How should people of faith respond in a time of political turmoil, war and cultural fragmentation?

This issue will be at the heart of a public lecture by New Zealand-born Christian leader and writer Jeff Fountain, who will speak at Holy Trinity, Tauranga, on February 1, from 6pm-8pm. The event is free and open to the public.

Fountain has lived and worked in Europe for the past 50 years, bringing a rare blend of historical insight, spiritual discernment and first-hand experience of the church’s response to the war in Ukraine. Based in Amsterdam with his wife Romkje, he founded the Schuman Centre for European Studies in 2010 after serving two decades as European director of Youth With A Mission (YWAM).

Arriving this week from Europe, Fountain said Christians are facing a critical moment.

“We are living in changing times that we have never faced before,” he said. “Christians have often been slow to recognise the seriousness of these moments, and history shows us the danger of being caught on the wrong side.”

Drawing parallels with the church’s response to the rise of Nazism in Germany, Fountain argues that followers of Jesus must move beyond apathy or blind allegiance to political power, and recover a prophetic voice shaped by the gospel.

“God doesn’t need majorities,” he said. “He works with a little bit of salt, one candle in a dark room, a little yeast in the dough.”

Fountain is also closely involved with faith networks supporting Ukraine, including a monthly international prayer gathering known as the Sunflower Fellowship, which unites churches across denominations in solidarity with Ukrainian believers.

His Tauranga visit offers a rare opportunity to hear a global Christian perspective on faith, politics and hope – grounded not in ideology, but in lived conviction.

He will also speak at the 10am service at Holy Trinity that morning. Both events are free and open to the public.