John Chrysostom challenged the wealthy and the clergy through his preaching against the the abuses of riches and authority.

Leaders of Christian organisations in Europe remember the evangelist’s confidence in the Gospel, his personal integrity, and how he helped start mission movements.

“The fidelity of my parents gave my siblings’ generation a strong example to pass on to our children’s generation”.

“We need to teach our boys and girls that porn is wrong, unhealthy and dangerous”.

Since the 9/11 attack in 2001, we have seen more than 60 new Muslim movements to Christ.

In those regions which embraced the Reformation, Halloween came to be seen as incompatible with Biblical teaching.

We should pause to ask what causal links can be demonstrated between the Reformation and economic growth, democratic stability, and social justice in Protestant-background countries.

His own writings to Theo and his paintings of his latter phase bear witness to his preoccupation to the end with the person of Christ.

The two great European rivers, the Rhine and the Danube, have been a natural barrier across the continent through the centuries from the Black Sea to the North Sea.

Europe as the continent most exposed to the gospel over time and intensity, yet more recently also shaped by the abandonment of the gospel.

We too feel picked up by the scruffs of our necks by the same God of Abraham.

A journey back into the past has encouraged us to believe that God is not yet finished with Europe.

God will use for good what Satan means for evil. He works on a different schedule.

Imagine having to choose between facing death in a war-torn country, or escaping and leaving loved ones behind.

We should not only see the tares or weeds, the negative, but also remind ourselves of the positive things God is doing, the wheat.

Notice how many buddha statues or wall hangings are for sale in local garden centres, or in home improvement centres, or cosmetic shops.

Sadly ‘integrity’, ‘incorruptibility’ and ‘honesty’ are not words often used to describe today’s politicians. That’s why we cannot leave our future just to the politicians.

When the devil lies, Jesus said, he speaks his native language. As fallen human beings, it is our native language too. Lying is universal.

Granted, the European Union is a very imperfect human project, not to be confused with God’s kingdom. Yet we are told to pray for God’s kingdom to come, that is, for his will to be done in Europe as it is in heaven.

Whether the election results swing left or right, the church will always steer its own course. And she will not be afraid to be critical of the government where the gospel would require. A manifesto by theologians Janneke Stegeman and Alain Verheij.

Citizens from all over Europe are driving to Brussels to offer themselves as ‘Official European Chauffeurs’, willing to bring refugees to their respective countries.

Valentine was right. Marriage is worth paying a price for.

When confronted with the dichotomy of ‘people’ or ‘elite’, Jesus refused to be cornered. His answers to trick questions introduced a new dimension.

Paul instructed his readers to pray for the authoritarian leaders of his day, so that the ‘soft powers’ of the gospel–love, truth and justice–could prevail.

While his powerful use of the new technology of printing, his appeal to the masses and opposition to the ‘corrupt elites’ certainly resonate with the populist image, his goal was to reform, not overthrow, the established order.