Let us continue to pray for more ‘moments of grace’, and a just and lasting end to this war.

We join up the dots of life around us to create our own narratives, to explain the realities that we perceive.

The Republican candidate gets a clear victory over Kamala Harris.

The country held parliamentary elections in September. The Islamic Action Front party won 31 seats, the largest number of seats for a party in parliament.

The southeast African country held its seventh elections. A missionary and a pastor address the challenges of an increasingly dissatisfied population. While jihadism grows stronger in the north, churches are growing in the south.

“Pray that what is really in the hearts of the individual candidates is revealed”, says Oliver Stozek, leader of the Austrian Evangelical Alliance.

The first-ever victory of the far-right AfD comes in a context of growing divisions between how people in the east and the west of the country perceive society.

Protesters denounce “fraud” in the streets and the opposition candidate claims to have proof that he won the elections by a landslide. Maduro cuts relations with seven Latin American countries as he vows to “defeat the violent”.

The initial “prayers” lead to a deeper reflection on polarisation in the public space, hatred, and the need for a biblical vision to change the direction of the country.

The instinct to withdraw into isolationism and nationalism is understandable, yet it plays into the hands of authoritarian, anti-democratic forces.

Keir Starmer’s parents reportedly named him after Keir Hardie, the radical Christian co-founder of the Labour Party. Unlike Hardie, the new UK prime minister belongs to the 37% of Brits who tick the ‘no religion’ box.

According to a survey, 42% of evangelicals planned to vote for Labour, which won a landslide victory. The EAUK “prays Psalm 72” for Keir Starmer, the next prime minister.

Ahead of the election of 4 July, a survey conducted by the Evangelical Alliance United Kingdom found that 93% of evangelicals would like to see more Christians engaged in politics.

Evangelicals say elected representatives must be respected but “postures of hatred, invective rejected”. The RN says it will prioritise security and immigration restrictions.

Some will likely stick with him as a “known quantity” but his push to further regulate churches and legalize euthanasia have shocked and alienated many Christians. 

The National Council of Evangelicals in France calls to work to make sure “divisions do not find their way into our communities”. Thierry Le Gall explains why there is a “divorce” between President Macron and Bible-believing churches.

Emmanuel Macron’s “haughty” ways are also losing evangelicals, who go from broadly supporting him to opposing the President’s restriction of religious freedom and his laws on abortion and euthanasia.

The coalition led by prime minister Narendra Modi still has a majority but failed in its expectations after losing 67 seats. “For many Christians, the loss brings a sense of relief”.

The hard right and nationalists will not be indispensable in the new European Parliament but hey shake the national scenario in countries like France and Germany.

How can or should churches respond to the upsurge of nationalism in general, and in particular the way in which it plays a key-role in populist movements?

The country is preparing for the era of coalition government at the state level. According to evangelicals, it can “craft productive partnerships for the common good”.

The Evangelical Alliances in Sweden, Austria, Germany and Spain offer resources to give reasons to vote for the European Parliament, on 6-9 June.

So much has changed since the last European Parliament election in 2019, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the influence of nationalism. If anything, it is a bigger issue in 2024 than it was in 2019 or back in 2010. 

Christians may vote for different political parties but there is great significance in praying together in humility and unity for our nations and our continent. Here are some suggestions.

As we go to the voting booths this week to decide who will represent us in the European Parliament, we need to vote for candidates who understand both the calling and responsibility of Christians to be light, salt and leaven in society.