by Dr Andrzej Turkanik

The term ‘Christian renaissance’ may seem contradictory at first; it may even grate on the ears. This is not unintentional. The phrase, ‘toward a Christian renaissance in Europe’ has been chosen deliberately to challenge Christians in Europe to think long and hard about their role in society. To most people, the word ‘renaissance’ (meaning ‘rebirth’) refers to the Renaissance - a specific period of history in which Europe experienced a cultural rebirth. So by talking about a ‘Christian renaissance’ are we proposing a rebirth of Christianity? Of course not - but we are talking about a reborn Christian presence within culture.

Looking to the present and the future, could it be possible for Christians to have a voice again in what has been called ‘post-Christian’ Europe? Could culture-shaping ideas once again be based on God’s revealed word, rather than on agnostic—if not atheistic—worldviews? It is only by God’s grace that this can happen, but we realise that we can do our part by connecting with each other in order to develop ideas that have relevance, and that speak to issues beyond the four walls of our churches.

It was a cold December evening in 1785. A man walked purposefully down a cobblestone street in East London, his breath clouding in the still air. In his mid-twenties, he could have been mistaken for older, and probably would have been recognised had anyone looked closely enough. A prominent Member of Parliament, he had quietly slipped away from the public eye to this unlikely part of town, intent on finding an answer to a nagging question.