The Claim to Christianity

The far right is on the rise across Europe and elsewhere. Although far-right movements come in distinct shapes and different sizes, one dominant feature in Europe in recent years has been the call for a defence of the Christian West against Islam. Biblical verses appearing on far-right election posters, Christian manifestos supplementing far-right political agendas, and pseudo-historical references to the Crusades have all been used to establish the identity of Europe as firmly founded on a Christianity that is pitted in opposition to Islam and an Islam that is pitted in opposition to Christianity. In The Claim to Christianity, Strommen and Schmiedel consider how far right movements in Europe have laid claim to Christianity, and what churches have done about it. They find that churches can often be unintentionally complicit in far-right claims to Christianity. Discovering that at heart Christianity is about openness to the 'other', they offer a critical and constructive assessment of the way forward.

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