SOEF16 Report
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THE PARADOX OF FREEDOM 1 THE PARADOX OF FREEDOM 2 THE PARADOX OF FREEDOM 1 THE REPORT OF THE 2016 STATE OF EUROPE FORUM HELD IN THE ZUIDERKERK, AMSTERDAM, MAY 8&9. THE PARADOX OF FREEDOM HOW CAN WE SUSTAIN EUROPE’S FREEDOMS IN THE FACE OF MULTIPLE THREATS? WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM: JONATHAN CHAPLIN, GERARD KELLY, VISHAL MANGAWADI, MINK DE VRIES, AD VAN LUYN, STEFAN WAANDERS, JEFF FOUNTAIN, JENNIFER TUNEHAG, PRABHU GUPTARA, JULIAN LINDLEY-FRENCH, JARNO VOLMER, JOHANNES DE JONG, NOEMI MONTES, CHRISTEL NGNAMBI, EMBERT MESSELINK, KATHIA REYNDERS, JULIA-DOXAT PURSER, MARNIX VISSCHER, JIM MELLIS, BERT DE RUITER, RICHARD TURNBULL, RIMA TÜZÜN, PAUL DE KLOE & WIM RIETKERK THE PARADOX OF FREEDOM 2 For videos, photos and reports see: www.stateofeuropeforum.eu/reports/amsterdam-2016 © 2016 The chapters in this report have been used by permission of the various contributors and are copyright ownership of the contributors themselves. They may not be reproduced for commercial use wthout the written permission of the authors. THE PARADOX OF FREEDOM 3 CONTENTS 5 FOREWORD: Why this forum? - Jeff Fountain A CELEBRATION OF FREEDOM - SUNDAY MAY 8, 15.30 8 The spiritual roots of Amsterdam’s DNA - Jeff Fountain & Kathia Reynders 11 Freedom, Erasmus and the Modern Devotion - Mink de Vries 12 The paradox of Europe’s diversity and unity – Vishal Mangalwadi 16 Freedom For (meditation) - Gerard Kelly 17 Who won the peace? – Jeff Fountain 19 Panel: Threats to Freedom in Europe today – Jennifer Tunehag, Noemi Montes, Stefan Waanders, Jonathan Chaplin OPENING PLENARY - SUNDAY MAY 8, 19.30 22 The truth will set you free (meditation) - Gerard Kelly 26 What is the EU for? - Jonathan Chaplin SECOND PLENARY – MONDAY MAY 9, 9.00 35 Humanifesto for freedom (meditation) - Gerard Kelly THE PARADOX OF FREEDOM 4 MORNING SEMINARS 36 POLITICS: Christianity & the ‘Souls’ of Europe – Jonathan Chaplin 43 E-Utopia - in Quest of Europe - Stefan Waanders 55 ECONOMICS: The Moral Challenge of the Market - Richard Turnbull 62 How Free is the ‘Free’ market? - Prabhu Guptara 73 REFUGEES: The plight of the Syrians - Rima Tüzün 79 Looking for Europe’s freedom - Noemi Montes 85 MIGRANTS: Living with Muslims - Bert de Ruiter 98 New European bridges - Jim Mellis 103 SECURITY: Responding to terrorism – Jarno Volmer 105 A counter-terrorism strategy - Johannes de Jong 115 East-West tensions - Julian Lindley-French EUROPE & THE CHURCHES: 121 The Churches’ role in Brussels - Ad van Luyn AFTERNOON SEMINARS 131 RELIGIOUS FREEDOM: THE ASYLUM CRISIS: THREAT OR OPPORTUNITY? - Julia Doxat-Purser & Marnix Visscher 138 TRAFFICKING: Freedom’s dark side - Jennifer Tunehag 142 Twelve Challenges - Tamme de Leur FAMILY & MARRIAGE: 145 Long and happy -Paulien Timmer/Richard Kane CREATION CARE: 146 The urgency of the topic - Embert Messink 152 The pursuit of the commons - Kathia Reynders 156 EDUCATION: Relational education - Paul de Kloe CLOSING PLENARY – MONDAY MAY 9, 17.30 159 Europe: holding on & letting go - Wim Rietkerk 163 Speakers and Contributors THE PARADOX OF FREEDOM 5 FOREWORD: WHY THIS FORUM? THE STATE OF EUROPE FORUM IS HELD ANNUALLY AROUND EUROPE DAY, THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE SCHUMAN DECLARATION OF MAY 9, 1950, THE RECOGNISED BIRTHDATE OF WHAT HAS BECOME THE EU. It is held in the capital of the country holding the presidency of the EU, (Budapest 2011, Copenhagen 2012, Dublin 2013, Athens 2014, Riga 2015… and this year in Amsterdam. The Forum aims to evaluate Europe today in the light of the vision of EU Founding Father, Robert Schuman, for Europe as a ‘community of peoples deeply rooted in Christian values’: equality, freedom, solidarity and peace. It is open for politicians, church leaders, civic leaders, educators, academics, media specialists, activists, and all concerned with the future of Europe. On May 9, 1950, Robert Schuman, the French Foreign Minister, proposed to his German colleague, Konrad Adenauer, that their two nations should together form a European Coal and Steel Community, inviting other European nations to join them in placing their coal and steel industries under a shared sovereign authority. The purpose was to consolidate post-war reconciliation and to prevent the emergence of any future war machine driven by those industries. This was a first bold step towards today’s European Union. Although several ‘fathers’ of today’s EU are recognised including Adenaeur, De Gasperi, Monnet and Spaak, Schuman is the only one officially named ‘Father of Europe’ by the European Assembly (now Parliament). Yet Schuman’s vision for Europe was of a ‘community of peoples’ deeply rooted in Christian values. In correspondence between himself and Adenauer, these two devout believers spoke of the providential opportunity they had been given to rebuild Europe on Christian foundations. These origins of this great political experiment that has irreversibly changed the lives of Europeans have been forgotten in secularised accounts of EU history. In recent years, Schuman’s fellow patriots resisted mention of Christian roots in the proposed EU constitution, in the name of laicité, a uniquely French approach to the separation of church and state. The State of Europe Forum aims to promote the ‘original vision’ for this ‘community of peoples’, demonstrating that it represents an authentic extension of Europe’s past, a viable foundation for Europe’s future, and a credible framework for engaging the challenges of the present. Jeff Fountain THE PARADOX OF FREEDOM 6 Isaiah 2:3, 4 Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Galatians 5: 1, 13-18, 22-25 1. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. 13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. 16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. THE PARADOX OF FREEDOM 7 A CELEBRATION OF FREEDOM ZUIDERKERK - SUNDAY, MAY 8, 15.30 ‘WELCOME TO AMSTERDAM, CITY OF FREEDOM’! Amsterdam has for centuries been known as a city of freedom. NYTimes writer, Russell Shorto, calls it the most liberal city in the world. This year we celebrate 71 years since the end of the last occupation, by Nazi Germany. Freedom is one of the EU’s stated values. But what does it mean? And how much do we believe in it? Freedom for all, or only freedom for ourselves? It’s time to examine the paradoxical nature of freedom which requires boundaries and sacrifice to sustain. On the eve of the 66th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, on May 9, 1950, recognised as the official birth of the EU, politicians, church leaders, civic leaders, educators, academics, media specialists, activists and others concerned with the future of Europe gathered in the Zuiderkerk from across the continent and from many church traditions to reflect on the state of Europe today, in the light of Robert Schuman’s vision for ‘a community of peoples deeply rooted in Christian values’. The year 2016 has been declared both the Erasmus Year and the Year of the Bible, in commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the publication of the great Renaissance scholar’s Greek and Latin parallel text New Testament in Basel, March 1516. This publication helped catalyse the Reformation, and provided the basis for German, English, Dutch, French and Spanish translations of the Bible in ensuing years. Europe Day, May 9, follows soon after Memorial Day (May 4) and Liberation Day (May 5) in the Netherlands; May 7 was the occasion of the Modern Devotie Feast celebrated in numerous Dutch locations. All these themes were woven into the public celebration, the opening event of this year’s Forum. THE PARADOX OF FREEDOM 8 THE SPIRITUAL ROOTS OF AMSTERDAM’S DNA: a visual presentation by Jeff Fountain & Kathia Reynders AMSTERDAM HAS A LONG HISTORY OF FREEDOM. WHAT WERE THE ROOTS OF THAT FREEDOM? IN THE 16TH CENTURY, WILLIAM OF ORANGE, LEADER OF THE DUTCH REVOLT AGAINST SPAIN, PROTESTED: “I CANNOT CONDONE THAT RULERS DESIRE TO RULE THE CONSCIENCE OF THEIR SUBJECTS, REMOVING THEIR FREEDOM OF FAITH...” (1564) The Union of Utrecht, The Dutch Republic’s ‘constitution’ of 1591 stated: ’Each person shall remain free, especially in his religion...’ After an intensive debate concerning tolerance and conformity, eventually the idea prevailed that religious freedom and freedom of thought would strengthen, not weaken, the state.