by NZ Christian Network | 30 Apr , 2019 | NZCN|News
Times are rapidly changing in Aotearoa New Zealand. The events surrounding 15 March 2019 catapulted us to the forefront of both the world and social media. Our country has become bigger on the world stage and smaller here, as people reach out and demonstrate that we are better than this.
We’ve recently had Christchurch, Israel Folau, the End of Life Choice Bill and now, Sri Lanka put the Christian faith in the spotlight. How you respond to these issues and events has a significant impact on how people see our faith.
With this in mind, I want to highlight two events that are coming up soon. Movement Day NZ (Wellington) and The Gospel in the City (Palmerston North). Both of these events are about building the church. Movement Day NZ will have speakers from around the country sharing what God is doing amongst their city networks while The Gospel in the City explores doing church in the city, for the sake of a city.
by NZ Christian Network | 29 Mar , 2019 | NZCN|News
Kia ora tatou,
The recent tragic events in Christchurch, followed by a wonderful nationwide wave of heartfelt sympathy for the bereaved Muslim community, have brought into fresh focus a number of questions for Christians, and for New Zealand society as a whole…
- In our bi-cultural, multi-cultural, and multi-faith New Zealand, how can all New Zealanders best live together peaceably and respectfully, as fellow human beings and fellow citizens, and in effect “love our neighbour as ourselves”?
- How can Christians continue to work against all forms of racism, including white supremacist attitudes and hostility towards immigrants?
- How can Christian churches continue to foster friendly and caring relationships with other New Zealand faith communities, while at the same time remaining absolutely faithful to belief in God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit and in salvation through Jesus the divine Son of God?
- Will Christians continue to pray for New Zealand and all its people as much as they have in the week or so after the Christchurch attacks?
- How can we help more New Zealanders to find or re-discover the Christian faith?
- How can we help New Zealand society and its largely secularised media to become better informed about Christian beliefs and values, and more respectful of religious faith in general?
- How, along with more effective gun control, can we reduce the destructive influences in our country of some social media, games, and internet sources?
- How can the laws in this country genuinely and impartially respect the freedoms of belief and expression of every New Zealander, including both those in New Zealand’s largest faith community and those in minority religious communities, while dealing more effectively with truly dangerous incitements to violence and toxicity?
- Although a small country, can our nation model something good to the wider world?
