German Chancellor to Syrian Refugees: ‘Go Home’

Last week, German chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that it is time for Syrian refugees in his country to return home. An estimated 1.3 million refugees have arrived in Germany since Syria’s civil war began 14 years ago. Now that Bashar al-Assad’s regime has fallen and a new government is in place, Merz says Syrians must rebuild their country just as Germans did after World War II.

The Bulletin sat down with Russell Moore, Mike Cosper, and CT contributing writer Ken Chitwood, who is based in Germany, to learn more about the country’s demographics and deportation plans. Listen to the whole conversation in episode 223.

You can read the edited excerpts below.

Marine Le Pen's Verdict, Christians, and the Rise of the Far-right in Europe

What does a corruption verdict for a popular politician in France have to do with evangelical pastors in the U.S.?

Last week, I joined Clarissa Moll on Christianity Today’s news podcast, “The Bulletin,” to discuss the verdict passed on to French politician Marine Le Pen and her party, National Rally.

Though there are particulars in France, Le Pen’s and National Rally’s — or Rassemblement National’s — upward trajectory can be connected to the rise of populist, nationalist, and far-right parties and sentiments across the continent and perhaps even across the Atlantic Ocean.

Right-wing populism has been on the rise in Europe for over 20 years and Le Pen’s popularity is not an isolated occurrence.

They draw on what might be called “transversal topics of concern” that reach, and connect, multiple groups hitherto disconnected: anti-immigrant sentiment, skepticism about liberal democracy and the EU, questions about gender equality, as well as discontent with existing economic systems and climate policies.

This includes Christians. One example was the voice of the Christian Right in protests against governmental policies during the COVID-19 pandemic, which united conservative Christians, left-leaning civil society, and far-right anti-establishment parties.

This networking across different constituencies and countries enhances the influence and reach of populist far-right ideologies like Le Pen’s.