Posts tagged Europe
Christians Reach Out (With Bibles And Basketball) To Albanians

Churches of Christ in Albania sponsor their own basketball league, Rebound. The Tirana team is about half Roma. They named themselves “Wings of Eagles” after Isaiah 40:31. Fushë Krujë also has a team, though some of its members joined before learning to dribble. They dubbed themselves “The Sons of Thunder,” the nicknames of apostles James and John in Mark 3:17.

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Billy Graham Association Launches UK Religious Liberty Defense Fund

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse are helping Christians persecuted for their faith in the United Kingdom through a legal defense fund of more than $1.2 million.

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From ‘New Jerusalem’ To Lost Shtetl: Inside The Twin Souls Of A Polish Town

The Vistula, Poland’s longest river, snakes 650 miles north from the Tatras Mountains past Krakow and Warsaw to the Gulf of Gdańsk, where it empties into the Baltic Sea. Upstream from the capital, the river flows past Góra Kalwaria, a place the country’s Catholics revere as Nowa Jerozolima (or “New Jerusalem”).

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On Religion: Tolkien, Lewis And Great Post-World War I Myths

(ANALYSIS) A young J.R.R. Tolkien wrote: “The fume of the burning, and the steam of the fair fountains of Gondolin withering in the flame of the dragons of the north, fell upon the vale of Tumladen in mournful mists.” The battlefields were “cold and terrible.”

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From Roman Holiday To Religious Feast, A History Of An Italian Summer Tradition

The roots of Ferragosto date back over 2,000 years to ancient Rome. The name itself is derived from the Latin phrase Feriae Augusti, meaning “Festivals of Augustus” — a holiday instituted in 18 BCE by Emperor Augustus. It later became a Christian holiday and is celebrated throughout Italy to this day.

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‘I Will Always Be a Jew’: Billy Joel On His Family’s Holocaust History

In the second installment of “And So It Goes,” HBO’s new two-part documentary about Billy Joel, the Piano Man explains why he wore a yellow Star of David in August 2017, during his residency at Madison Square Garden, in his most extensive filmed account of his family’s experience in the Holocaust. “No matter what, I will always be a Jew,” he said.

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From Underdog To Icon: The Enduring Legacy Of Jewish Soccer Star Rinus Israel

(ANALYSIS) Although he remains little known beyond the country of his birth, Rinus Israël, who died July 1 in the Netherlands at age 83, was one of history’s great Jewish soccer players. In 1970, as captain of Feyenoord, Israël was the first Dutchman — and the first Jew — to lift the European Cup (the equivalent of today’s Champions League trophy).

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The 1995 Srebrenica Genocide And The Risk Of Further Atrocities Now

(ANALYSIS) July 11, 2025, marks the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, the worst atrocity on European soil since World War II. In July 1995, the Bosnian Serb army overran Srebrenica, brutally murdered thousands of men and teenagers, and expelled between 20,000 and 30,000 people (women, children and older persons) from the town.

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Is There Really A Religious Revival Taking Place In England?

(ANALYSIS) The Bible Society recently published a report claiming that church attendance in England and Wales increased by more than half between 2018 and 2024. The revival was especially striking among young men, with reported church attendance jumping from 4% to 21% over this short period.

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Scandinavian Church’s Dark History Of Assimilating Indigenous People

Tapio Luoma’s words were the latest in a series of apologies through which the former state churches in Scandinavia have sought to reset their relations with the Indigenous population of Sápmi, the natural and cultural area of Sámi people. Today, the region is divided between Finland, Norway, Sweden and Russia.

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Where Sunlight Meets An Ancient Tradition: The Power Of Stonehenge

Over 6,000 years old and still a site for worship, Stonehenge remains a unique place. As the first rays of the sun shine into the Stone Circle at the recent summer solstice, thousands of worshippers gathered to celebrate, just as people have done throughout history. Druids, Wiccans and other pagan groups gathered to watch the sun’s arrival following a long winter.

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Russia Escalates Religious Persecution, Targets Pastors And Churches

Russia continued to persecute pastors and shutter churches within its borders and in territories it occupies in Ukraine, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said in an updated report. The government has imprisoned, tortured and levied monetary fines against many religious leaders, including Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox Church of Ukraine and others.

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Memory, Melody And Meaning: The Rock Star Who Refused To Hide His Faith

(ANALYSIS) Bono has never been backwards in coming forward, especially when it comes to God. He doesn’t mumble about “spiritual energy” or dodge the name of Jesus. He says it straight: “The Son of God.”  He talks about Christ carrying his shame, not because it sounds poetic, but because he believes it. His faith isn’t necessarily neat or polished, but it's real.

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Puppets And Peace: One Woman’s Mission To Make Jewish Culture Joyful For All

If Jim Henson and Fred Rogers could connect with kids through puppets, why couldn’t Shlomit Tripp? “It’s really important that these kids understand that being Jewish is also fun,” Tripp said. “It’s not only the Shoah or this dry religion sitting in a synagogue and being bored.” Regardless of background, all appeared enthralled before Tripp’s colorful creations and exaggerated voices.

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Faith Among The Ruins: How Chaplaincy Lives On at Fountains Abbey In Northern England

Finding chaplains on-site at a National Trust heritage property is not something visitors usually expect. But at Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire, in the north of England, it has become a regular occurrence. The Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII marked the end of Fountains Abbey as a Cistercian monastery.

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Blades Over The Burial Mound: The Fight To Save A Sacred Northern Ireland Site

For the first time in centuries, public access to the Knock has been denied. Although the hill is widely acknowledged to be used publicly, it’s technically private land. After a group went to the summit for a winter solstice ceremony last year — honoring what many believe to be the hill’s ancient role in sun worship — they received a letter from the landowner warning they were trespassing. 

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‘Destroyed By Modernization’: Medieval Berlin’s Diverse Religious Roots Unearthed

Berlin faces growing intolerance of immigrants and their religions, especially Muslim Arabs from countries like Turkey and Syria. right-wing extremist political parties like the Alternative for Germany echo Nazi talking points and pine for a homogenous, white and Christian society. History, however, shows that such a time never existed.

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How African Churches Are Shaping Western Christianity From Lagos To London

Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Christianity flowed from Europe and North America to Africa, often carried by missionaries. But in the 21st century, the pattern has reversed. African-led churches are now sending their own missionaries abroad, and many are planting churches in many former colonial capitals.

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ISIS Fighters Must Not Escape Justice In The UK

(ANALYSIS) On May 13, 2025, the Joint Committee on Human Rights in the U.K. Parliament, a committee consisting of members of the upper and lower houses of the U.K. Parliament, published a report looking into the U.K.’s responses to Daesh — also known as the Islamic State group — atrocities, and in particular, to the Daesh fighters who returned to the U.K.

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