual educational institutions within the country. The author asserts that the most prevalent format for ministerial spiritual education has evolved into short-term courses orchestrated by central and regional Protestant associations. Despite the existence of significant denominational differences, the curricula of these courses exhibited notable similarities, with a focus on biblical studies, the fundamentals of spiritual disciplines, and, on occasion, general education subjects. By the end of the 1920s, all Protestant courses had been terminated. Since 1956, Evangelical Christian Baptists (the largest Protestant denomination in the USSR), and subsequently Seventh-Day Adventists, have intermittently been permitted to dispatch cohorts of young ministers abroad for spiritual education. An additional avenue for spiritual education was the provision of correspondence Bible courses for Evangelical Christian Baptists and analogous courses for Seventh-Day Adventists. Pentecostals did not possess their own spiritual schools; however, a limited number of places were allocated for them within the Evangelical Christian Baptist courses. Consequently, until recently, the various denominations of Russian Protestantism lacked the benefit of a permanent spiritual school. In both the pre-revolutionary and Soviet periods, the sole form of spiritual education available was that of short-term or correspondence courses. The establishment of Protestant seminaries in the USSR was a phenomenon that emerged during the period ofperestroika. However, these institutions only began to emerge in the post-Soviet period.

Key words: Evangelical Christians, Baptists, Seventh-Day Adventists, Pentecostals, Spiritual schools, Bible courses.

Author:

Nikolskaya Tatyana Kirillovna — PhD in History, Associate Professor at St. Petersburg Christian University (St. Petersburg, Russia).
E-mail: niktk@spbcu.ru
ORCID 0000-0003-1234-4698

References:
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Evangel’skie khristiane-baptisty: 140 let v Rossii [Evangelical Christians-Baptists: 140 years in Russia. In Russ.]. Moscow: Rossiiskij Soiuz EXB, 2007.

FEDOTOV I. P. Vstat’! Sud idiot! [Stand up! The court is coming! In Russ.]. Moscow: Titul, 2006.
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