Tom Heneghan, Author at Crux

‘Neo-Protestant’ challenge seen in France’s political upheaval

French Protestants make up only two percent of the population of France. Lutherans and Calvinists, respected by the Catholic majority as hardworking and honest, are in numerical decline while immigration is boosting the evangelical ranks. A leading French intellectual says this is changing the political culture of the country.

Scientists, theologians ponder if biology and religion go together

“Nature is so complex and rich and that prompts questions about why on earth is this the case? If you’re an atheist, how do you explain a universe that seems to have the capacity to produce these things in the first place?” asked Alister McGrath, an Oxford theologian who is director of the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion that hosted the conference at Oxford.

Reformed churches endorse Catholic-Lutheran accord on key Reformation dispute

Pope Francis, who attended an ecumenical ceremony in Sweden last October launching the Lutherans’ yearlong commemoration of the Reformation, sent a message saying he hoped this latest step would “mark a new stage of fellowship and cooperation in the service of justice and peace in our human family.”

Haunted by its history, Berlin debates restoring kaiser’s gilded cross
- Global Church, Religion News Service
- June 11, 2017
Catholic Archbishop Heiner Koch said the cross was “the sign of the good news of the Christian faith for all people” and should not become a political football. “By putting the cross on the cupola, its builders showed they had a special responsibility to be rulers accountable to God,” he said. “Even today, recalling this attitude would mean a lot for Berlin.”
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Volkswagen’s ‘dieselgate’ poses ethical challenge for German Protestants
- Global Church, Religion News Service
- May 25, 2017
Since this year is the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, one leading critic has come up with a slogan resonant with Martin Luther’s own pithy way of speaking: “Kein Ablass für Abgas!” (No indulgences for exhaust fumes). Hamburg pastor Matthias Kaiser wrote in an article asking whether having VW provide the Protestant Church Assembly’s official vehicle fleet was compatible with Christian values.
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French clerics’ stands on Le Pen populism range from resistance to reserve
- Global Church, Religion News Service
- May 6, 2017
Despite a law prohibiting religious leaders from publicly discussing politics, Jewish, Protestant, and Muslim clerics have spoken up against populist-right wing Marie Le Pen and called citizens to cast their vote for the more level and centrist Emmanuel Macron in the next French election. Catholics in France have remained silent though, calling for tolerance and care for migrants.
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