In this book, dr. Evert van de Poll analyzes origins of different areas of society, including hospitals, universities, liberal democracy and many more. This way, he unfolds the impact of the Bible on our lives and the Europe we live in.
The author honestly looks at the dark pages written by churches in the past. A few examples are their connection with state violence, colonialism, intolerance, capitalism, slavery, and especially antisemitism. However, its severest critics in these areas were Christians, taking their inspiration from the Gospel! Paradoxically, Europe is deeply marked by the Christian faith and at the same time by its abandonment. The author describes the rise of secular Europe: the decline of religion, the cultural dechristianisation, the rise of secular ideologies and lifestyles. He then looks at today’s society, at secular, religious and demographic trends, post-secular trends in the public and political spheres, and the statistical state of Christianity in different parts of Europe. Special attention is given to committed, nominal and cultural forms of Christianity, and to typical barriers and bridges for the Gospel among seculars and postmoderns.
As the author takes a closer look at the emergence of secular Europe and analyzes our contemporary society and its relation to Christianity, hope is spread that the Gospel, which has greatly impacted our European society in so many ways, still holds ‘good news’ for the continent today.
(Paperback: ISBN: 978-3-95776-102-6)
Evert van de Poll. Christian Faith and the Making of Europe: Yesterday and Today, second edition. Nürnberg: VTR, 2021.