Canals in Amsterdam overflow with boats crammed with orange-clad merrymakers. Music fills streets festooned with orange flags. Children sell old toys and homemade cakes. The old story of the Dutch triumph of freedom over Spanish imperial tyranny carries contemporary relevance.

Corrie Ten Boom and her sister Betsie demonstrated that the ability to love and forgive when surrounded by hatred is a form of freedom no tyrant can touch. For the sisters, inner freedom became a form of spiritual resistance.

Canada has made international news recently for two pieces of legislation aimed at curbing the spread of hatred. Faith leaders have raised concerns about how these laws might limit religious expression.

Evangelical Christians in the UK feel they can live out their faith openly, but half say that expressing their convictions on controversial issues has become more difficult.

María José García-Pelayo received the ‘Unamuno, Friend of Protestants Award’ in recognition of her work to promote coexistence and institutional openness towards the Evangelical community in the Spanish city.

The entity criticises the ruling by the Finnish Supreme Court, which acquitted Räsänen of charges relating to her social media posts of 2019 but convicted her of keeping accessible a text published two decades ago.

Judges consider that prayers or expressions of opinion cannot automatically be regarded as an attack on women seeking to terminate their pregnancies.

The Finnish prosecutor would have condemned Jesus when, in John 8:11, he said to the woman caught in adultery, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and sin no more”.

The sense that Christianity is losing influence and moral values are eroding creates a fear that can lead to support for strong leaders, aggressive rhetoric and simplistic solutions.

A shocking court ruling will cause Christian defenders of Trump to say “See, everything we say about Europe is right”.

These independent churches—known for their emphasis on the Lord’s Table, biblical interpretation and collective leadership— emphasised their identity within the current evangelical movement.

Mairead McGuinness will lead efforts to promote freedom of belief outside the European Union. Christian MEPs say that the long delays in filling the post confirm the European government’s lack of interest in this human right.

The Supreme Court’s conviction of the Finnish politician and doctor could set a “troubling precedent for freedom of expression and religion across Europe”, says the European Evangelical Alliance.

Finland’s Supreme Court has ruled by three votes to two that a booklet on human sexuality published 22 years ago constitutes hate speech against LGBT people. The Christian politician is “profoundly disappointed” but her case may be brought to the European Court of Justice.

The law is one of several that Vladimir Putin’s regime has introduced to intimidate religious minorities. Missionary activities are forbidden for other groups as well, including evangelical Christians.

The United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands also feature in the world’s Top 15 for religious diversity. The main competitor is not Islam, but religious non-affiliation, a study confirms.

The World Evangelical Alliance urges Bulgaria to “protect freedom of religion and ensure no religious community is unfairly affected during electoral processes”.

Generally speaking, one in three Germans believes in this Christian doctrine. But there are notable differences.

Today’s cancel culture, deplatforming, and loyalty oaths echo earlier demands for correct doctrinal confession in the past.

Ukraine is becoming a laboratory of ethics for the global church. Historian Yaroslav Hrytsak says absolute pacifism can become morally irresponsible in the face of violent tyranny.

In a Canary island, pastor Toni Quesada promotes a project that aims to prevent reoffending through social and spiritual support.

At the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the World Evangelical Alliance raises denounces that, in India, families “undergo coerced re-conversion rituals before burial can proceed”.

Magistrate Monica Vella delivered the verdict for Matthew Grech, who faced up to five months in prison and a 5,000-euro fine if convicted of violating the Affirmation of Sexual Orientation, Gender and Gender Expression Act.

The denial of burial rights is often accompanied by threats of violence, forced conversions and harassment.

A pastor of the Iranian church in Barcelona analyses the impact of the fall of the Ayatollah regime’s leadership and the situation of Iranian Christians in the diaspora, where they hope for rapid political and social change that will restore religious freedom in the country.