There’ve been regular reports of misbehaviour at Kāinga Ora properties. This sets in motion a prejudicial view of social housing tenants and the estates in which they live. The expectation from neighbours who are disturbed by poor behaviour is that Kāinga Ora, or the police, or “government” in general, should “crack down hard” on those Read more
Every Christian should have a deep respect for Judaism. When we consider that our Lord Jesus, our Blessed Mother Mary, St. Joseph, the twelve apostles, and the very first disciples were practicing religious Jews. We also need to consider that the Christian New Testament is firmly rooted in the Jewish Scriptures of the Old Testament. Read more
Several years ago, not knowing at all what it would entail, I Googled a question: How do you keep Ramadan? In the spring of 2019, after a series of high profile attacks on Muslim people in New York City and a reported rise in Islamophobia, I felt compelled to act in tangible solidarity with this Read more
“They oughta send them all back.” “A wave of brown-skinned filth.” “Keep your crime and your filth out of this neighbourhood.” This is some of the invective directed at Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini after she arrives in a chaotic New York City, as depicted in the luminous new film drama Cabrini. It should be obvious Read more
International Women’s Day on March 8 draws attention to the lives of women. My research explores, in the inner lives of Pacific women, how their relationship with God can affect their wellbeing, and how their image of God relates to their relationship with their parents. How we name, visualise and describe God is most often Read more
When Josh Coates and Stephen Cranney wanted to learn more about members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), they had to strategise about the best ways to reach them. More and more people aren’t answering surveys, either by phone or online. Reaching a small minority population like Read more
It’s Saturday afternoon and the kids are all connected to separate devices. So are the parents. Sounds familiar? Many families want to set ground rules to help them reduce their screen time – and have time to connect with each other, without devices. But it can be difficult to know where to start and how Read more
A few weeks ago, a funeral was held for Cecilia Gentili in New York’s St Patrick’s Cathedral. The funeral was a cause of scandal and great controversy for several reasons. First, Gentili was a publicly professed atheist. Her stand-up comedy acts included jokes about blasphemous sex acts far too vulgar to put in print. Second, Read more
Like many other organisations across New Zealand every Anglican parish and diocese faces acute financial challenges in this era of increasing compliance and insurance costs, wages and salaries to meet inflation and the general rise in the cost of living and operating. At least three dioceses outside of Christchurch face significant, multi-million-dollar challenges getting their Read more
Before he retires or dies, Pope Francis needs to reform the process for choosing his successor because the current rules could result in a conclave deadlocked between a conservative and a liberal candidate. The process of choosing a pope is not divinely inspired. It is a human creation that has changed over time and can Read more