There once was a man named Jonathan Ivan Kreznev. He was born in London in 1952 and moved to the United States in 1955. The Kreznev family, originally from Moscow, moved to England as the Soviets began to take power in Russia. Jonathan and his family enjoyed life in London, but decided better opportunities may be available across the Atlantic.
Jonathan attended public school in a small town in eastern Pennsylvania. His father worked as a professor in Philadelphia while his mother stayed at home with Jonathan and his brother, Peter. As Jonathan grew older, he came to realize the negative sentiments among Americans towards the Soviet Union. The U-2 incident in 1960 was the first major event to catch the eye of little Jonathan.
Jonathan grew older and continued to hear of fragile U.S.-Soviet Union relations, in addition to stories of gulags and Russian spies. Jonathan and his family regularly attended services at a local baptist church and every once and a while the preacher would mention the cruelty of the Godless Soviets. Occasionally, the local bookstore put on display the latest book written by a Soviet dissenter.
Jonathan enrolled in a history class during his high school years. He learned about the rise of communism in Russia and the Red scare and the Cuban missile crisis. Again, Jonathan realized the significance of communist Russians in the minds of many Americas. Jonathan studied Russian-American relations and began reading memoirs about gulag survivors who sought refuge in the safety of the United States.
While in high school, Jonathan approached the altar at the local baptist church and accepted the grace of God. He had attended church services almost all his life, but had never made a decision to follow Jesus Christ. A couple of years later, Jonathan attended a small Christian college and then received a graduate degree from a seminary.
As the years continued on, Jonathan Ivan Kreznev eventually received a doctorate degree. It was around this time that President Reagan opened up new talks with the Soviet Union. Many Americans were curious concerning U.S.-Soviet relations. A new generation had arisen that did not experience air-raid sirens or tense historic moments. Owing to his studies of Russian history, Jonathan began speaking to small groups of interested individuals concerning the rise of communism.
Occasionally, Jonathan would mention his family's history in Russia. His grandparents refused to join the communist movement. This eventually led his family to move to London before the situation in Russia got out of hand. Many in Jonathan's audiences were enthralled by the experiences of the Kreznev family. Word slowly spread of Jonathan's lectures about Russia and his testimony of coming to Jesus Christ in high school. Eventually, Jonathan was speaking in large churches throughout the United States.
And then it happened... The fall of the Berlin Wall.
The whole world witnessed the fall of an empire. Horror stories began leaking out about atrocities committed by Soviet leaders, such as Stalin. Jonathan's speeches became more and more exciting to eager listeners. Instead of talking about his grandparents' struggles, Jonathan began talking about his family's close affiliation with the Soviets. As the months passed by, Jonathan's stories became embellished with tales of espionage and attempted assassinations. His father, once known as a professor, was actually a key figure involved in communist indoctrination of American students. Jonathan and Peter had not grown up in a local church, but only began attending as a result of pressure from fellow peers. According to Jonathan, his future was laid out for him. He was to fall in his father's footsteps and attempt to bring about a change in mindset among young Americans.
Jonathan published a book about his experiences as a young communist that found faith in Jesus Christ. The book detailed accounts in the life of Ivan Kreznev. ("Jonathan" did not sound very Russian to the American public.) Ivan's new book increased his popularity among patriotic Christians in America. The stories of a young man escaping the grips of an evil, Godless empire opened even more doors for Ivan (a.k.a. Jonathan). These opportunities included multiple professorships at Christian colleges. In addition, Dr. Kreznev became the leader of a Christian organization devoted to theological education known as Freedom in Bible Discussion (FIBD).
Years passed by and the mid-1990s arrived. The Soviet Union was no longer a current issue in American minds. In some circles of influence rumors began arising concerning Dr. Kreznev. A couple of editorials were written in the local newspapers of Philadelphia questioning the authenticity of Ivan's claims. One writer noted his relationship with the Kreznev family upon their arrival to the U.S. in the 1950s. Another individual pointed out her relationship with the family as a Sunday school teacher at a small baptist church in eastern Pennsylvania. In addition, a former student of Ivan's father sent a letter to his local newspaper detailing intense lectures in which Ivan's father condemned communism. Ivan heard of these rumors and chose to ignore them. When questioned about his family's history, Ivan would simply call discrepancies in his speeches as misspoken words.
A small news agency began an investigation of the issue. Tapes of speeches presented by Dr. Kreznev were transcribed and analyzed. It became clear that tapes from the early 1980s sounded dramatically different from those of the late 1980s. Eventually, the mainstream media got ahold of the story. FIBD was forced to address the issue head-on.
A small committee was formed by FIBD in order to investigate Kreznev's stories. Some expected the committee to quickly get rid of Kreznev owing to his outright lies. Others were more loyal to Kreznev and expected the committee to support Kreznev no matter what. After a few weeks of investigation, FIBD released a notice to the public explaining the conclusions of the investigation. While the explanation did not address specific discrepancies, the committee had come to the conclusion that Kreznev had made false claims about his past. The public statement from the investigative committee failed to consider Kreznev a liar and left many questions unanswered. Dr. Kreznev was immediately relieved of his position in the FIBD. However, he was allowed to continue as a member of the FIBD board. In addition, only two of the five Christian colleges that employed Kreznev decided to cut ties with him. According to the committee, Kreznev had simply "misspoken" many times...
Disclaimer: Names in this story are fictional. (ie. There is no actual person named Jonathan Ivan Kreznev.)
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