The New Zealand Christian Network has a number of major concerns about the proposed liberalisation of New Zealand’s abortion legislation.
What is missing in the proposed new legislation, asserts spokesperson Dr Stuart Lange, is clear evidence of concern to respect and protect the life of those unborn. “How can politicians say they care about society’s most vulnerable people, then have this huge blind spot about those most vulnerable of all, unborn children?”
The existing legislation is less than perfect, and often too loosely applied, but it does at least implicitly seek to balance the health of the mother and the great seriousness of ending an unborn baby’s life.
Those proposing the change say that abortion needs to be “decriminalised”. But that is a misleading argument. Under the current legislation, no woman undergoing a “lawful” abortion is ever committing a criminal act. Only abortionists who operate outside of the law commit a crime.
Proponents of the change say that abortion must become simply a “woman’s health issue”. But what about the health of the unborn child? Abortion remains an extreme and tragic event, invariably with fatal consequences for one of the two people involved.
The network acknowledges that aborting a baby is often an agonising decision for a woman, and can also have ongoing effects on her well-being.
NZCN believes that current legislation, for all its flaws, is much to be preferred to what is proposed.
It urges members of parliament to vote against what is proposed.
Dr Stuart Lange National Director New Zealand Christian Network
In recent months there has been quite a ferment in both New Zealand and Australia around issues of freedom of belief and expression, reflecting both the tragic events in Christchurch and the various public responses to Israel Folau’s post on social media and the subsequent actions of the Australian Rugby Union. Those issues are discussed in a new opinion piece by Dr Stuart Lange, our National Director (interim), posted today on our website.
We are also in full swing planning the fourth annual Auckland Prayer Breakfast. Tickets are on sale now so, if you live in Auckland or, if you want to see how a large scale prayer breakfast works before setting up one in your area, come along! Hamilton is also planning to have their inaugural breakfast on Wednesday 4 September 2019.Details will be released on our website as they become available!
Other events are highlighted from our calendar. Although most are in the Auckland region this time, there are others from around the country. Please contact me if you are interested in listing your event with us.
We encourage you to share items on our website with friends and family.
Also of note,Family First ran their 12th annual FORUM ON THE FAMILY event earlier this month. The topics covered included euthanasia, media, freedom of speech, marijuana debate, political activism and abortion. Information and videos of the speakers can be found hereand are well worth your time.
On Wednesday, after 23 years and one month of work, head translator Ioane Teao and Bible Society Translations Director Dr Stephen Pattemore performed the final check of the final verse of the brand-new Tokelauan Bible translation.
“We’re very pleased we’ve come to this part of the project! Yes, we had some fun – we celebrated with some sandwiches, a date scone and some bananas and oranges,” Ioane said.
The project, which has been a joint effort of all Tokelau churches and community groups, had its genesis nearly 30 years ago. Ioane and others consulted with the wider Tokelauan community for six years before the project could officially start. Ioane was the secretary of the team trying to get the project off the ground and support whoever would do the job. To Ioane’s surprise, it was he who would be asked to spend more than 23 years of his life working on the translation.
“One of the interesting things is that the Tokelau language never used to be a written language,” Dr Pattemore says. “Ioane’s generation were never taught at school how to write the language. They were taught English grammar, but not Tokelauan grammar.”
Ioane recalls having to learn how to write down the oral language before the translation work could begin. “I remember struggling to put a paragraph together in Tokelauan. In English, I had no problem, but it was a struggle to write in Tokelauan.” Ioane spent hours writing short columns in Tokelauan for a local Porirua newspaper to practice.
Initially reluctant to do the job, Ioane now recalls some farewell words his father said to him as Ioane left Tokelau for New Zealand when he was a boy. “As I was leaving Tokelau, my Dad was still talking to me as the boat was moving. He was saying to me, ‘You know you are going away to school. You must remember, you’re not going for yourself. You’re not going for your family. You’re going for the people. You’re going for Tokelau. Whatever you learn, you’re going to use to benefit the people of Tokelau.’ Those were his lasting words that I keep hearing everyday!”
When the first ever Bible in Tokelauan is published, it will be a major benchmark not just for Tokelauan Christians, but for the Tokelau language as well. “I think this book will be the foundation of the language. As in many cultures, the Bible became the mainstay for the language. I think it’s going to be quite valuable for Tokelau, not only from the point of the spiritual life of the people but also for sustaining the language.”
There is still more work to do though. The whole Bible must be checked for style and consistency, a glossary produced and maps for the back of the book translated. Once these are done, the lengthy typesetting and publishing process will begin, which could take up to a year.
Ioane says he keeps praying that God will give him one more day. “This is all I live for, to finish this job.” He is looking forward to the launch of the published Bible, most likely to take place early in 2021.
Bible helping save the Tokelauan language
More than 7,000 Tokelauans live in New Zealand, with 50% living in Wellington as well as Tokelauan communities in Auckland, Taupō, and Rotorua. There are only 1,400 Tokelauans living on the island of Tokelau.
The 2006 Census reported that the Tokelauan language is one of the most-at-risk Pacific languages in New Zealand, along with Niuean and Cook Island Maori. Today only 34% of Tokelauans speak their heritage language.This is why our Tokelau Bible translation project is so important. Not only does it mean Tokelauans can read the Bible in their own tongue but it will also lead to the preservation of their language and, as part of that, their culture.
The completion of the Tokelauan Bible next year will be end of a 21-year project for head translator Ionae Teao. Ioane has dedicated his life to this project, which was initiated by the Tokelauan Society for the Translation of the Bible and supported by Bible Society New Zealand.
The Tokelauan New Testament was launched in June in 2009 with great celebrations and accolades. Now as the finishing touches are made to the Tokelauan Old Testament next year, and publication set for early 2019, the Tokelauan community in New Zealand will again have cause for celebration.
A scene from the launch of the Tokelauan New Testament at Pahina O Tokelaua, Porirua, in 2009.Listen to Dr Stephen Pattemore speaking on Radio New Zealand about the Tokelauan translation project (click on the logo)
END OF LIFE CHOICE BILL – SECOND READING, now imminent
Wednesday 26 June will be the critical second reading of the ‘End of Life Choice Bill’ in Parliament. This is a very important decision for New Zealand. Well over 90% of those making submissions to Parliament’s Justice Committee on this matter expressed opposition to the bill, on such grounds as the risks to vulnerable groups such as elderly and disabled people, the implications for suicide prevention, the compromise of the medical profession, and the lack of truly adequate safeguards. There are, of course, also major spiritual and cultural reasons why the State should not be legislating for euthanasia and assisted suicide.
What can we do?
(1) We can pray, that the Spirit of God will move in the hearts and consciences of many MP’s, and make them alert to the dangers of this proposal.
(2) We can still (if we act very quickly) speak to or email our MP, and perhaps some other MPs, briefly and respectfully stating our concern and urging MPs to vote according to their conscience (rather than on any party lines). For many MPs, “religious” arguments are less likely to be persuasive, and can even be counter-productive. You’ll find the details to contact your MP here: https://www.parliament.nz/en/mps-and-electorates/members-of-parliament/
FREEDOMS OF BELIEF AND EXPRESSION
Every day, in various media, there are opinions publicly expressed on the ongoing Israel Folau story, which from many angles is unfortunate. We have published on this earlier.
We believe some issues remain foremost…
How can Christians faithfully hold to God’s truth as revealed in Christ and the Word of God, while also making sure we are wise, respectful, and compassionate in how we express God’s truth, especially in a society which shows increasingly less tolerance for Christian perspectives?
How can our society carefully and fairly protect the freedoms and belief and expression (and freedoms from discrimination) of all faith communities, and of those of no faith?
SEASONS
While summer is often seen as a time to get out and explore, winter is a good time to come together and share our resources and prepare for the seasons ahead. This is especially true the further away you live to the equator, where seasons are distinct – both physically, and spiritually.
This newsletter contains links to stories and event listings on our website that will encourage and help you winter well. Keep reading to the end. There is a special entry to a draw to receive a free copy of Aurora Wonder, by David Lyle Morris to help you through the season.
Do you believe the church in New Zealand needs to be built up, to work together better, and to have greater influence? Do you believe the Christian community needs to speak better into society, with both grace and truth? Do you believe we all need to guard and nurture the spiritual unity we have in Jesus?
If so, please help us get the NEW ZEALAND CHRISTIAN NETWORK to be better known. Help us get many more Christian people and churches connected with us, receiving our newsletter, following on FB, using the website, making contact, partnering with us.
The NZCN exists to gather (to help bring evangelical/charismatic/Pentecostal NZ Christians together in closer fellowship and a common Gospel cause), to build (to help resource, strengthen and build up the church in New Zealand and increase its constructive influence on society), and to speak (to speak into both church and society, with grace and truth).
We appreciate you doing whatever you can to strengthen NZCN’s connections with your church, friends and family.
Click here to read about 4 issues currently facing us in Aotearoa New Zealand
WEA and Refugee Highway Partnership Encourage Churches to Participate in World Refugee Sunday on June 16 / 23
WEA and RHP joint media release Deerfield, IL – May 23, 2019
The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) together with the Refugee Highway Partnership (RHP) call on churches to participate in the upcoming World Refugee Sunday (WRS) on June 16 or 23 – the Sundays before and after the United Nation’s World Refugee Day. The 2019 WRS Resource Pack provides pastors and church leaders with creative tools to respond to the various needs of refugees and displaced people.
“Headlines about refugees may at times be short-lived in today’s fast-paced news media, but the reality of displacement persists and affects countless people in every region of the world,” said Bp Efraim Tendero, Secretary General of the WEA. “The situation may feel overwhelming, but if local churches take time to pray, to reflect on God’s perspective on refugees and displaced people, and then reach out to those in their surroundings who may have been forced to flee, they can make a great difference in people’s lives. World Refugee Sunday provides an ideal opportunity for your local church to get involved!”
“68.5 million is simply a number. But the world’s 68.5 million precious men, women and children forcibly displaced by war, violence and persecution can tell untold numbers of stories of personal and family pain and suffering, resilience and courage, hospitality and kindness, while many also experienced some of the worst inhumanities imaginable,” the RHP states. “We hope that the resources will help churches to lament and celebrate together and express their solidarity with displaced people in prayer and action.”
From Afghanistan to Yemen, from Congo to Venezuela: war, conflict, persecution and other hardships are a daily reality for many. The following are just two brief testimonies from Sri Lanka and the Democratic Republic of Congo:
“In the wake of the recent Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka, the fear psychosis prevalent in the country has resulted in hostilities against refugees who have been mistakenly perceived as Islamist extremists. This includes aggression against Christian refugees from Pakistan as well. Following the attacks, angry mobs forced out these refugees from their places of residence and threatened local homeowners who host refugees and asylum seekers, who come from around 15 countries, with the majority being from Pakistan and Afghanistan. Some are Ahmadiyya or Shia Muslims and others are Christians, all persecuted by majority Muslim groups in their home countries. The pressure on these already deeply vulnerable people is intense. Thank you for standing with them and other forcibly-displaced people around the world on World Refugee Sunday.” – Mr. Godfrey Yogarajah, WEA Deputy Secretary-General for Ministries and head of the National Christian Evangelical Alliance in Sri Lanka.
‘‘There is no time from my childhood to-date when I have seen my community fully enjoying the right to belong – all the time with difficult explanations, many times not believable. More than 50 years I still see my community running for safety. In the light of the latest violence in my village, I thought tonight: ‘nonviolent resistance is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle. Blessed are the peacemakers!’ Thank you for standing with us on World Refugee Sunday.” – Congolese pastor of a refugee church in another country.
Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. – Hebrews 13:2
Download the World Refugee Sunday Resource Booklet in the format that best suits your needs:
