Keston Institute
Michael Bourdeaux spent a single year in Moscow during the 1950s as one of the first wave of British exchange students. He arrived to find only 41 Russian Orthodox Churches still functioning out of the 1,600 that existed before the Russian Revolution in 1917. This stark number haunted him and prompted his decision to take up the cause of those persecuted for their religious faith. The silence of empty church buildings became a driving force behind his future work.
Bourdeaux founded the Centre for the Study of Religion and Communism at Chislehurst in 1969 alongside Sir John Lawrence. They received help from Leonard Schapiro and Peter Reddaway, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University. In the early 1970s he purchased an old parish school on Keston Common. The centre was renamed Keston College after this acquisition. It later broadened its purview to include former communist countries with main concerns being the former Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc.
The enterprise eventually relocated to Oxford at the urging of Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke. After moving there it changed its name to the Keston Institute because it was not a college in the Oxford sense. This shift marked a transition from a local educational project to a broader research charity based in England. The
move placed the group closer to academic circles while maintaining its focus on persecuted faith communities.
Since 2007 the Keston Institute archive and library have been under the care of the Keston Center for Religion Politics and Society at Baylor University. This facility is located in Waco Texas. The transfer ensured that decades of documentation regarding religious persecution remained accessible to researchers. It also secured the physical preservation
of materials collected over nearly four decades of operation.
Over the years the institute played a key role in the revival of the Russian Orthodox Church. It has become a leading voice on religious freedom in former communist countries with an emphasis on the former Soviet Union. Michael Bourdeaux retired from Keston in 1999 after guiding the organization through significant geopolitical
changes. Xenia Dennen currently serves as chairman of the Keston Institute continuing the mission established by its founder.
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Common questions
When did Michael Bourdeaux spend a year in Moscow as an exchange student?
Michael Bourdeaux spent a single year in Moscow during the 1950s. He arrived to find only 41 Russian Orthodox Churches still functioning out of the 1,600 that existed before the Russian Revolution in 1917.
Who founded the Centre for the Study of Religion and Communism at Chislehurst in 1969?
Michael Bourdeaux founded the Centre for the Study of Religion and Communism at Chislehurst in 1969 alongside Sir John Lawrence. They received help from Leonard Schapiro and Peter Reddaway, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University.
Why was the organization renamed Keston Institute after moving to Oxford?
The enterprise changed its name to the Keston Institute because it was not a college in the Oxford sense. This shift marked a transition from a local educational project to a broader research charity based in England.
Where are the Keston Institute archive and library located since 2007?
Since 2007 the Keston Institute archive and library have been under the care of the Keston Center for Religion Politics and Society at Baylor University. This facility is located in Waco Texas.
When did Michael Bourdeaux retire from Keston and who currently serves as chairman?
Michael Bourdeaux retired from Keston in 1999 after guiding the organization through significant geopolitical changes. Xenia Dennen currently serves as chairman of the Keston Institute continuing the mission established by its founder.