There has been a significant increase in the number of people in Switzerland who do not have any religious affiliation. 'Nones' now comprise the largest group when it comes to belief - or lack of belief - comprising over a third of the population (34%).
How should followers of Jesus respond in a time of political turmoil and cultural fragmentation, when the loudest voices often drown out the wisest? We don't need to guess. God has revealed what the Lord requires of us, and Jesus demonstrated the practicalities of it. God's people must keep justice, loving mercy, and humility at the forefront of our ethics as a compass to guide us.
Gratitude is powerful medicine. It is like oxygen for the soul. We don’t thrive without it. We are hard-wired to say "thank you". Psychologists now confirm what scripture has always taught: grateful people are happier, healthier and more hopeful. In contexts of rising conflict, gratitude is a healthier way forward. Ask the Holy Spirit to form that fruit in you for your benefit and those around you.
The rise of politicians from America to Russia claiming to champion Christian values and peace yet preaching hatred and division is polarizing families, churches, and communities even far beyond their own countries. Something like this has happened before. Will we Christians learn from recent European history and seek first Christ's kingdom or continue to ride the slippery slope to human totalitarianism in our contexts?
The Tall Poppy Syndrome has been popularized and exported from Australia but it is endemic in us all and it literally makes us unwell. An antidote can be found throughout Scripture. Rather than drawing others to join us wallowing in misery, we can repent from the Tall Poppy Syndrome and flourish alongside the flourishing.
Overall, hate crimes against Christians escalated from a previous record of 519 incidents in 2021 to 748 cases in 2022 within 30 European countries, an increase of 44 per cent.
Amendments to Belarus’s religion law are likely to curtail practice and expression of belief by Christians and people of other faiths, according to rights advocates.
Concerns have been raised about the rights of parents in Scotland who oppose their child's desire to change genders. A consultation was launched by the Scottish government last week into detailed proposals for legislation aimed at ending "conversion practices" in Scotland.
On Sunday, January 14, Evangelical Alliances across Europe kicked off the annual Week of Prayer where local churches from diverse denominational backgrounds come together each year to pray for greater unity in the body of Christ. Marking the 50th anniversary since the historic International Congress on World Evangelization held in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1974, this year’s prayer material features reflections on the Lausanne Covenant and its continued relevance today.
A Christian teaching assistant in the United Kingdom who claimed he was fired for street preaching in his free time won the equivalent of a nearly $9,000 legal settlement in a case against his former employer.
In the field of creative evangelism, the Good News paper serves as a dynamic force for Christian media, carrying the transformative message of Jesus Christ into communities across the UK. You may well have seen copies at your local church or at collection points in surrounding towns and cities.
A massacre in the Sudanese town of El Fasher has worsened the refugee crisis in South Sudan as more people escape the war in Sudan, according to Christian Aid.
