Praying With the KGB: A Startling Report from a Shattered Empire

by Philip Yancey

Join award-winning writer Philip Yancey and a team of American Christianson the most improbable of missionary an odyssey into the shattered power centers of a crumbling communist empire...

Genres: Christian, History, Christian Living, Nonfiction, Russia, Christianity

106 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Philip Yancey earned graduate degrees in Communications and English from Wheaton College Graduate School and the University of Chicago. He joined the staff of Campus Life Magazine in 1971, and worked there as Editor and then Publisher. He looks on those years with gratitude, because teenagers are demanding readers, and writing for them taught him a lasting principle: The reader is in control!

In 1978 Philip Yancey became a full-time writer, initially working as a journalist for such varied publications as Reader’s Digest, Publisher’s Weekly, National Wildlife, Christian Century and The Reformed Journal. For several years he contributed a monthly column to Christianity Today magazine, where he also served as Editor at Large.

In 2021 Philip released two new books: A Companion in Crisis and his long-awaited memoir, Where the Light Fell. Other favorites included in his more than twenty-five titles are: Where Is God When It Hurts, The Student Bible, and Disappointment with God. Philip's books have won thirteen Gold Medallion Awards from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, have sold more than seventeen million copies, and have been published in over 50 languages. Christian bookstore managers selected The Jesus I Never Knew as the 1996 Book of the Year, and in 1998 What’s So Amazing About Grace? won the same award. His other recent books are Fearfully and Wonderfully: The Marvel of Bearing God’s Image; Vanishing Grace: Bringing Good News to a Deeply Divided World; The Question that Never Goes Away; What Good Is God?; Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?; Soul Survivor; and Reaching for the Invisible God. In 2009 a daily reader was published, compiled from excerpts of his work: Grace Notes.

The Yanceys lived in downtown Chicago for many years before moving to a very different environment in Colorado. Together they enjoy mountain climbing, skiing, hiking, and all the other delights of the Rocky Mountains.

Visit Philip online:
https://www.philipyancey.com
https://www.facebook.com/PhilipYancey

Catch his monthly blog:
https://bit.ly/PhilipYanceyBlog

Reviews

[Jeff Youngblood · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent reminder of how fragile governments are, like all systems of man, How great the grace of God is anywhere where there is political freedom and the task at hand we have as believers, and the responsibility that goes with it. It was short, but engaging and thoughtful, and full of adventure, made better by the fact it is a true story! It's good to hear the perspective of someone inside the church who was there just when the Soviet Union collapsed. I think people are really mostly ignorant of how atheistic a society it truly was, and how far they went to silence and exterminate the church. This book sheds some much needed light on that fact, and also is very encouraging that God makes a way where there seems to be none.

[Anna F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What an amazing account of a monumental piece of history! I never heard about Operation Christian Bridge until I picked this book up. So many good tidbits and things to learn from. Most importantly: without God there is no morality and without God, government turns into chaos . I will definitely be reading this one again.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Problematic, repeatedly, but raises good questions about the relationship between religion & communism, questions that far leftists and theologians should continue to explore.

[Patrick S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short book that describes the "what do we do now" attitude of the Soviet Union people after the fall of the communism. More importantly, it provides a section of the story never talked about in history books or economics classes. The book covers the fact that Russia was hungry "not for political or economical change, but for moral change". The author was a member of a delegation made up of influential Christians who wanted to revolutionize the moral and spiritual make up of the fallen Russian people right after they've been told that the "State" and Lenin/Marx failed. While it is a short book, it is a very emotional book. I have no qualms in stating that I got teary eyed at some parts. This book will also lead me to find other books dealing with the spiritual aspect of the fall of communism and the rebuilding of Russia. I have never read a book dedicated to this aspect of the Iron Curtain fall and it was just amazing and how the Soviet leaders were begging for these Christian leaders to help them save their people. A 90 page book that is inspiring and shows a side of history rarely talked about. It will show you the providence of God and just how effective and super-cultural the salvation of Jesus Christ is for "all tribes, tongues, and nations". I really wish the book would have been much, much longer but I understand the author is only writing about his initial trip so quickly after the fall. Final Grade - B+

[Hunter Johnson]

Praying with the KGB, by Philip Yancey. I re-read this one during a couple of my son's soccer practices. Very short book, and "contemporary issues" instead of "religion", but the changes in Russia in the past 15 years cast a new light on some of the sections.