Although Europe is still thriving, it is mentally confused and lacks a soul and a notion of ‘Europe’. But Europe will never be able to find its true identity if it does not acknowledge its fundamental Christian roots. We tend to forget that Europe has given the world a great gift. According to Prof. Antoine Bodar in his farewell lecture on 16 December 2011, Europe has produced a culture, which partly thanks to Christianity, has become a yardstick for the whole of humanity. In the public debate, even non-believers should openly admit to being cultural Christians. Intellectuals are particularly unwilling to be reminded of their Christian roots, explains Bodar. They see Christianity merely as a phase in the development of culture; a phase that is nearly over and has made way for their new God: science. But they do not realize that every branch of science only explores a small part of reality. They think that faith is a private matter, which should not be allowed to interfere with public life. Bodar claims that Europe has only become a united continent because Christianity has brought it together. In the light of the Torah, Greek philosophy and Roman rule, Christianity acted as the catalyst that caused Europe to unite. And even though it is no longer called Christian, Europe would benefit enormously if people were to stop denying its Christian European roots during public debate. Europe will never really be unified until it discovers its true personal identity. And this identity is inextricably bound with Christianity. Professor Antoine Bodar has been Professor of Christianity, Culture and Media at Tilburg School of Humanities since 1 July 2006. His chair was an initiative of the Stichting Hieronymus, a foundation dedicated to promoting Christian heritage as a factor in culture and media in the academic world.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 18:48:38 +0000
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