Schloss Mittersill :: Home

by Dr Andrzej Turkanik

The term ‘Christian renaissance’ may seem contradictory at first; it may even grate on the ears. This is not unintentional. The phrase, ‘toward a Christian renaissance in Europe’ has been chosen deliberately to challenge Christians in Europe to think long and hard about their role in society. To most people, the word ‘renaissance’ (meaning ‘rebirth’) refers to the Renaissancea specific period of history in which Europe experienced a cultural rebirth. So by talking about a ‘Christian renaissance’ are we proposing a rebirth of Christianity? Of course notbut we are talking about a reborn Christian presence within culture.

Continue reading "Becoming Renaissance People" »

How should a Christian set out to express his or her beliefs through artistic media? Ross Lawhead, recently a writer-in-residence at Schloss Mittersill, shares his thoughts:

'Since I believe in truth and beauty, which in turn feeds my faith in God and Christ who are perfect realisations of those qualities, then my artistic expression manifests itself, on my better days, as simply portraying truth and beauty (even ugly beauty, which you find in a mature artist like Dostoevsky), as, when, and where I find it. With positive motivation like that, artistic expression becomes truly creative, and not merely reactive.'

Continue reading "Truth and Beauty through Art" »

Looking to the present and the future, could it be possible for Christians to have a voice again in what has been called ‘post-Christian’ Europe? Could culture-shaping ideas once again be based on God’s revealed word, rather than on agnostic—if not atheistic—worldviews? It is only by God’s grace that this can happen, but we realise that we can do our part by connecting with each other in order to develop ideas that have relevance, and that speak to issues beyond the four walls of our churches.

Continue reading "Networks that Transform" »

It was a cold December evening in 1785. A man walked purposefully down a cobblestone street in East London, his breath clouding in the still air. In his mid-twenties, he could have been mistaken for older, and probably would have been recognised had anyone looked closely enough. A prominent Member of Parliament, he had quietly slipped away from the public eye to this unlikely part of town, intent on finding an answer to a nagging question.

Continue reading "The Conversation" »

Schloss Mittersill is full of reminders of the circular pattern of life: the coming and going of community members; leaves falling from the trees in the castle garden, soon to be replaced by snow, and then by new buds in the spring; the sounds of our children laughing as they thump down these old corridors—children growing up before our eyes. These things remind us that the challenges we face, others before us have faced—and our children will face when we have gone. Life is full of change, and while change may bring difficulties, it also presents us with opportunities.

Continue reading "A 'New Europe'?" »