We are very excited to invite you to our upcoming study day held on the 5th April 2014 from 830 – 1030am at ETF. Please find details of the breakfast seminar below:
United in diversity: A Christian view on the European Union
Europe stands at a crossroads. The euro crisis moves the debate on the future direction of the European Union (EU) to the forefront. Participants in this debate are inclined to take an extreme position. They either cling to the nation-state or go for a centralised federation, as in the current campaign for the European Parliament elections, to be held 22-25 May 2014. What position should Christians take?
From a Christian perspective, there are good reasons to be both positive and critical about the EU: positive about the EU as a community of values and in its efforts for public justice in Europe and globally; and critical because this ideal is continually overshadowed by economic and financial motives and because further integration threatens cultural diversity and democratic legitimacy.
The essence of a Christian view is a relational approach to Europe’s values and to European public justice. It aims to find a proper balance between unity and diversity. This is expressed well in the EU’s official motto: ‘United in Diversity’. Now more than ever, European leaders must act according to this motto to lead the EU forward to a flourishing and hopeful future.
The transcript of the seminar can be found here: Transcript from ILE Breakfast 5th April 2014.
Updated (18th November 2014): Dr Sander has just published a book with the same topic. “A Community of Peoples, Europe’s values and public justice in the EU”. For more information, please refer to this link: http://www.ecpf.info/acommunityofpeople
Our Speaker Dr. Sander Luitwieler
Sander Luitwieler (1978) studied Political Science at Leiden University, the Netherlands. During his studies and as a Ph.D. student, he specialised in European Union politics. In 2009, he got his Ph.D. degree at Erasmus University Rotterdam. In 2012, he concluded the Master Christian Studies of Science and Society at VU University Amsterdam. In his research, he focuses on developing a Christian perspective on European culture and the EU. In addition to several academic publications, he has produced a number of publications for the Research Institute of the Christian Union and the European Christian Political Foundation (ECPF). The latest one is “A community of peoples. Europe’s values and public justice in the EU”. At the moment, he is a Research Fellow at the Evangelical Theological Faculty in Leuven, Belgium.
Administrative Details
If you would like to attend the breakfast seminar, please email Peirong.lin@etf.edu, your name and the number of attendees by the 31st March 2014. The breakfast program is open to all at no charge although voluntary contributions towards the cost of these events are always welcome.
