The Future of Europe
Europa’s Neue Wege? (New perspectives for Europe?)
Allianztag Deutsche Evangelische Allianz 24 Sept. 2011
It is a privilege to be here, to see you all, to meet you who have come from so many parts of the whole of Germany!
The paradox of Europe
Europe is a complex and paradoxal continent. You cannot separate the existence of E from the existence of the Christian church. Actually Europe is shaped by Christian faith. Europe is the forge (smith’s place) of the Holy Spirit.
This is not only clear in the many church towers pointing to heaven from Sicilia to North Cape and from Ireland to Ural mountains, but also in Europe’s main values: * Love (agape): in every part of Europe’s history you will find groups and churches, that wanted to follow Christ, that were marked by love for others, in particular the needy and the poor, and that have transformed big parts of society. * The principle value of diversity, or to put it different: to respect the freedom for all, whatever conviction or even religion one might adhere. This was established only after a long struggle, but it is there.
The paradox is that no continent in the world saw such widespread and deep atrocity as Europe has experienced in two World Wars. That no continent brought forward such fiery atheism and no other continent produced such anti-Christian and also anti-human ideologies.
Rich and still poor
At the Hope for Europe congress last May I attended a meeting of GATE (Gift from Africa to Europa, African pastors working together to bring back the Gospel to Europe). They were speaking about the ‘poverty’ of Europe(!) ‘Europeans are very poor, they always have lack of time and we, Africans, have plenty of it!’
This is the day-to-day ‘paradoxality’ in (Western) Europe that we all know. Europe is a very rich continent and still very poor. Look for example at this: * All helpful technical instruments like cars, washing machines, computers, mobile should give us plenty of time.
Allianztag Deutsche Evangelische Allianz 24 Sept. 2011
It is a privilege to be here, to see you all, to meet you who have come from so many parts of the whole of Germany!
The paradox of Europe
Europe is a complex and paradoxal continent. You cannot separate the existence of E from the existence of the Christian church. Actually Europe is shaped by Christian faith. Europe is the forge (smith’s place) of the Holy Spirit.
This is not only clear in the many church towers pointing to heaven from Sicilia to North Cape and from Ireland to Ural mountains, but also in Europe’s main values: * Love (agape): in every part of Europe’s history you will find groups and churches, that wanted to follow Christ, that were marked by love for others, in particular the needy and the poor, and that have transformed big parts of society. * The principle value of diversity, or to put it different: to respect the freedom for all, whatever conviction or even religion one might adhere. This was established only after a long struggle, but it is there.
The paradox is that no continent in the world saw such widespread and deep atrocity as Europe has experienced in two World Wars. That no continent brought forward such fiery atheism and no other continent produced such anti-Christian and also anti-human ideologies.
Rich and still poor
At the Hope for Europe congress last May I attended a meeting of GATE (Gift from Africa to Europa, African pastors working together to bring back the Gospel to Europe). They were speaking about the ‘poverty’ of Europe(!) ‘Europeans are very poor, they always have lack of time and we, Africans, have plenty of it!’
This is the day-to-day ‘paradoxality’ in (Western) Europe that we all know. Europe is a very rich continent and still very poor. Look for example at this: * All helpful technical instruments like cars, washing machines, computers, mobile should give us plenty of time.