Soccer fans who watched Spain celebrate its dramatic 2–1 victory over England in the European Football Championship also got an unexpected Bible message. The camera showed the trophy being engraved with the word Spain at the stadium in Berlin. Behind the engraver, Matthew 16:26 was written on the wall in German: “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” Most Spanish and British viewers couldn’t read the German, of course, but 67 percent of people living in Germany also watched the match. A majority of Germans say they have never read the Bible.
United Kingdom: ‘Gandalf’ church restored
Two churches in Kent have reopened as historic sites more than 650 years after they were shut down during the Black Death. One of them was built by a Norman monk named Gundulf—believed to be the inspiration for J. R. R. Tolkien’s character Gandalf.
Czech Republic: Theologians ID evangelicalism’s core
Evangelical theologians and Bible scholars gathered to discuss the definition and unity of evangelicals in Europe. Secularization, shifts in continental and global politics, and new criticisms of evangelical history have heightened the need for better articulation of core commitments. “We need to discuss again what is at the heart of evangelical belief and theology and what is more secondary,” said Dutch Bible scholar Gert Kwakkel. The meeting was organized by the Fraternity of European Evangelical Theologians, in cooperation with the European Evangelical Alliance and the Czech Fellowship of Evangelical Theologians. Papers presented at the five-day conference will be published in the future.
Ghana: Company triple tithes to build rural churches
A for-profit company announced plans to build 50 Assemblies of God churches and 50 two-bedroom parsonages as part of its tithe. First Sky Group is a holding company with subsidiaries involved in constructing roads, mining asphalt, selling energy, and running rural banks. In 2016, First Sky committed to a triple tithe, giving 30 percent of profits to “kingdom work.” The company supported the first kidney transplant clinic in West Africa. Now First Sky is building churches in rural areas where Christians are meeting in classrooms and under trees.
Uganda: Anglicans try to stop others from wearing vestments
The national Anglican Church has trademarked priests’ vestments in an attempt to stop evangelicals and Pentecostals from wearing the attire indicating ordination and office. Bishop Nathan Ahimbisibwe said people who are not Anglican priests have been abusing the vestments and the trademark gives the Church of Uganda a legal tool to stop it. “We wish to inform you that this is our attire so that once you are arrested, you will have no defense,” Ahimbisibwe said. At least one evangelical minister plans to sue.
Egypt: Christian man gets ID papers corrected
A Christian man had the religious affiliation on his national identification fixed 10 years after a clerical error accidentally listed him as a Muslim. Because of regulations on religious practice set by the Department of the Interior, the man could not send his children to a Christian school. His lawyers, working with the Alliance Defending Freedom International, say that repeated requests to fix the mistake were denied. Egypt has been criticized for making conversion technically impossible, despite guarantees enshrined in the constitution.
Nicaragua: Authoritarian crackdown hits Christian ministries
The government revoked the registrations of 695 religious nonprofits, continuing a yearslong crackdown on any part of civil society that can critique President Daniel Ortega. The official reason for shutting down the Catholic, evangelical, and Pentecostal groups was improper financial reporting. The government has now shut down more than 5,000 nonprofits. A United Nations spokesperson warned that civic space is being “fundamentally eroded.”
United States: Minister behind ‘Jesus Calling’ investigation leaves PCA
The teaching elder who called for the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) to investigate the orthodoxy of the devotional Jesus Calling has left the denomination. Benjamin Inman told his presbytery he has become convinced Christians should sing only the Psalms in worship and wants to transfer his ordination to the Reformed Presbyterian Church in North America. Before officially ending his PCA membership, he proposed the investigation of Jesus Calling—20 years after its publication and 10 months after the death of PCA author Sarah Young. The denomination approved the measure 947–834 at its annual meeting. Two committees will report back in 2025. Jesus Calling and its spin-offs have sold more than 45 million units in 30 languages, making it the bestselling devotional ever.
America average in prayer
Roughly half of the world prays more than Americans do, and half the world prays less. According to a Pew Research Center survey of more than 100 countries, 45 percent of all Americans pray daily, as part of any religion. That’s a bit higher than the rate in Romania and lower than in Armenia. People pray the most in Indonesia, Nigeria, and Senegal. They pray least in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Austria.
Hymn singing is good for heart health, study finds
A study of the physiological effects of vigorous singing found that belting out a tune for 30 minutes produced “acute improvements” in vascular blood vessels. Curiously, “Amazing Grace” improved heart health than other songs, including Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” and The Beatles’ “Hey Jude.” Researchers from the Medical College of Wisconsin say it’s too early to draw conclusions, but the findings “might be hypothesis-generating for future research in music medicine.”
Brazil: Most São Paulo evangelicals are Black women
A new study found that the largest group of evangelicals in São Paulo is Black women. According to a survey of city residents that included more than 600 self-identified evangelicals, evangelicals are 5 percentage points more likely than the general population to be female and 24 points more likely to be Black. One out of every four residents in the city is evangelical.
Vietnam: Imprisoned Christians are missing
Eleven Christians who are part of the Montagnard ethnic minority groups have gone missing in prison, according to International Christian Concern. Five Indigenous Protestants and six Catholics, part of an ethnic group that allied with the US during the Vietnam War and converted to Christianity in large numbers, were arrested about 10 years ago for “undermining national unity policy.” Their churches are not allowed to register with the government. The 11 have been sentenced to more than 90 years combined. But now their locations in the prison system are unknown, raising concerns about their well-being.
India: Hindu nationalist speaks against evangelism
A Hindu nationalist leader speaking at the National Conservatism Conference in the United States said the relationship between the US and India could be improved if Westerners would stop funding evangelism in India. Hindu nationalism is quite tolerant, according to Bharatiya Janata Party leader Swapan Dasgupta, but “the idea of converting to another faith” is considered “abhorrent.” Dasgupta said nationalists in the US and India have a lot in common and encouraged people at the conference to stop supporting evangelicals.
This article appeared in the November/December 2024 issue of Christianity Today as "Unexpected Bible message at Euro Cup".
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