Websites Well Worth the Time On the Former Soviet Union and East Central Europe
Sharyl Corrado and Mark Elliott, Compilers
Sites marked by * are highly recommended.
Center of Religious Literature and Russian Exile Literature
http://www.libfl.ras.ru/eng/relig.html (In English)
http://www.libfl.ras.ru/rus/relig.html (In Russian, KOI-8)
Opened in 1990, the Center contains Orthodox, Catholic, and
Protestant materials, literature on other world religions and new
religious movements, and a monthly bulletin, New Religious Books in Russia. The Center accepts international e-mail purchase orders for items in the bulletin.
*Christian Europe Online
http://huizen.nhkanaal.nl/~chr/links/europe/europe.htm In English
Nondenominational, Netherlands-based web site that provides links
to Orthodox, Protestant, and Catholic resources throughout Europe,
including most countries of East Central Europe and the former Soviet
Union.
Christian Philosophy and Theology of the Middle Ages
http://tela.dux.ru/antology/index.html In Russian, KOI-8
A project of the Russian Christian Humanitarian University in St.
Petersburg, this anthology provides the original Latin texts and
Russian translations of the most important Western philosophers and
theologians of the Middle Ages, a search engine for Latin and Russian
terminology, biographical and bibliographical information arranged by
author, and commentaries.
Czech Christian Links
http://nlkdec.nlk.anet.cz/cgi-bin/toASCII/dave/salvator/czechlinks.html In Czech with links to Czech and English
This private page provides links to Czech theological educational
institutions as well as to predominantly Catholic magazines and
religious news.
FEBC Russian New Testament
http://www.febc.org/cis/bible/bible.html In Russian, KOI-8
Far East Broadcasting Company makes available the Synodal
translation of most books of the New Testament. It is in the process of
adding the published commentary of respected prerevolutionary Orthodox
scholar Alexander P. Lopukhin alongside the biblical text. Other study
aids are under development.
Gandzasar Theological Center Publishing
http://www.arminco.com/ganzasar/press.html In English
The organization Gandzasar, founded in 1991 with the blessing of
His Holiness the Catholicos of All Armenians, promotes understanding of
the Armenian Apostolic Church through publishing. It publishes and
distributes books, a theological journal, patristic literature, and
numerous booklets, pamphlets, calendars, maps, and cards in the
Armenian language at subsidized rates. Materials are made available
free of charge to those who cannot afford them.
Hungarian Bible Links
http://195.56.42.99/www2/biblia/mbindex.htm In Hungarian
Hit Gyülekezete (The Church of Faith), the largest charismatic
denomination in Hungary, provides links to several editions of the
Bible in Hungarian, including a new 1997 translation published by Szent
Pál Akadémia (Saint Paul Academy), concordances for both the original
and the new translations, and audio recordings of several books of the
Bible.
Hyper-Bible
http://www.xc.org/hyprbibl/ Text in Russian, 1251 Windows, instructions in English
This hypertexted Russian Bible is based on the Synodal translation,
with more than 100 archaic words replaced with contemporary Russian,
providing a more readable text without losing the literary style.
Hypertexted appendices include the Nicene Creed, a harmony of the four
Gospels, links to the miracles and parables of Jesus Christ, and a
daily Bible-reading plan. This Bible can be downloaded and used
off-line. NavSearch, a browser add-on with a search engine can be
downloaded separately (instructions included) to provide a concordance.
International Academy for Freedom of Religion and Belief
http://www.religfreedom.org/ (home page) In English with links to texts in English, Russian, and other languages
The Academy, founded in Windsor, England, in July 1985, seeks "to
uphold and promote the principles of religious liberty" and to provide
the means and opportunities for interfaith and governmental dialogue.
It assists in the adoption, dissemination, and implementation of
international standards for the protection of freedom of religion and
belief.
http://www.religfreedom.org/documents/legislation/russia/index.html
Includes press releases, statements, analyses, and English translations of the 1990 and 1997 Russian religion laws.
http://www.religfreedom.org/documents/legislation/index.html
Includes documents related to religious freedom in various countries, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Lithuania.
IRR/TV Russian Bible
http://www.serve.com/irr-tv/Russian/Bible/ In Russian, KOI-8
International Russian Radio/TV offers the Synodal translation of
the Bible. Display is slower than with the FEBC New Testament because
each chapter is a separate link.
Magyarországi Evangélikus Egyház
http://www.evang.alarmix.net/index.html In Hungarian and English
This home page of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary
includes a directory of churches and church institutions, an electronic
library (containing, among other publications, its weekly newsletter),
and links to various related pages.
Magyar Református Egyházak Tanácskozó Zsinata
http://www.mretzs.hu In Hungarian with links to Hungarian and English
This home page of the Hungarian Reformed Church includes its
constitution, mission statement, prayer needs, upcoming events, and
liturgies, as well as a large number of links to related sites,
including educational institutions and the church's press service.
No Frontiers: Christian Literature to the World
http://www.nofrontiers.com/index.htm In English
No Frontiers stocks Bibles, New Testaments, children's books, and
other Christian literature in over 100 languages, including the major
languages of the former Soviet Union and East Central Europe. An
on-line catalog facilitates purchase orders.
*Official Web Site of the Holy See
http://www.vatican.va In English, Italian, Latin, and other languages, including some Polish and Czech
Provides letters, newspapers, press releases, liturgies, and other
general information on the Pope's travels and on historical and
contemporary Catholicism worldwide. Included is the daily Holy See
Press Office Bulletin, which publishes official news regarding the
activities of the Pope and various Vatican departments in Italian and
in the original language of each document. Speeches, messages, and
various documents are published in their entirety.
The Orthodox Christian Page
http://www.ocf.org/OrthodoxPage/ In English
Created by Efthimios Mavrogeorgiadis in 1995, this web site
provides links to Orthodox literature and catechism (including an
article by Fr. Michael Azkoul entitled "Differences Between the
Orthodox Church and Roman Catholicism"), icons, liturgies, prayers, and
other resources.
*Orthodox WorldLinks
http://www.theologic.com/links.html In English
Provides access to 131 web sites related to Eastern Orthodoxy.
Includes prayers and literature; bookstores, publishers, and vendors;
organizations and foundations; Orthodox research resources;
iconography, art, and architecture; news resources and mailing lists;
patriarchates, archdioceses, dioceses, and monasteries; and educational
institutions. Compiled by TheoLogic Systems, Bethel Park, PA.
Polish Christian Bookstore (Ksiegarnia im. Pawla Wladkowica)
http://www.PolishChristian.org In English and Polish
This on-line catalog of Polish-language Christian literature,
containing 350 titles, allows on-line purchasing of books as diverse as
a Greek/Polish New Testament, My Utmost for His Highest, C.S. Lewis's Narnia series, and numerous other titles. Ten percent is Polish in origin.
Radiotserkov News (Far East Broadcasting Company)
http://www.febc.org/cis/news/news.htm In Russian, 1251 Windows
A free service of FEBC, Radiotserkov [Radiochurch] News
is updated regularly, providing current information on religious
freedom issues, as well as the activities of various churches and
missions in Russia, both national and international. English
translations of articles of international interest can often be found
on Paul Steeves' Religion in Russia web site. This appears to be the
only in-country Protestant Russian news service. It provides news from
throughout Russia, in contrast to the many services which focus on
Moscow and St. Petersburg.
*Religion in Russia (Paul Steeves)
http://www.stetson.edu/~psteeves/relnews/ In English with links to Russian texts
Since April 1996, Dr. Paul Steeves, Department of History, Stetson
University, has regularly screened Russian newspapers for religious
news, translated relevant articles, and made his translations available
free of charge on the Internet. Sources include Argumenty i fakty, Ekspress khronika, Ogonek, Russkaya mysl', Pravoslavnyi Sankt Peterburg, Keston News Service, Moscow News, and St. Petersburg Times. Well-indexed, Religion in Russia is by far the best web site for current information on religion in Russia.
*Romanian Protestant Christian Page
http://private.fuller.edu/~ematei/ In English with links to Romanian
Created by a Romanian student at Fuller Theological Seminary with
the support of Romanian Protestant Christians. Includes coverage of
churches (Baptist and Pentecostal to date), Protestant higher
education, a directory of Romanian theological students and scholars,
Protestant perspectives on Eastern Orthodoxy, directories of indigenous
and foreign Christian organizations working in Romania, and a large
collection of articles and book reviews by Romanian theologians related
to Romanian Christianity.
*Russian Christian Home Page
http://www.bethel.edu/seminary_academics/international/russian/russian3.htm In English and Russian, with links to English and Russian-language resources
Provides links to categories such as Russian Bibles on the web,
Russian-language Christian literature (including the church fathers,
Alexander Men, and C.S. Lewis), a directory of Russian Christian
organizations on the web, and resource materials on both Christianity
and Russia.
Russian Concordance
http://www.comptek.ru/arcadia/yand_rbible.html In Russian, 1251 Windows
As a demonstration of its Russian-language full-text retrieval
system Yandex.Site, CompTek International provides a search engine
which finds verses throughout the Bible (Synodal Translation)
containing any form of a word entered.
*Russian Orthodox Church Home Page
http://www.russian-orthodox-church.org.ru/en.htm In English and Russian
Includes major pronouncements of the patriarch and the Holy Synod,
as well as extensive statistical and historical data and current
events. A page providing links to Orthodox internet resources is under
construction.
Taizé
http://www.taize.fr In English, Polish, Hungarian, and seven other languages
In addition to a gift of one million New Testaments to the USSR in
1988, Taizé has maintained long-standing quiet ties to Eastern Europe
and the Soviet Union. Orthodox, Catholics, and Protestants alike
regularly visit Taizé in France.
Amnesty International
http://www.amnesty.org In English
Amnesty International seeks to protect human rights without
reference to state ideology or the beliefs of victims. It collects and
analyzes information from a wide variety of sources, including hundreds
of newspapers and journals, government bulletins, transcripts of radio
broadcasts, and reports from lawyers and humanitarian organizations.
Its on-line library contains thousands of documents and reports
regarding human rights violations around the world, including most
countries of the former Soviet Union and East Central Europe.
*Bucknell University Russian materials
http://www.bucknell.edu/departments/russian/material.html In English with links to Russian and English
Provides links to a variety of materials pertaining to Russia,
including such diverse subjects as environmental issues, embassies,
cooking, Russian language study, feminism, folklore, and philosophy.
Dazhdbog's Grandchildren
http://sunsite.oit.unc.edu/sergei/Grandsons.html
In English with Russian and English links
Created by a graduate student in physics at the University of North
Carolina, Chapel Hill, Dazhdbog's Grandchildren contains various links
to Russian news, literature, music, and other topics of interest. As
well as serious news, this site is useful for material on Russian
popular culture, including music, humor, and links to Russian cities.
Electronic Newspapers, Magazines, and Mailing Lists
http://www.cs.toronto.edu/~mes/russia/period/e-media.html In English with English and Russian links
Provides links to various Russian on-line news services, including
National News Service (with a photo archive containing portraits of
policy makers), Argumenty i fakty, Literaturnaya gazeta, Ogonek, Russkaya mysl', Nezavisimaya gazeta, and Russia Today.
English-Russian-English Dictionary
http://public.elvis.ru/~denis/dict.cgi
This active server page accepts both Russian and English words and
within a few seconds provides dictionary entries including multiple
meanings and usage.
*Friends and Partners
http://solar.rtd.utk.edu/friends/home.htmlopt-tables-mac-english- In English and Russian
Jointly developed by citizens of the U.S. and Russia to better
promote mutual understanding, this web site serves to create and link
together information on history, art, music, literature, and religion;
educational, scientific, and natural resources; and opportunities for
non-Russians and Russians to communicate, travel, and work together.
Johnson's Russia List
To subscribe, e-mail davidjohnson@erols.com In English
Roughly 1,000 scholars, journalists, policy makers, and Russophiles
from Washington to Hong Kong receive David Johnson's daily or weekly
e-mail compilation of news and analysis about contemporary Russia.
Voluminous and controversial, "whatever their opinion of his views,
scholars agree that the list is changing the nature of academic and
political scrutiny of Russia." (Sarah Koenig, New York Times, 17 March 1997).
*Okno Consulting Home Page
http://www.msen.com/~okno/index.html In English with links to multiple languages
Okno Consulting, Ann Arbor, MI, advises Western businesses working
in East Central Europe and the former Soviet Union. Of special interest
is an annotated list of links to other relevant web sites, including
home pages and statistical data for the countries of East Central
Europe and the former Soviet Union.
*Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
http://www.rferl.org/index.html In English, with live audio
broadcasts in Armenian, Azerbaijani, Belarusian, Bosnian, Croatian,
Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Russian, Serbian, Tajik, Tatar-Bashkir, Turkmen, and
Uzbek
As well as multilanguage live broadcasts, RFE/RL publishes
up-to-date regional news, articles, and special reports on all regions
of the former Soviet Union and East Central Europe. Links are also
provided to Caucasus and Bosnia coverage, as well as news in Russian
(KOI-8).
*Russian and East-European Studies Internet Resources
http://www.pitt.edu/~cjp/rees.html In English with links to sites in a variety of languages
The REESWeb is a comprehensive index of electronic resources on the
Balkans, the Baltic States, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Central and
Eastern Europe, and the former Soviet Union, sponsored by the Center
for Russian and East European Studies of the University of Pittsburgh.
Disciplines indexed include language, government, business, media,
technology, and public affairs.
Editor's Note: See also Bob Dasal, "The Computer Is Vital Tool for Missionary Organization Working in Russia," Christian Computing Magazine 8 (February 1996). Available at: http://www.gospelcom.net/ccmag/articles/msty0296.html. For subscriptions, contact: Christian Computing Magazine, Box 198, Raymore, MO 64083; tel: 800-456-1868 or 816-331-3881; fax: 816-331-5510; bdsal@ccmag.com.
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