As the number of people with a negative view of religion increases, so the climate for churches and other religious organisations will grow more difficult.

The decline of baptisms has been sharpest in the diocese of Brussels, according to a survey of the Bishops Conference. Evangelical and Muslim are growing.

Elias (Elijah) and Maria are number one in Germany. Noah and Lukas (Luke) are the most popular in Switzerland and Austria.

Former leader of the Liberal Party Tim Farron speaks about his experiences as an evangelical Christian in politics. “In the United States, you have to invent a faith to be taken seriously, in the UK you have to pretend you haven’t got one”.

One of the main tasks of those involved in mission is to challenge the people to ask questions like “What does it mean to be a Christian?”

Czech researcher David Vokoun shares about what it means to live out his faith in the workplace. “What makes a difference is my motivation for doing my work”. 

Let’s take a look at a few of the many positive changes which sprang from the Reformation.

Two thirds of converted evangelical Christians are former Roman Catholics. A survey asks about social engagement, secularism and euthanasia.

Being secular, or humanist, or atheist, seems to mean saying that you are tolerant or inclusive, when all you actually want to do is erase any trace of Christianity from our midst.

The EEA General Assembly gathered to consider how Evangelical Christians across Europe might more effectively communicate the historic, biblical gospel to a secular society.

A review of Nick Spencer’s The Evolution of The West: How Christianity Has Shaped Our Values.

“We should allow people to have robust debates about their ideas”, says Christel Lamère.

Large report shows that only 17% of Americans are white evangelical Protestant. Baptists are the largest denomination, and most of religiously unaffiliated citizens identify as secular.

“My colleagues perceive Christianity as one of many possible spiritual journeys that someone could take, but not the only one”, explains Šárka, who became a Christian while doing her PhD in the Czech Republic.

“Firmness, gentleness and humility” are needed, says Etienne Lhermenault, President of the National Council of Evangelicals in France.

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

Indian author Vishal Mangalwadi talks about how a renwed view of the Bible changed education systems in Europe.

“Religious expression must not be repressed in the private sphere”, the new President of France said. Édouard Philippe is named Prime Minister.

About 390’000 people attend a Christian church in Scotland. The growth of Pentecostals and free evangelicals is not enough to stop the decline of the other denominations.

The problem with the ECJ ruling on religious clothing is that it seems to be working on the assumption that secularism is ‘neutral’. But this is a myth.

The Church should “not be locked inside an institutional box”, says Jaume Llenas. Christians are now in the “margins of culture”, a new missionary context.

Christel Lamère Ngnambi, Brussels Representative of the European Evangelical Alliance, talks about religious freedom and freedom of conscience.

Secularist groups ask governments to avoid using Christian terms in December. “We are appalled that others mix us into this debate”, says German Islamic representative Aiman Mazyek.

The number of Finns who say they believe in the God of Christianity has increased from 27% to 33% in four years. “People are thinking about their relation to the Church”, researcher Kimmo Ketola says.

Author Philip Yancey believes Christians are “the Jesus left behind” in a world in which people respond to the gospel when it is shared through “acts of mercy”. Read interview and watch video.