French Christians are bracing themselves for problems resulting from a controversial new law aimed at controlling the activities of dangerous religious sects. But it is also likely to affect ordinary churches.
Some churches were already considering removing the word 'evangelical' from their names, the president of the French Protestant Federation (FPF), the Rev. Jean-Arnold de Clermont, said from Paris.
Ignorance and paranoia, fuelled by negative and sensationalist media reports, have led to any non-mainstream churches being lumped together in people's minds with cults, say critics of the law, which was passed by the French parliament on May 30.
