IN CHOOSING such a topic, my intention is not in the least "nationalistic" or "cultural."  What is happening in Russia today is of interest to us in America not specifically as something "Russian," but as something that concerns the human soul, no matter what kind of blood or cultural background a man might have. And we in America and the free world in general have much to learn from what is happening to the human soul in Russia today.  This is true both because the situation of the human soul in Russia and the West is really quite similar in basic respects, because the same historical process is occurring there as here; and because there are also basic differences in our situation, and an awareness of these differences can help to strengthen us—and specifically, to strengthen us in Christian faith.
    I will speak first of the similarities.