January 12, 2009
The road winds through English woods and fields in the countryside north of London, and eventually circles in front of the grand entrance of a sprawling red-brick country mansion. A forest of chimneys and turrets sprouts from its steep shingle roof. At first glimpse I thought, thank heaven I’m not responsible for the maintenance of […]
January 5, 2009
It’s amazing what journalists come up with when prospects are down. We’re facing crises on many fronts: credit, ethics, energy, environment… not to forget, of course, the Middle East. Yet some writers see potential for good. This year will mark the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of […]
December 14, 2008
• European leaders came to an historic agreement in Brussels last week to limit co2 emission levels to help save the environment. • Just a few days earlier, Christian scientists and philosophers met to discuss the relationship between faith and science at the University of Leiden in Holland. • Also near Leiden, in 1642, two philosophers met in […]
December 7, 2008
This week the world is commemorating the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights-and rightly so. As an international Magna Carta, it’s authority and influence has been unparalleled. It has set a global standard for governments everywhere and stirred the aspirations of countless individuals and organisations. Today more people than ever […]
December 1, 2008
Luther would have been amazed at the efforts of the Vatican today to put the Bible back into the heart of the Roman Catholic Church. In October, bishops from around the world were called to Rome for a three-week synod to discuss how to promote prayerful reading, understanding and proclamation of God’s Word. Pope Benedict […]
November 24, 2008
It was one of the best experiences of his life, one quiet Scandanavian exclaimed at the close of last weekend’s gathering to restart the work of Youth With A Mission in Italy. The broad participation and excited anticipation took us by surprise. Some had come especially for the event from Argentina, Columbia and Brazil. […]
November 17, 2008
For over twenty years, holistic care of body, soul and spirit has been the driving vision behind the Klinik SGM Langenthal in Switzerland, one of three recipients of this year’s Hope Award presented last week. In 1987, the SGM (Stiftung für Ganzheitlichte Medizin, or Foundation for Holistic Medicine) opened their faith-based hospital in Langenthal, halfway between […]
November 10, 2008
The realisation dawned on me as I stood with a group of young students outside the St Nicholas Church in Leipzig, East Germany: their generation, now coming into adulthood, has no living memory of the dramatic events of autumn 1989 leading to the fall of Communism. What still seems like yesterday to some of us […]
November 3, 2008
No-one had planned it this way, but last Friday we found ourselves driving into Martin Luther’s town of Wittenberg on Reformation Day itself, October 31st. This was the anniversary of the day Luther had nailed his 95 theses on the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church, thus triggering the Reformation across Europe. Last weekend in […]
October 27, 2008
Bendy buses snaking through London’s streets carrying the message, ‘There’s probably no God’ will help promote discussion about God, some Christian leaders believe. The bus adverts, planned to start in January, urge the public to ‘stop worrying and enjoy your life.’ Already, months before the first posters are due to appear, the campaign has stimulated […]
October 20, 2008
Three recent events have prompted me to reflect back over the past century. One, the Russian invasion of Georgia and certain parallels with the outbreak of World War One. Two, the current global financial crisis and obvious comparisons with the Great Depression. And three, my father’s 90th birthday this month. He was born just one […]
September 29, 2008
The birth of a Caucasian girl last week in an Amsterdam suburb has made me reflect on our rapidly changing Europe. Her parents’ apartment overlooks a Muslim elementary school. Their Muslim neighbours are celebrating Ramadan. This little girl will grow up in a very different environment from that of her parents’ childhood. And she will […]
