Towards Understanding of the Practice of Proclamation: The Core Element of Russian Baptist Worship, Timofey Cheprasov, 2015

. This ‘significantly enhanced the ability of the press to publish quickly and, within limits, to exercise some freedom of expression.’”° Soon after the introduction of the new law, a great amount of earlier prohibited literature was published, bringing new philosophical, social, religious and cultural ideas onto the public scene.”* Education also underwent a significant change. Many new schools were opened across the country. Each university”” found ” Freeze, Russia, A History, p 177. 18 The inability of nobility to adapt to the changing socio-economic realities is well depicted ina famous play by Anton P. Chekhov, Vishnevii Sad [The Cherry Orchard]. *9 Vernadsky, A History of Russia, pp 159-169. Cf. Freeze, Russia, A History, p 170. ee Freeze, Russia, A History, p 180. *1 See C. E. Black, ed., The Transformation of Russian Society: Aspects of Social Change since 1861 (Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1960). 2 It must be noted, that in this thesis the term “University” is used in two ways. In Chapters 1 and 3, the term is used in relation to any institution of higher education. In Chapter 9 “University” is used more narrowly, as a reference to only theological educational institutions. 17 itself turned into a ‘self-governing corporation, with far greater rights for its teaching staff and even some recognition of student rights.’”* These great freedoms that universities received resulted in rapid development of Russian philosophical thought and increased the political involvement of the people. The changes also carried certain negative features. Universities became known as places of liberal thinking, nests of atheism and ungodliness, and even as producers of revolutionaries and rebels. The following statement partly explains the origins of contemporary ‘anti-intellectualism’ among Russian Baptists:”" The university students contributed the greatest number of radical and revolutionary leaders. The majority of the students consisted of men who had no means whatsoever. The average student lived in a state of semi-starvation, earning his way through the university by giving lessons or by copying. The majority of the students had no notion of sport and no taste for it. Lack of physical exercise and consequent ill-health had a crushing effect upon the psychology of the students...”° As a consequence of the above mentioned factors, as well as major administrative and judicial reform, there appeared a new social class — Raznochintsy.”° The core of this group was the growing educated middle class: doctors, engineers, scientists, writers, publishers, journalists. The group expanded in size and particularly 2 Freeze, Russia, A History, p 178. “ See also the story, composed by Ivan S. Prokhanov, which points to the tradition of a negative attitude towards higher education, which was caused by the negative reputations of the universities. The article was written to overcome