French Windows

The rise of French Evangelicals: an article from the Guardian

2009-12-02T23:02:57+01:00

Lizzy Davies, a journalist from the Guardian, called me a few days ago to ask me some questions about French Evangelicals. Unfortunatly, I was not in my home and I did not have the opportunity to answer in due time.

This did not prevent Lizzy Davies from kindly quoting me, recycling an old bit of interview given to the French daily Le monde.

Norway best place to live, France 8th, USA 13th (2009)

2009-10-05T20:27:51+02:00

The annual United Nations Human Development Index has been released today (Monday 5th of October).

According to this index, based on such criteria as life expectancy, literacy, school enrolment and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, Norway is the best place to live in.

French Baptists celebrate

2009-10-05T20:52:36+02:00

French Baptist history goes back to 1820, giving the French the oldest unbroken history of any Baptist community on the European continent. There were Baptist churches in France before Baptist churches started in Texas!

A French Baptist Historical Society (the SHDBF, or Société d'Histoire et de Documentation Baptistes de France) was founded in 2000 at a meeting in the historic chapel in the rue de Lille in the centre of Paris, with as "founder members" the three groups of French Baptists (Federation, Association, and then independent Eglise du Tabernacle, which has since joined the Association).

Isle of Lewis, the last Calvinistic stronghold in Europe?

2009-12-02T23:11:00+01:00

Last month, I had the priviledge to be invited by David W. Bebbington to a conference organized by the Evangelicalism and Fundamentalism in Britain Project.

My topic was an exotic one: I spoke on Isle of Lewis (SCOTLAND), the last Calvinistic stronghold in Europe!

Diversity in the French media: still some work to be done

2009-01-20T15:35:26+01:00

In a book published in 2004, I highlighted the fact that many French people just happen to see Black faces on the TV because of…. American movies.

Unfortunatly, this is still largely true today.

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Billy Graham's legacy in Europe

2008-12-17T15:47:52+01:00

On the occasion of today's Billy Graham's 90th Birthday...

"Billy Graham is without a doubt the most global American evangelist of the twentieth century. Supported by the BGEA, an evangelism multinational, he travelled the five continents for over half a century.

It is no surprise that Continental Europe has been one of the main targets of his outreach. Isn’t Europe the world’s most secular continent?

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Congratulations to the American people

2008-11-10T13:41:01+01:00

What a landslide! Barack Obama could not have been more clearly elected on this 4th of November, 2008!

Even if around 90% of the French would have voted for him if they could have done so, make no mistake!!!

This is baaaaad news for many of my people...

With G.W. Bush as a US president, it was increasingly easy for us to feel superior...

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Alive again

2008-11-10T14:01:10+01:00

You must have noticed that this young blog is currently coming back to life, after more than 6 months of hibernation.

Why?

The reason is simple: on a personal level, 2008 has been a very tough year (marked by grief).

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A new book on Evangelicals and Empire

2008-11-08T12:34:07+01:00

The globalization process brings specific issues: who will control the dynamics of the global capitalist economy? Two famous authors, Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, emphasize in two well-known books, Empire and Multitude, that an imperial trend is currently working.

Its aim is domination, domination, and profit.

What about the religious factor? What about the role of Evangelicals in empire?

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United States of... France?

2008-11-10T14:38:02+01:00

Did you think that since the Iraqi war, France and the US had nothing in common anymore?

Far from that.

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Globish: not the only tongue after all

2008-11-08T12:41:31+01:00

I recently wrote in my French-speaking blog that our president, Nicolas Sarkozy, should not ignore the fact that the worldwide language is now GLOBISH. Which means : global English.

I criticized the fact that our president thought it would be useless to broadcast a French TV satellite channel in English. I stand in my positions. However, there is another side of the debate.

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What is French "Laïcité" (laicity)?

2008-11-08T12:35:53+01:00

Our French President has recently drawn criticism after one of his speeches during his visit to the Vatican.

In front of the highest Roman Catholic Clergy, he emphasized the importance of the French "christian roots" (mainly Catholic), while he also pleaded for a "positive" version of "laïcité" (laicity, sometimes translated by secularism).

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Politics and Religion, France/USA

2008-11-08T12:36:52+01:00

Both France and the USA do like to teach the World about values. These two great democracies share a common emphasis on universal rights, and it is no surprise if the world debate about the Iraqi war in 2003 turned around what France and what the US had to say.

How to explain that? By going back to History, particularly in studying the relationship between politics and religion in France and the US. This is what this new book is about.

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Religion and American Politics

2008-11-08T12:58:13+01:00

In French, we describe a cliche or an extremely common topic as a «tarte à la crème» (cream pie). Sweet and familiar taste but difficult to digest.

In this regard, «Religion and Politics in America» is a typical «tarte à la crème». A very good (and important) topic, but hard to digest. Too many books, too many opinions, too many passions.
This particular book, however, deserves to be savoured more than others.

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WELCOME!

2008-11-08T12:58:38+01:00

Hi! Welcome to this new blog.

First of all, this is an open window on French realities, but it is also a window on USA, UK and the Global Village through gallic lenses.

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