November 19, 2012
If Egyptian-born Hamed Abdel-Samad is right, Islam today is seriously ill and is culturally and socially in retreat. Like the Titanic, considered invincible, Islam is facing sudden global collapse with dire consequences for the West, he warns. Last week in Spain I sat in on a gathering of folk related to Hope for Europe engaged […]
November 14, 2012
Despite an aggressive and negative campaign in recent weeks against the nomination of Dr Tonio Borg to become the new EU Commissioner for health and Consumer Policy, yesterday’s three-hour hearing in the European Parliament in Brussels resulted in the expectation that his nomination will be given the green light. As this hearing was highlighted in […]
November 12, 2012
November 11 is Remembrance Day in British Commonwealth countries for all fallen servicemen and women. Hence the red poppies worn over the past few days on the BBC. Initially it was a day of remembrance for those killed during World War I, many of them in Flanders fields in Belgium where ‘the poppies blow/between the […]
November 5, 2012
As far as celebrations go, this has been a very crowded week. In Britain and some former colonies today is being celebrated as Guy Fawkes Day. As it falls on a Monday this year, bonfires and fireworks were mostly lit over the weekend. But for anyone not raised in this tradition, it must appear as […]
October 29, 2012
This past weekend 1700 years ago, a military battle took place just outside Rome the outcome of which profoundly shaped western history and still continues to influence our world. While not militarily strategic, the battle of Milvian Bridge led to consequences that for many seemed to be direct answer to prayer. The early centuries of […]
October 15, 2012
The timing was most interesting for several reasons. Friday morning I was addressing a Pentecostal European political forum for youth in the European Parliament building in Brussels, challenging conventional wisdom with several ‘outlandish’ propositions. Firstly, that the story of Jesus has been the single greatest factor in shaping Europe’s past. Secondly, that the Bible has […]
October 8, 2012
We’ve just sent out the agenda for Schuman Centre activities for the new academic year. Here is an overview. It begins with a reception in The Hague on October 26 to launch the Dutch translation of Deeply Rooted, the small book I wrote about how Christian values and vision shaped the birth of what has […]
October 1, 2012
All the ingredients for a great weekend were there: twenty old friends, fabulous Swiss scenery, local food and beverage, share-and-prayer times … as well as a couple of good books on sex. Now that I have your attention, let me explain. Each autumn, for the past seven or eight years, a number of senior YWAMers […]
September 24, 2012
At first glance, it seemed a rather esoteric garden sculpture. The large basin sunk into the ground lined with stones invited the observer to climb down a spiral slope towards a mossy tree stump in the centre. Water flowed from a hidden source out of the top of the stump spilling out on all sides […]
September 17, 2012
This weekend, in a far eastern corner of the European Union, close to where Romania borders the Ukraine and Moldova, the Schuman Centre sponsored a dialogue between evangelical pastors and Orthodox politicians on Christians in the public square. Initiated by YWAM colleague Mari Blaj, the symposium attracted over 250 participants to Suceava from across Romania. […]
September 10, 2012
Patrick Dixon is a doctor deeply concerned with the AIDS epidemic and was one of the first Chrisitan activists to do something about it. Wall Street Journal calls him the Global Change Guru. He speaks at the World Economic Forum in Davos and other global summit gatherings. At heart he is an evangelist. Englishman Dr […]
September 3, 2012
The name Sir Ludwig Guttmann meant nothing to me until a few days ago. While on holiday in Ireland last week, I heard the amazing story of the man behind the Paralympic Games. This is a story everyone should hear while the current games are being held. Hence this weekly word, a week earlier than […]
