From: Peter Ruest (pruest@pop.mysunrise.ch)
Date: Fri Jan 31 2003 - 12:42:17 EST
Alan McCarrick wrote:
> We had a missionary speak at our church on his work in France and emphasized the almost complete absence of God from the minds of most of the French. We spoke briefly afterwards. He was aware of the ASA, but not that there is a British sister organization.
>
> Does anyone know of any similar organization in France or other part of continental EU ?
In Germany, there is the "Akademiker-SMD", the graduates' and faculty
branch of the SMD (Studentenmission in Deutschland, corresponding to
Intervarsity). For March 7-9, 2003, they plan a meeting in Kassel about
"Materie - der Stoff, aus dem die Welt besteht" ("Matter - the stuff of
which the world is composed"), with 9 speakers (six physicists - some of
them also active in philosophy, mathematics, or computer science -, two
theologians and one historian). The aim of the meeting is to
"investigate the mystery of the structure of our world from the
perspectives of the natural sciences, theology, philosophy, and
history."
But unfortunately, the characterization "almost complete absence of God
from the minds of most" of the people applies to Germany, Switzerland,
Italy, Austria, etc., as well. This situation is probably a consequence
of the state or otherwise publicly privileged big churches having become
very much secularized, while discriminating or even at times persecuting
the free churches which base membership on faith. A great majority of
the populations of these and other European countries are members of
such big churches, having been baptized as infants. But most of them
never go to church except for weddings, baptisms, and burials, know
virtually nothing about the Bible, don't give a d... about anything
Christian, but would usually be severely offended if it were suggested
that they were not "Christians". It is not a pure coincidence that the
theological liberalism destructive of the biblical faith was invented in
Germany.
Peter
-- Dr. Peter Ruest, CH-3148 Lanzenhaeusern, Switzerland <pruest@dplanet.ch> - Biochemistry - Creation and evolution "..the work which God created to evolve it" (Genesis 2:3)
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