Dissident for Life

With a foreword by Lord Alton, this book tells the extraordinary story of the Russian Christian campaigner for religious freedom, Alexander Ogorodnikov. His story was better known 25 years ago, but deserves to be re-read now, especially after the very recent death of Nelson Mandela. Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher were all touched by his extraordinary courage and persistence. In the 1970s, Ogorodnikov organised an underground movement called the Christian Seminar, which drew the attention of the KGB. They offered him safe exile, but he chose nine years in the Gulag instead. Some of his experiences there were indescribably awful and one can only stand in awe at his resilience of spirit. He wanted to change Russia from inside. Not only did he make a seminal contribution to religious freedom, but he also founded the first free school, the first private shelter for orphans and the first soup kitchen. His life is a witness of his belief, and he wrote in the early days that 'great deeds begin with the making of victims' and that it was a privilege to suffer for Jesus Christ. Human systems are often so obtuse that change can only come about through such remarkable personal dedication and sacrifice, as one saw with Mandela and his colleagues.