Written by Alfred Jones*<\/p>\n
The French love anniversaries, and this year French Protestants have taken advantage of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation to stage a number of commemorations. Last weekend, for example, the Protestant Federation of France sponsored a two-day international colloquium entitled \u201cConvictions and Engagements.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gathering in several ornate public rooms of the imposing Paris City Hall, some eight hundred Protestants, ranging from Calvinists, Lutherans, and Baptists to Evangelicals and Pentecostals, listened to speakers discuss a variety of subjects, including the diverse manifestations of the Reformation, how Catholics, Orthodox, Jews, and Muslims view Protestants today, Protestantism and modernity, Protestants and politics, and Protestant missions.
Doubtless the highlight of the weekend, however, was the appearance of Emmanuel Macron, president of France, accompanied by the mayor of Paris, on Friday evening. Educated by Jesuits, but later a research assistant for \u201chis master,\u201d the eminent Protestant philosopher\/theologian Paul Ricoeur, Macron\u2019s forty-minute address was half-scripted and half-extemporaneous. Obviously at ease with his audience. the president hailed the Protestants\u2019 \u201ccritical spirit\u201d that has nourished France, and their leadership in the nation\u2019s philosophical, moral and political battles. But he went further, asserting that he expects \u201cmuch from you\u201d today, including helping the country reach clarity on bioethical questions. After his address, the president lingered, advancing slowly down the center aisle, sharing handshakes and words with many. France has had Protestant prime ministers but never a Protestant president. Emmanuel Macron may be the closest France gets to the real thing.<\/p>\n