I’ve recently read several books about the wives of Christian reformers. They led me to ponder on the way the Church’s emphasis and lifestyle have changed throughout history. Here is a very superficial summary of my analysis, concentrating on the European situation:

• Early Church: world mission – “Go into all the world and make disciples!”
• Constantine: State Church; theological controversies, ecumenical councils
• Crusades: Unite to kill the heretics and infidels!
• Middle Ages: Church dominates society; indulgences; Inquisition
• Age of Discovery, Reformation: personal faith based on Bible; religious wars 
• Enlightenment: Anabaptists, Puritans, Methodists; new mission; severe piety; social reform
• Pentecostalism: Signs and wonders; grass-roots, independent churches
• Postmodernism: Emergent Church, Missional Church; faith deconstructed and reconstructed
• Postchristian, new atheism: Church attendance drops; social gospel; “Love your neighbour!”

So, what is the issue? 

Churches globally would concur on these core truths: God sent Jesus to reveal Himself, to provide Atonement through His death and to establish a new Covenant of Grace. Jesus’ resurrection is also considered by most as essential for salvation, victory over death, and the hope of a future resurrection.

However, Church practice has changed a lot over time. The priorities of the Reformation and a modern European church contrast sharply.

In the former case, the Reformers criticised the established Church as a merely formal, oppressive institution, and stressed the importance of repenting of one’s sin, turning to Jesus in faith for one’s personal salvation, and believing the Bible. Every believer was called to win others to the faith.

Today’s European churches have largely lost any missionary zeal. Nor do they emphasise truth, repentance, faith and the importance of the Bible. Their goal is now to promote peace, justice and care for the environment, and to offer a tolerant, warm, encouraging community for the lonely, marginalised and underprivileged.

Jim Memory points out a new aspect in the July 2025 edition of the Vista Journal: Many new diaspora churches are springing up in Europe, but they aren’t having anything like the impact they should because so many of their leaders are unable or unwilling to accommodate their churches to the culture and context. As one Chinese church leader put it recently: ‘The Chinese diaspora churches are like beautiful flowers that have been planted in European soil, but they have forgotten to remove the pot.’ 

I’d be interested to hear what you have to say. Please add your comments below.

I suggested to the teacher I might raise the possibility of there being a Creator God behind those evolutionary processes. She said there wouldn’t be time. And, anyway, religious studies cover such issues. Pity.

Here are my thoughts – intended to be appropriate for 9-year-olds:

• There are so many completely different living things. And they all seem to need or to help one another. So I feel sure they must have been made on purpose by a very clever designer. They can’t all just have popped up by themselves. This is called ‘intelligent design’.
• According to evolution, the creatures that cope best in any situation will live and multiply. They don’t care if that means killing off the weaker ones. But for people to live together in peace, we need to know right from wrong. Only God can teach us such moral values.
• The theory of evolution only describes how plants and animals develop physically. But we human beings also have mental and spiritual abilities that are far better than those of animals. We can think, speak and write. We plan ahead. Some of us are artistic or musical. Others are good at understanding the world we live in, inventing helpful gadgets, or healing sick people. And we feel we want to know and praise the God who made it all.

I’ve read Richard Dawkins (and others). They have done great research and made good observations. But, in my opinion, they leave many spiritual questions unanswered. I prefer to accept God’s initiative, not only in designing all of this fantastic natural world but also in visiting us in Jesus, so we could get to know Him.

Origins

The Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Istanbul was not named after a female saint; the name means Holy Wisdom – a reference to Jesus, the Wisdom of God – and was given a hundred years later to a Church originally commissioned by Constantine I in 325 CE, on the site of an earlier pagan temple. Rebuilt several times after fires, the present building was erected in the 6th century CE under the direction of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I and is considered an architectural marvel, both in terms of its size and its amazing dome structure.

For more than a millennium Hagia Sophia was the Cathedral of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople, with a brief interruption in the 13th century when it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral by the Fourth Crusaders.

After the Turkish conquest of Constantinople in 1453, Mehmed II had it repurposed as a mosque, which it remained during the heyday of the Ottoman Empire, until in 1934 the Turkish President Kemal Atatürk secularized the building, and made it into a museum.

Pagan – Orthodox Christian – Roman Catholic – Muslim – secular – and now Muslim again. So the wheels of history turn. 

Does it matter?

The World Council of Churches – representing 350 Orthodox and Protestant Christian denominations – is ‘dismayed’ that the museum should be turned back into a mosque. The Roman Catholic Pope Francis has said he’s ‘pained’ by Turkey’s decision. President Erdogan has defended his action.

Surely, all these faiths revere the same deity – God or Allah – don’t they? All recognise Abraham, Moses and Jesus as central figures of their religion. Christians claim Jesus was the unique Son of God; for Muslims He was one of the greatest prophets, because God cannot appear as more than one person.

Some Churches disagree about the role of the Holy Spirit, the third member of the divine Trinity. And the hierarchies and rituals vary greatly from one to another.

But is it worth fighting about?

In the 7th century, Islam was founded by the Prophet Muhammad. Ecclesiastical differences and theological disputes between the Greek and Latin Churches culminated in the Great Schism of 1054. The Crusades in the 11th to 13th centuries were terrible times of cruel warfare between different Christian factions and Muslims. The Inquisition starting in the 12th century and the Reformation in 16th-century Europe were further bitter struggles between different Christian groups, leading to much loss of life and hundreds of thousands of refugees. But why?

Secularism

At the end of the 17th century, the French Revolution ushered in the Age of Enlightenment. Darwinian evolution theory and other scientific developments – together with a rampant disillusionment with religion – led many in the West to adopt a secular humanistic position, rejecting most of the tenets of the monotheistic faiths.

Was that any better? I find I can’t believe in no God.

Peaceful co-existence

A couple of years ago, I had the honour of attending a Palestinian-Lebanese wedding celebration in Beirut – a city that has seen more than its fair share of religious conflicts. It was an elaborate, joyful occasion. Most of the guests were Muslim, a few Christian, but together we wished the beautiful couple health, happiness and God’s blessings.

While in Lebanon, I did some sightseeing. One thing that impressed me was to visit the recently built Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque. It stands, majestic, right next to the historic Martyrs Square, which later formed part of the Green Line separating the Muslim western from the Christian eastern sections of the city. Just behind the mosque is the much older Christian Maronite Cathedral of Saint George.

So, at the focal point of historic religious conflict, two dissimilar places of worship proclaim the possibility of peaceful co-existence.

Of course, tragic experiences and wounds are passed from father to son over many generations; it’s not easy for an injured ethnic group to forgive their persecutors.

And, of course, fundamental differences about what we believe and how we practise our faith do exist between religions. I don’t ask anyone to deny their doctrine and heritage. However, it is possible to respect our differences without fighting over them. In fact, we may go so far as to honour and perhaps learn from each other’s strengths.

Jesus said: ‘Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.’ (Mark 3:35)