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The life of evangelical churches and their spiritual leaders has been portrayed in some recent films and series. Can they help us start conversations?
One million species are threatened with extinction, a UN report warns. Ruth Valerio, Global Advocacy and Influencing Director of Tearfund, shares ideas about how to care for creation through everyday actions.
The Brazilian physicist defends “a complementary approach to knowledge, especially on questions where science cannot provide a final answer”.
“Change the system, not the climate”, say 35,000 in Brussels. Christian experts welcome initiatives to change consumption habits.
The European Commission unveils a strategy which includes “low and zero emission vehicles and alternative fuels”. Evangelical groups support policies in the line of the Paris Agreement.
The media frequently relate the theory of a flat Earth to “fundamentalist Christianity”. Scientists Antoine Bret and Antonio Cruz explain the lack of credibility of a theory that has no scientific or theological support.
Tourists will be able to visit the 1,700-year old basilica, submerged in the Iznik lake.
“The psychological fallout from medical abortions completed at home can be severe”, Philippa Taylor of the Christian Medical Fellowship says.
Author and PhD in Biology, Antonio Cruz, analyses the importance of the finding of a lake of liquid water in Mars, made by the European Space Agency.
Producers will help cover the costs of clean-up and waste management for items such as food and drinks containers. “Single use plastics are not a smart economic or environmental choice”, says the European Commission.
A report warns that ocean plastic will triple in a decade. “We invest a lot of money for missions to space, but there’s nothing living out there. The sea bed is teeming with life”, experts say.
Virtual reality, 5G and artificial intelligence are among some of the services highlighted in the latest edition of the Mobile World Congress. “What do we contribute apart from the trace of our fingerprints?”, asks IT engineer Jesús Muñoz.
When the forest burns, soils are exposed to the rain, and erosion becomes a serious problem.
Germán López-Cortacans, has presented a thesis on the image of God in people with intellectual disabilities. “Christians have to be self-critical”.
Around 70% of deaths from cancer occur in low- and middle-income countries. “Cancer no longer needs to be a death sentence”, WHO says.
Christians in Europe are “finally taking the challenge of climate change seriously”, says Dave Bookless of A Rocha.
About 90 delegates attended the European Creation Care and the Gospel conference in Nice (France). Chris Wright: “Whatever we do to God’s creation either points to, or diminishes, God’s glory”.
According to researchers, the solar eclipse took place on 30 October 1207 BC. If the words in Joshua “are describing a real observation, then a major astronomical event was taking place”.
The German-born Protestant scientist was the precursor of modern entomology. This year is the 300th anniversary of her death.
The Swiss Evangelical Alliance launches a document “to empower Christians to plan an eco-friendly event that glorifies God and benefits all of creation”.
In creation care, “we need more people who lead by example”, says well-known Brazilian politician and activist Marina Silva.
About 90 people will attend the European creation care conference near Nice (France). “Churches have been lacking a vision that puts creation care at the heart of daily discipleship, worship and mission”, says Dave Bookless.
One of the largest icebergs ever recorded has changed the outline of the Antarctic Peninsula forever. Experts say this will not result in sea level rises.
One third of the world now faces seasons of extreme heat. “For heat waves, our options are now between bad or terrible”, study says.
Miguel Wickham comments on the United States decision to leave the Paris Agreement and encourages Christians to commit themselves to the biblical mandate of stewardship.
The US may have left the Paris climate agreement, but Christians cannot avoid their responsibility in preserving God’s creation, says Antonio Cruz.
Political and religious leaders heavily criticise the decision. France, Germany and Italy reject Trump’s assertion that the climate deal can be redrafted.
The President of the Evangelical Philosophical Society, Angus Menuge, explains what AI is, its limits and the enduring differences between artificial and human intelligence.
The Renew Our World campaign is “calling on Christians worldwide to join in prayer and action to respond to the negative consequences of climate change.”
The ancient town is mentioned in the books of Joshua and 1 Samuel. Excavations start in August.
At about 40 light-years from Earth, it is possible that some of them could have water on their surface.
France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK will face court action if they don't set out plans to cut NO2 emissions.NO2 caused almost 70,000 premature deaths in Europe in 2013.
The response of the European Churches to climate change, as with all environmental issues, has been patchy, but there are signs that this is beginning to change.
Astronomers found the Milky Way is speeding away from a large, previously unseen void.
Research shows that around 70% of US Evangelicals believe evolution is probably or definitely false, while 28% of them said that the climate is not changing.
There is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke, a study says.
According to a Rice University study, both religious and non-religious scientists criticize the way Dawkins deals with religion.
The Southern Ocean will be sheltered from fishing in the next 35 years. The agreement comes after five years of negotiations. Russia was the last one to accept it.
I have always found striking, the discrepancy between the public support for euthanasia (among those who are healthy) and my patients’ desire for continued life.
A team of Russian archaeologists announces “a discovery of international significance” in the ancient Greek site of Phanagoria (Crimea). Darius I is mentioned in the book of Ezra.
“Many atheists are beginning to see that their loud, aggressive attitude is not working”, says Mathematics Prof. John Lennox in an interview with Evangelical Focus. “We need to spend time to get to know Scripture at beyond a kind of Sunday school class level”.
What mysterious properties do the Oikopleura dioica have to challenge God and cause such religious tremors?
The WEASC aims “to inspire and empower believers”. Priorities include “participation in global policy-making processes, climate change mitigation and sustainability”.
“The disappearance of many species of insects could possibly be the beginning of the disappearance of our own species”, PhD in Biology Antonio Cruz, says.
Perhaps we are being offered a wake-up call and a hope. And perhaps we can bring a humble, rich theology of creation (one that spurs us into action) squarely into the debate.
A debate about science and faith between Oxford Emeritus Professor of Mathematics John Lennox and Oxford Emeritus Professor in Chemistry Peter Atkins. Moderated by journalist Justin Brierley.
The European Parliament voted to ban replaceable products such as plates, straws and cotton buds, by 2021.
Around 80% of sexually active people will get a STD. The average age of the patients has decreased.
The water level of the Sea of Galilee has dropped by six meters compared to 2004. Israel believes that the best solution is the desalination.
A private company says it will freeze and preserve human bodies for at least 100 years. In the United States, 350 people have already given their body to cryopreservation.
“We have to understand the times in which we live, and have discernment”, says Doctor Peter J. Saunders.
Our generation must speak out for the poor and vulnerable, and the generations to come, and not act as if history ends with us.
Water is, biblically, a precious blessing from God. It is a gift, not a right. And wasting it, misusing it, failing daily to be grateful for it, are sins against God, neighbour and creation.
Are Christians called to make a difference in environmental care? What has creation care to do with "loving our neighbours"? An interview with the Global Advocacy and Influencing Director of Tearfund.
University professor in Physics, Antoine Bret, comments on Hawking’s idea that “science makes God unnecessary”.
“He once said: ‘It would not be much of a universe if it wasn’t home to the people you love’”, the scientist’s children say in a statement.
Companies in several countries work to eradicate plastic packaging.
The European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning “the practice of surrogacy, which undermines the human dignity of the woman since her body and its reproductive functions are used as a commodity”.
It happened for the third time in 40 years. The image has been captured by the European Space Agency Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.
Child euthanasia, a reality in Belgium.
Helicopters airlifted tourists in Switzerland and Italy as more than 20,000 tourists trapped.
Czech researcher David Vokoun shares about what it means to live out his faith in the workplace. “What makes a difference is my motivation for doing my work”.
Former Google and Uber engineer Anthony Levandowski, founds Way of the Future, which aims “to create a deity based on artificial intelligence for the betterment of society”.
The conference drew about 90 delegates from across Europe. Scientists, theologians, activists reflected together on the theme “God’s Word and God’s World”.
Scientific research warns that some of the dyes used in tattoos contain contaminants that could harm the lymph nodes.
The US withdrawal will make climate change solutions more difficult, and climate catastrophe more likely. The decision is unjust, immoral and unworthy of a great nation.
The cache of nine bronze coins may have been stashed fleeing Christians en route to Jerusalem as Persians invaded the land in 614 CE.
Personal journeys, radical agendas and perplexing dilemmas.
Transgenderism is the next major issue that Christians are going to have to come to grips with – theologically, morally, medically, legally and pastorally. Many in our churches have been taken by surprise.
Scientists say human emissions of CO2, the warming of the Arctic, and El Nino were the main factors of the new high. “God has called us to be responsible stewards of creation”, Christian activists say.
Any society that wants to survive must care for the weak and vulnerable in their midst.
According to archaeologist Douglas Petrovich, inscriptions in stone slabs from Egypt contain an early form of Hebrew, with references to figures from the Bible.
It is the earliest extra-biblical source to mention Jerusalem in Hebrew writing. Radiocarbon dating has determined it is from the 7th century BCE.
A look at European statistics on five key biomedical issues: surrogate parenthood, gender transformation, the new eugenics, euthanasia and abortion.
Developers claim this is the first ever 3D digital hologram of the human brain fibre connections. The tecnique is called “Fibre Tractography”.
They have also found Philistine pottery, lending credence to the biblical account of them living in the city until being vanquished by King David.
The cemetery has been found outside the walls of the Israelite port city of Ashkelon. The discovery of more than 200 bodies will reveal many details about how the Philistines lived.
Ahead of the referendum, the Swiss Evangelical Alliance and two Evangelical Parties oppose the proposition of allowing more research in medically assisted reproduction.
Air pollution is responsible for 9% of mortality in France, according to a study made public this week. The only things that are more deadly to the French are tobacco and alcohol.
Karen L. King’s announcement got much media attention in 2012. After and in-depth research of The Atlantic magazine, she admits she probably was deluded by “fabrications.”
Some of the ways that evangelical organisations are taking up the global challenge of implementing creation care as a mission task.
A Christian Maths student is interviewed about her faith on the back cover of a secular Spanish national newspaper.
The media’s interpretation of the significance of the discovery a few months before it was made reflects the need most humans feel to find ultimate spiritual reality.
It reveals the high status of its owner and confirms the important role of some women during the First Temple period, as described in the book of Proverbs.
Social media users share great ‘Aurora Borealis’ pictures.
Authorities in Israel called it the oldest discovery of its kind in the area. The historic site was found while authorities were doing roadwork.
Why Einstein’s theory of relativity is actually a powerful argument for absolute truth.
“We’ve confused our politics with our faith”, the respected evangelical atmospheric scientist Katharine Hayhoe thinks. “If we really believed what the Bible says, we would be on the forefront of this issue.”
The moon, seen from the Earth and from space. Images captured by the NASA in 2015.
Today, the earth has approximately 3 trillion trees left, but each year more than 15 billion are lost.
Autonomous weapons will “appear on the black market and in the hands of terrorists”, warn prominent researchers like Stuart Russell, Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking.
Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) are the smallest Artiodactyl mammals of the Cervidae family that exist in Eurasia. Adult males can reach a height of 65 cm and a weight of 30 kg.
We think so much of humans that we forget we can talk to the King of the Universe, God himself! He made all the thousands of people that we consider so “important”.
Julia Doxat-Purser: 25 years of EEA office in Brussels
An interview with the socio-political representative of the European Evangelical Alliance about how evangelical Christians work at the heart of the European Union.
Lars Dahle: Nominal Christianity, a mission field for the church
An interview with Lars Dahle, of the Steering Committee of the Lausanne Movement Global Consultation on Nominal Christianity held in Rome.
AEA Plaza opens to serve African evangelicals
After many years of labour, the Association of Evangelicals in Africa officially opened its new centre in Nairobi, Kenya. “Africa, your time has come!”, said the World Evangelical Alliance Secretary General Efraim Tendero.
‘Small churches, big potential for transformation’
Photos of the Spanish Evangelical Alliance’s annual gathering “Idea 2019”, in Murcia. Politicians and church leaders discussed about the role of minorities in society.
What prevents us from making disciples who make disciples?
An answer by Josef Pavlinak, Director of Integrity Life.
A call to prayer from the streets of Venezuela
In the midst of the turmoil in Venezuela, Pastor Carlos Vielma, Vice President of the Union of Christian Churches of Venezuela, sent out an urgent plea for Christians everywhere to pray.
Romania: God’s Word among Roma people
Gypsies are one of the largest ethnic minority groups in Romania. According to 2013 estimates, the Roma groups make up 10% of the country's population, accounting for about 1.5 million people.
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Opinions expressed are those of their respective contributors and do not necessarily represent the views of Evangelical Focus.
