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Although the history of Christianity in Russia dates back to the tenth century, the history of private Christian higher education in Russia is no more than a decade. This paper first explains the historical reasons for this fact and then describes the contemporary development of faith-based private education in Russia over the past decade. When Russia's system of higher education first developed, both the system and the Russian Orthodox Church were under the centralized control of the Russian government. Thus, although Christian perspectives and practices influenced Russian higher education, the Orthodox Church did not start or control universities. The period of communist control in Russia meant that Russian Orthodox perspectives and practices in Russian universities were abolished. Only in the post-communist era have a small number of Christian colleges and universities begun to emerge. These schools represent an interesting cross-section of Christian groups and a unique element in Russia's emerging system of private education. These institutions face numerous and unique challenges in the current Russian climate.

Despite the Soviet emphasis on character education, communist "vospitanie" had little lasting influence once political enforcement was removed. Between 1988-92, the juvenile crime rate rose 50 percent. American educators should be cautious about promoting lists of virtues that serve a political agenda or are justified primarily on political grounds. (MLH)

The essay outlines the unique development of Eastern Orthodox universities in the Russian branch of the Orthodox Church and their attempt to offer a distinctly Orthodox approach to higher education. The first section of this essay summarizes this history of the Church and the factors preventing it from establishing liberal arts colleges and universities. The second section describes a case study of two young Russian Orthodox colleges in Moscow.

Introduces several articles in the May-June 1998 issue of the `Russian & East European Finance and Trade.'