The Schuman Centre for European Studies - English language

11/09/2026

In this episode of Schuman Talks, host Jeff Fountain speaks with Andrii Woits, a chaplain with the Ukraine Defence Forces, about the reality of war beyond the headlines and front lines — and the human and spiritual dimensions of caring for soldiers.

Andrii comes from Mariupol, where he was when Russian forces took control of the city. His journey has taken him from Mariupol to Argentina and back to Ukraine, through involvement with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) and ultimately into service connected with the Ukrainian army.

In this deeply personal conversation, he shares something of his own story and explains what it means to serve as a military chaplain during the war in Ukraine.

In this episode of Schuman Talks, host Jeff Fountain speaks with An...

09/06/2026

In this episode of Schuman Talks, host Jeff Fountain speaks with Dr Philip Boobbyer, historian and biographer of Frank Buchman, about the forgotten spiritual influences behind Europe’s post-war renewal and the question: “Do we need a new Moral Re-Armament?”

The founding of the European project after the Second World War was not only a political and economic movement. Robert Schuman envisioned Europe as a community of peoples rooted in moral and spiritual values, believing that the continent needed more than institutions — it needed a deeper sense of purpose and responsibility.

This conversation explores the influence of Frank Buchman and the movement he inspired, Moral Re-Armament (MRA), which emerged as a response to the ideological conflicts and arms race that preceded the Second World War. Buchman believed that lasting social transformation begins with transformed individuals and emphasised four moral absolutes: honesty, purity, unselfishness, and love.

In this episode of Schuman Talks, host Jeff Fountain speaks with Dr...

09/03/2026

In episode 62 of Schuman Talks, host Jeff Fountain speaks with Dr Taras Dzyubanskyy about a crucial question for the future of the continent:
What can Europeans learn from Ukrainians fighting for their freedom, sovereignty, and identity?

As Ukraine continues to resist Russia’s invasion, the country’s struggle has revealed not only military determination but also deep moral, civic, and cultural resilience. This conversation explores how Ukraine’s experience challenges many assumptions in Western Europe about freedom, democracy, identity, and the moral foundations of society. [...]

In episode 62 of Schuman Talks, host Jeff Fountain speaks with Dr Taras Dzyubanskyy about a crucial question for the future of the continent:What can Europea...

09/02/2026

In this episode of Schuman Talks, host Jeff Fountain speaks with Dr. Yuriy Pidlisnyy and Dr. Anatolii Babynskyi of the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv about the enduring relevance of the social and political thought of Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytsky (1865–1944) — one of the most influential moral and spiritual leaders in modern Ukrainian history.

In this episode of Schuman Talks, host Jeff Fountain speaks with Dr. Yuriy Pidlisnyy and Dr. Anatolii Babynskyi of the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv ...

09/12/2025

Dear schumanites, for the last Schuman Talk of 2025 we have the honor of being joined by Prof. Philip McDonagh in a dialogue about his role in peace making, the role that religion can play in peace building and building cohesion in divided communities and other related topics.
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Professor Philip McDonagh is Director of the Centre for Religion, Human Values and International Relations at Dublin City University. He was the Irish Ambassador to India (1999-2004), the Holy See (2004-2007), Finland (2007-2009), Russia (2009-2013) and the OSCE (2013-2017). Prior to these positions, he was Political Counsellor in London involved in the Northern Ireland peace process in the build-up to the Belfast Agreement.

Dear schumanites, for the last Schuman Talk of 2025 we have the honor of being joined by Prof. Philip McDonagh in a dialogue about his role in peace making, ...

12/11/2025

In the November episode of the "Schuman Talks" series, we dive into the subject of how understanding religion plays an important part in peace making. Host Jeff Fountain is joined by Dr. Douglas Johnston in a conversation that starts from the book "Religion, the missing dimension of statecraft" and is then joined buy questions like:

is there sufficient common ground for the major religions to work together?
what role can spiritually-motivated individuals play in conflict resolution?
In the US, Russia and other countries in between, religion – far from being a conciliatory factor – is in the forefront of political turmoil. What has gone wrong??
Can the spiritual or religious factor play a positive role in Ukraine’s struggle for freedom, identity, sovereignty and peace?
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While the story of the origins of the EU usually focus on the political and economic dimensions, what is usually forgotten is the spiritual or religious dimension in making reconciliation possible between the French and the Germans – without which European integration would never have happened.

The Franco-German reconciliation features in the 1994 book, "Religion, the missing dimension of statecraft", as a prime case study showing how religious or spiritual factors can play a key role in resolving conflict.

Dr. Douglas Johnston is co-editor of the influential book, ‘Religion: the missing dimension in statecraft’. He is the acknowledged father of faith-based diplomacy, and founder of the International Centre for Religion and Diplomacy. He holds a doctorate in Political Science from Harvard University. He was the youngest officer in the navy (aged 27) to qualify for command of a nuclear submarine. He served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy and has engaged in peacemaking in Sudan, Kashmir, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Colombia and Saudi Arabia.

In the November episode of the "Schuman Talks" series, we dive into the subject of how understanding religion plays an important part in peace making. Host J...

09/10/2025

In the October episode of the Schuman Talks we travel virtually to Riga, Latvia. Our guest, Ineta Lansdowne shares stories from her experience as the official guide of the Museum of Occupation of Latvia, in Riga, the history of the museum and thoughts about how the Ukraine war has made the museum disturbingly relevant.

Ineta Lansdowne works in the Education Department at the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia. It includes guiding tours for local and foreign visitors, among them foreign diplomats and government officials. In a unique way, the current work combines interest in history and geopolitics, Master of Theology and years of working in Christian cross-cultural organizations.

In the October episode of the Schuman Talks we travel virtually to Riga, Latvia. Our guest, Ineta Lansdowne shares stories from her experience as the officia...

18/06/2025

Refresh your mind, body and spirit on the Swedish coast this summer during the Masterclass "The Gospel and the Making of Europe", July 22-27th.

In the relaxed setting of the YWAM Restenäs community, you can walk with Jeff and Romkje Fountain together each morning through the story of how Europe was shaped by the message of Jesus.

Through talks, films and discussions, we will trace how creative minorities shaped our society through the centuries into the modern age:

* creating hospitals and universities
* inspiring art and music
* promoting human rights, freedom and democracy
* European integration
* and even the implosion of communism.

Afternoons will be free for recreation and relaxation.
Evenings will offer time for films, discussions and social interaction.

Tuition fees: €225 including food and housing

Jeff & Romkje Fountain have led summer tours across Europe in the footsteps of creative minorities who shaped Europe through their faith. They live in Amsterdam where Jeff directs the Schuman Centre for European Studies and speaks and writes on issues facing Christians today in Europe. He has written several books including Living as people of hope and Deeply Rooted.

Info: Bo Rudolfsson
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: +46 70-580 93 92

17/06/2025

We invite you to the 6th in a series of 9 events exploring the role of faith in shaping Amsterdam’s story from then 13th to the 21st century. This is part of the 750 year celebrations of the city or "750 jaar Geloof in Mokum (750 years of faith in Mokum (Amsterdam)). These events are in Dutch only. They have been held in historic locations in the city of Amsterdam, starting with the Oude Kerk, the oldest building in the city. This next event on 29 June, looks at the 18th century and how reason, which was seen as a support to faith in the 17th century, is now turned against faith so that the non-rational is rejected. This gives rise of scepticism, deism, agnosticism and eventually secularism.

This century is a key phase of the process of secularization in Europe and the story of Amsterdam is a microcosm of the bigger story. While in the 17th century, Reformational understanding led to freedom under God, with personal accountability to God a central concept, the 18th century sees freedom uncoupled from accountability to God, freedom without God. What have been the results of that process?

In the remaining three centuries, 19th to 21st, we will see the reactions of rationalism in both romanticism and revival, with faith initiatives sprouting like grass through the concrete: The Reveil of the 19th century; Abraham Kuyper and Catholic Social Thinking of the 20th century; the vibrant migrant churches of the 21st century… and the failure of secularism to offer satisfactory answers to questions about the meaning of life.