Well, certainly not everything. There is still so much about this country to appreciate and enjoy, including God’s beautiful creation, our mix of cultures, and our traditionally down–to-earth ways. And much else.
Our country does, however, have a number of ongoing significant problems, including living costs, expensive housing, the widening disparity between the many who are financially comfortable and the others who work equally hard but constantly struggle to provide for their families, drugs, ram raids, relationship and family breakdowns, violence, poor mental health, suicides, road rage, the road toll, beleaguered health services, environmental degradation, climate change, and extreme weather events. Successive governments appear unable or unwilling to effectively address many of those problems. From a Christian and biblical perspective, these things matter, not least social justice.
There is also a deeper underlying issue in our society. As in other western societies, New Zealand is rapidly losing its previous spiritual and moral anchorage in Christian faith and ethics. For many New Zealanders, there is now little or no regard for God or biblical truth. In public discourse, secularism, neo-paganism, materialism and hedonism generally get a free ride, whereas Christian faith and biblical ethics are often scorned, shunned, or ignored. Some recent legislation such as the extreme new abortion law, euthanasia, and the very one-sided “conversion therapy” law reflect a turning away from a biblical understanding of the God-given sanctity of human life, sex, and gender.
So what do Christians want? We recognise that we are in a free and pluralistic society. What we need is the continuing freedom for Christians to continue to believe, practise, live, and express our faith, without unjust restriction or discrimination – at home, at study, at work, and in the public square (and we want the same for everyone). For the sake of our young people, we would like to see an easing up of the relentless promotion of new identity ideologies.
We would of course be delighted to see a widespread move in society back to faith in Christ and the Bible, and a more just and ethical society. But only a great sovereign move of the Spirit of God can achieve that.
Do we want to coerce unbelievers to believe, or to compel them to behave in Christian ways? Absolutely no. Compulsion never changes the human heart.
Do we feel political action could change New Zealand? Politics and laws can make a significant difference, for good and for evil. We must pray for Christian MPs, and for all MPs, and for God to raise up further Christian MPs with courage and strong moral influence. Christian people should seek to be salt and light across the whole political spectrum.
What is above all needed in New Zealand, however, is a profound spiritual sea-change, in which a great many people in New Zealand are stirred by the Spirit of God, and discover for themselves the life-transforming grace and truth of God as revealed in Christ and the scriptures. Certainly this is something we can and should pray for (and indeed, several hundred people gathered in Wellington this last week to do just that).
And ultimately we look forward to the new heaven and earth, when Christ shall be over all things, and there shall be no evil or suffering, and the reign of God’s peace and justice shall be established forever.
Do you know that in New Zealand we have a nationwide survey of church attenders? The Church Life Survey NZ (CLS) takes place every 5 years, in Census years.
Has your church significantly changed since the pandemic? The CLS is an opportunity to find out who is part of your church and what their demographic profile is.
The health of our people is important – perhaps more than ever. The CLS provides a snapshot of the spiritual health of your church.
Leaders who grow are leaders who seek out feedback on their leadership. The CLS provides feedback on your leadership and the future direction of your church.
Benchmarking your church against others is a healthy practice. The CLS enables you to benchmark your results against others in your group or denomination, and against national averages
You’re contributing to a national picture of NZ church life. The CLS provides meaningful information about the size & structure of the church in our nation. It’s unique, we don’t have other info like it.
The idea is to maximise participation within your church. The survey takes attenders 10-15 minutes to complete via smartphone, laptop or tablet, or pen & paper. A handy feature is that results are available in real time to church leaders. Both standard reports and you can build your own reports.
I believe the NZ Church would benefit from knowing more about ourselves, our church life, our faith life, our community interaction, and our opinions on the future of the Church. Good data helps inform wise decisions.
Already, many denominations, movements and churches from across NZ have signed up. It is simple to do so and at $60 for one church, it is very well priced for what you will receive.
Can I strongly encourage your church or denomination or movement to participate in the 2023 Church Life Survey NZ?
Register your group / denomination / movement or church at any time via the website. If you are registering as a group, do that first before you register churches within the group.
We very much encourage your local church to take part in the Church Life Survey, which happens every five years. Through this, leaderships of participating churches will receive excellent up-to-date data about their own churches. This includes your church’s demographics, and your own people’s involvement, beliefs, values, and attitudes. The aggregated (and anonymous) survey results also contribute to a much better understanding of the New Zealand church scene, across different generations, denominations, independent churches, regions and cities. Participating churches will easily be able to see how their own church fits into the wider picture.
Until very recently, all human cultures believed – and many still do – that, apart from very rare cases of biological intersexuality, all humanity is comprised of two biological sexes or genders, male and female, and that it is not possible to move from one to the other.
In recent decades, however, transgenderism has sprung up, and in many western societies has become extremely prominent. Transgender ideology asserts that gender identity is distinct from biological sex, and that human beings may adopt gender identities that differ from their sex at birth. Many who transition to a new gender identity say they do so because they feel deeply uncomfortable in the biological body and sexual identity they were born into, and undergo chemical, hormonal, and surgical procedures to make their bodies more similar to that of their desired gender identity.
The premises of transgender ideology are not strongly grounded in biological science, but are nevertheless widely accepted and promoted – in education, media, legislation, and corporate policies. Children and young people can be presented with a smorgasbord of sexual preferences and gender identities, with the implication that they should choose. Some children are encouraged by parents to identify with a gender that differs from their biological sex. Some adolescents are given puberty blockers.
Out of deference to “transwomen”, many politicians are now bizarrely unwilling to acknowledge the previously unchallenged and universal truth that a woman is an adult female person. Also, if someone now advises someone else against becoming transgender, they could be acting unlawfully.
Those who question transgenderism are increasingly considered as bigoted, offensive, and inducing harm or suicide among transgender people.
In the face of all this, how might Christians respond? Here’s some suggested approaches to think about and discuss…
On the authority of the Bible, Christians believe that humanity is created male and female, in the image of God, and these are foundational beliefs about both the nature of God and the nature of humanity. In a free society we must continue to be free to hold and articulate such beliefs and to live in accordance with them.
In a free society, we must also accept the right of adults to seek to change their “gender identity” if they so wish, and allow space for them to live their own lives.
In keeping with the biblical mandate to love others as much as ourselves, Christians must absolutely show love and compassion towards all those who for whatever reason have become transgender, and must show them kindness and respect as fellow human beings. A good question to ask ourselves is, how would we want these people to be treated if they were our son or daughter, brother or sister? Would we want them subjected to mocking or hostility?
We need to recognise that it is far from an easy road for transgender people. Some have underlying issues of self-acceptance, anxiety, depression, and mental health challenges. Chemical, hormonal and surgical interventions may change people’s overall appearance, but cannot ultimately change their biological sex. Such interventions will usually affect their ability to have children, and may involve ongoing medical problems. Some later regret their earlier choices, and attempt to de-transition.
As Christians, we utterly deplore all violence or incitements to violence against anyone, including transgender people.
On the basis that children and young people need to be protected against making major life decisions that they cannot possibly fully understand, we have profound ethical concerns about the promotion of transgender ideology among children and teenagers. Parents need to be aware of what their children are being exposed to, protect them, and nurture them well.
Because a very high percentage of cases of gender dysphoria are resolved with the onset of puberty, we do not agree with the use of puberty blockers.*
We empathise with those women who feel unsafe with “transwomen” using women’s facilities, and favour separate facilities being made available where practicable.
On the grounds of freedoms of belief, opinion, and expression, we believe that no one should be placed under pressure or coercion – in law, employment, or the public square – to accept transgender ideology, including the very contestable claims that gender may differ from sex at birth, and that there are many different genders.
We insist that in rejecting many of the premises of transgender ideology we do not in any way “hate” transgender people, but just see some important things differently. In a free society, people’s rights to hold different viewpoints must be scrupulously upheld.
As Christians, we believe that ultimately our true identity, transformation, and meaning are not to be found in sexuality or gender, significant though those are, but in fellowship with God through living faith in Christ.
* American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Arlington, VA, American Psychiatric Association, 2013 (455).
Until the last week or so, hardly anyone in New Zealand had heard of Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull (Posie Parker). It’s a bit hard to be certain of the full range of her views, and how controversial they may or may not be. Clearly, though, her views are seen by some people as offensive.
In a free and open society, however, being offensive in the eyes of those who hold different views is not sufficient grounds for having your freedoms of opinion and expression denied.
It appears that, speaking as a woman, and from a secular feminist position, Mrs Keen-Minshull believes that a woman is an adult human female, she objects to trans women trying to redefine what a woman is, and she argues that many women do not feel safe with trans women in women’s own spaces.
If those are in fact her primary premises, they are not unreasonable. Indeed, they have long-established roots in human experience, culture, and biological science. Are such views truly so appallingly offensive and harmful that they must be declared inadmissible and unspeakable? If so, what can anyone safely think or say about anything?
In a free society, we all need to robustly defend the right of everyone else to express views we might deeply disagree with. That is part of the social contract that is basic to living in a democratic and open society.
It comes across as intolerant and potentially oppressive when people label as “hateful” any viewpoint that questions their own view of life, and then seek to silence it by law, slurs, and intimidation – and last week by an angry, screaming, violent mob, with limited police presence, and with apparent support from some media and politicians.
Tolerance needs to work both ways.
In a free, diverse, and genuinely inclusive society, we must allow everyone to speak, question, and debate. If that right is not robustly defended, our society will sooner or later end up a very strange and scary place.
Governance is important for Churches. Like all organisations setting strategy and having a clear vision will help a Church or associated charitable trusts to fulfil their mission. But there are unique aspects of governance that apply to Churches – that is why I recently wrote the “7 Principles of Governance for Faith Based Groups”.
It was published to coincide with the recent Christian Savings training held in Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland and online. The guide sets out what some key things to be aware of are, such as what key duties are, best practise for meetings, how to add value to an organisation, setting strategy and the unique aspects of governance for faith-based groups.
The resource complements the Churches Legal Handbook which is a free download here as well as the “Governance Masterclass” which has a series of real life situations for a Board to consider and discuss to grow their governance knowledge.
Our intent in creating these resources is to assist the Church and those in governance to understand best practise. This will ultimately help ensure thriving, respected and effective Churches.
There are many indications that – along with marae, countless community organisations, and the general public – many Christian people and churches have been very active in responding to the recent weather disasters with gifts, money, meals, places to stay, and other practical help. Some of this reaches the media, but most of it doesn’t.
Here’s an initiative among Baptists and here’s a brief video clip expressing local appreciation of the work being done by a large group of Destiny Church men with clean-up in Hawkes Bay. Churches such as House of Breakthrough Church (in Gisborne) and Rānui Baptist Church (West Auckland) have provided emergency accommodation. Many churches have sent gifts of food and equipment. In Auckland, City Impact Church bagged six tons of sand and gave it away and provided meals for 10,000 people, and have since sent three truck and trailer units loaded with supplies to Hastings and Gisborne, and hired a helicopter to help with distribution.
Pray As One NZ invited Lance Rickard, associate pastor at House of Breakthrough Gisborne, to share about the flood relief and clean-up in Tairawhiti. Acting as a disaster hub for the area, they are working with other churches to provide food and help where needed.
From Frances Tagaloa:
I just quickly wanted to let you know that our church (Church Northwest) has done several things to help with the flood response. They have:
Organised a church member to saw down a felled tree.
Offered Countdown & Mitre10 vouchers to flood victims.
Offered prayer and emotional support.
Sent out information about Vision West who is helping flood victims work out a plan for their situation.
Arranged for Vision West to talk to us about their programme.
Connected us with Vision West for pastoral care.
From Sasha McPherson, Laidlaw College:
Over the last few days Laidlaw Seaspray House has been opened up to welcome Piha locals for a cuppa & a chat, with crafts for the kids & some yummy treats. A huge thank you to the Titirangi Baptist crew who came out on Sunday with a yummy BBQ and fun activities. Another huge thank you to Jill Shaw for being on the ground over the past week & bringing people together. We also had a Laidlaw BCouns grad & some Counselling faculty available for conversation for anyone who wanted a chat. The Piha community are doing an amazing job supporting each other but it’s going to be a while before things feel normal again. Please keep them in your prayers.
From Jill Shaw, Religious Diversity Centre chaplain:
I, as a chaplain for staff at Laidlaw College, was thrilled to have use of the Laidlaw bach at Piha to use as a drop-in centre for the mental wellbeing of locals who needed a quiet place to stop in and have a chat. Laidlaw sent counsellors as well.
With the help of Andy Shudall’s team at Titirangi Baptist Church (TBC), we hosted a Family Fun Day with over 40 adults participating and too many children to count. TBC’s 24/7 youth worker, youth staff and volunteers created a safe and fun space for stressed families.
This week over 20 people enjoyed the Over 50’s Afternoon Tea, again with a Laidlaw College grad in support.
The above was facilitated by relationships within the community with Restoke Foundation. Working locally at the grassroots level is not always super-efficient but is usually more effective than top-down outsider initiatives.
Shore Community Church donated a pile of gift cards and vouchers from places like Kmart, Briscoes and supermarkets for distribution to anyone in Auckland who lost household goods or have hefty excesses to pay. The church also had volunteers serving in the evac centre at Massey University.
Christianity Today article in the wake of tornadoes that struck Mississippi, Arkansas, Iowa, Indiana, and other places in the South and Midwest United States of America in early April 2023.
Auckland Church Network and Convoy of Hope:
Our country is reeling. Churches, homes, businesses and more have been ravaged. Our hearts ache, and we are praying with you.
We have been humbled to hear of Auckland churches wanting to help those worst affected outside our city. To that end, Auckland Church Network is partnering with disaster response org Convoy of Hope who are responding through local Hawke’s Bay churches, empowering them to embody the compassion of Jesus. Amidst all the good being done, we’ve identified a part we can play: the hard mahi of helping people back into their homes.
Can your church help the churches who are helping?
In conversation with the churches on the ground, Convoy of Hope has a confirmed list of urgently-needed items. Can you and your church drop off needed items at the collection points? They are also taking donations so that needed items can be purchased.
We also need your help getting the word out so people can donate goods or finances!
Some Christians have wondered so. There are some grounds for that: God hates evil, God is on record (in biblical times) as punishing people and nations, there is much about New Zealand society that must be ethically and spiritually offensive to God, God has every right to punish, and one way or another we all deserve God’s chastening.
Most Christians would hesitate, though, to name specific natural disasters as God’s punishment. Can we be certain we definitely know God’s mind in this?
Biblically, natural disasters and human suffering in general are part of our fallen, sin-marred, groaning world (Romans 8:22). Human sinfulness has made a mess of God’s good creation, and continues to do so. Much suffering is also linked to ongoing human wrongdoing (our own, or that of others). And suffering happens to both believers and unbelievers.
Christians look forward to God’s justice one day being fully established, on the Day of Judgement, and in the new heaven and earth. In the meantime, it appears God in his mercy stays his hand, and all over the world much individual and societal sin remains unpunished for now.
Unquestionably, human suffering can provoke people to review their lives, and sometimes to reach out to God. This remains a great time for Christians to be praying for others around us, and for our society, and to be reaching out with Jesus’ love and grace.
The shocking devastation wreaked in New Zealand by the recent storms, and in Turkey and Syria by the earthquake, remind us that in this fallen world our safety can never be assumed. All human life is mortal and vulnerable, and God alone is our Rock and our eternal refuge. These were natural disasters, for sure, but there were also exacerbating elements of human culpability. These include unwise land use, and worldwide unwillingness to make the changes that could more effectively reduce climate change, and – in Turkey and Syria – the complicating factors of poverty, inadequate building standards, division, and civil war. For Christians, such events also remind us to pray for all those who have been traumatised, or mourn, or have suffered other great loss, and to love our neighbours and offer support and practical help to those who need it.
Understanding Gen Z
NZCN warmly encourages pastors, youth leaders, and young adults leaders to register for the free The Open Generation events, being held in four different centres around New Zealand. Sponsored by Alpha and World Vision, these seminars will unpack the results of Barna research on the thinking of Gen Z (ages 13-17) youth. The study explored the thinking of 25,000 teenagers across 26 countries. The aim of the study was to help ministry leaders understand how teenagers see their faith and the world, especially in relation to Jesus, the Bible, and Justice. Each event will feature David Kinnaman (CEO Barna group), Dr Sam Bloore (Venn Foundation), and a panel of local practitioners from each city.
Register yourself and any other leaders from your church for this free event, which will be held in Auckland, Christchurch, and Wellington.
The postponing of proposed Hate Speech amendment
NZCN was pleased to see the Government withdraw its proposed legislation on “hate speech”, an amendment to the Human Rights Act to outlaw incitements to hatred on the basis of “religion”. Almost everyone agrees that all incitements to hatred and violence are deplorable, and that the horrific attack on the Christchurch mosques was utterly inexcusable. The inclusion of “religion” as a category in the legislation was problematical, however, as NZCN pointed out in our submission. Among other things, which religions would be included, how do you define majority and minority religions, and could this inclusion inhibit proclamation or critique by anyone of any belief for fear that someone somewhere might lay a complaint that they were being hateful? NZCN suggested the matter needed to be thought through much more carefully. We also note that the matter has only been deferred, and that the Government has previously also wanted to include some other protected categories.
On Monday, 6 February, we commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840.
Many Māori see the Treaty in spiritual and Christian terms as is seen in one of their names for the Treaty: ‘Te Kawenata o Waitangi’ (‘the Covenant of Waitangi’).
Covenant is a very appropriate word to use. The word itself is of Latin origin (con venire), meaning a coming together.
In our context it describes two peoples who choose to come together to make a contract, agreeing on promises, stipulations, privileges, and responsibilities. As in the marriage covenant the understanding is that Te Kawenata o Waitangi is permanent, and is based upon God’s covenants with the faithful of this world.
The Treaty of Waitangi was prepared and signed out of deep concern of the impact of European settlement upon Māori.
In the 1830s New Zealand was increasingly attractive to European settlers, and it was also largely without any protections that governed settlement. Those Missionaries then serving here were concerned that the lack of legal protection for Māori could have catastrophic consequences, and talk of a formal relationship began to develop.
At the same time in England evangelical Christians were prominent in public service and parliament, these leaders were deeply influenced by the teaching and the life of Jesus, and their reforms which included the abolishment of the slave trade in the British empire were far-reaching. Amongst the same group a campaign began for the protection of Māori. James Stephen, the brother in law of William Wilberforce, was part of this. He was also the permanent undersecretary in the Colonial Office, and was instrumental in drafting the following instructions that were to guide William Hobson when he was sent to New Zealand.
All dealings with the Aborigines for their Lands must be conducted on the same principles of sincerity, justice, and good faith as must govern your transactions with them for the recognition of Her Majesty’s Sovereignty in the Islands. Nor is this all. They must not be permitted to enter into any Contracts in which they might be ignorant and unintentional authors of injuries to themselves. You will not, for example, purchase from them any Territory the retention of which by them would be essential, or highly conducive, to their own comfort, safety or subsistence. The acquisition of Land by the Crown for the future Settlement of British Subjects must be confined to such Districts as the Natives can alienate without distress or serious inconvenience to themselves. To secure the observance of this rule will be one of the first duties of their official protector.
This instruction became the foundation for The Treaty that was soon to be signed.
The Treaty that we commemorate on Monday was born out of a desire of two peoples to honour one another and to ensure that the most vulnerable in the partnership were protected; it was inspired and shaped by the Word of God and a desire to honour God from many amongst the British and among the Māori.
May we give thanks for the history of this land and the way God enabled Te Kawenata o Waitangi.
Mā te atua koutou e tiaki e manaaki i ngā wā kato
Some information in this article is sourced from an article by Bosco Peters, Christians And The Treaty Of Waitangi, Feb 2019
What is the “spirit” of the Treaty of Waitangi? Often discussion of this question is focussed exclusively on the text of the Treaty itself. But it is also helpful to consider the wider ceremonial context in which the Treaty was first enacted. In considering the spiritual significance of the Treaty, I would like to highlight three features of its signing: Hobson’s greeting, Patuone’s gift, and the distribution of treaty blankets.
Hobson’s greeting
As each rangatira signed the treaty, Governor Hobson shook their hand and said, “He iwi tahi tatou” (We are one people). This whakataukī (significant saying) apparently delighted Māori, but what would they have understood by it? In the first instance, Māori would have recognised a confirmation of Henry Williams’ explanation. Williams, the leading Anglican missionary, had told them that by signing, “they would become one people with the English… under one Sovereign, one Law, human and divine.” But for many Māori, the words would also have resonated deeply with the Bible: “For Christ is our peace, having made both groups [Jew and Gentile] into one.” (Ephesians 2:14). Hobson’s greeting linked the sacred and the secular in a way that would have made perfect sense to Māori of the day.
Patuone’s gift
After the signing, Patuone, a leading Ngā Puhi rangatira and peacemaker, stepped forward and presented Hobson with a mere pounamu (a greenstone hand weapon) intended expressly for Queen “Wikitoria”. Mathew Felton, a member of Hobson’s entourage and the one who reported the gift, recognised the value of such a rare taonga, but seemed unaware of its deeper significance. For, rangatira who wished to make peace with an enemy would send their mere pounamu to their opponent, who, by accepting it, would establish an enduring peace between their hostile iwi. Consequently, the 500 or so Māori who gathered to witness the signing would not have missed the significance of Patuone’s gift. If the act of signing the Treaty sealed the agreement from a British standpoint, the presentation of the mere pounamu by Patuone was its cultural equivalent from a Māori perspective. It was a fitting response to Hobson’s greeting and linked the Treaty to traditional practises of peacemaking.
Treaty blankets
At the end of the ceremony, Hobson asked the missionary printer, William Colenso, to distribute a bale of blankets and a cask of tobacco to all those who signed. It was an exchange viewed with cynicism by later generations of settlers, who resented what they called the “blanket treaty”. Yet to see this distribution as merely a bribe to “naked savages” is to be insensitive to the cultural protocols involved. Hobson, with his western sensibilities, had been careful to withhold any gifts until the ceremony was completed, and yet, to have not offered a koha would have been interpreted as a deliberate insult within a culture that placed such importance on reciprocity and hospitality. In later years, the red treaty blankets were worn as a mark of distinction by Māori rangatira in much the same way that the grey missionary blanket had earlier demonstrated a willingness to hear the missionary karakia. For Māori, what you wore was an important indication of your beliefs and allegiances. “Give me a blanket that I might believe!” was perplexing to the missionary who was looking for an inward conversion of the heart, but it reminds us that for a number of early converts the social expression of faith was just as important as its profession; how can you believe if disconnected from the community of faith by your very appearance? Hence, Māori enthusiasm for treaty blankets was not a sign of short-sighted avarice, but of a newly-formed allegiance and a continuing recognition of the agreement.
Implications
If the spiritual dimension of the treaty was important to all those involved in its first signing, it should continue to enrich our understanding of the document even in this secularising age. For just as a marriage licence cannot fully express the intentions of the happy couple, the “spirit” of the Treaty cannot be confined to the legal dissection of written texts, however important that may be. The first Māori Bishop, Fredrick Bennett, in urging New Zealanders never to forget the Treaty’s spiritual side, defined that spirit as “unity and peace between the Pakeha and Maori for all time”. His definition follows naturally as a succinct summary of Hobson’s greeting and Patuone’s gift. And as we heed the Bishop’s call, may we as a nation cloak our life together in the spiritual blanket that is the Treaty of Waitangi.
