Consider the following words: cricket, affluence, deceit, corruption, fame, bribery, euphoria, herd instinct, patriotism, manipulation, politics, suppression, poverty, disappointment, gentlemen and religion. Which is the odd one out? Many would say that the odd word is the last one– religion. But how can an all-pervasive fixation like religion be totally forgotten when we discuss our worst Read more
Posts Tagged ‘secular culture’
Millions tuned into a two hour church sevice
Monday, May 8th, 2023Ray Comfort has observed an irony in the fact that in an increasingly secularised world in which many people claim to be atheists, millions watched the coronation of King Charles. According to him, the ceremony was essentially a two-hour televised church service that emphasised the teachings of the Gospel and paid great respect to the Read more
Churchs without God fizzling out
Friday, August 9th, 2019Meetings meant to be just like Church services—but without God received enthusiastic media coverage when they were growing so rapidly in their early years. The growth of these secular congregations hasn’t kept up the pace in the USA. After a promising start, attendance declined, and nearly half the chapters have fizzled out. Read more
Should NZ defend or amend national anthem?
Monday, November 12th, 2018Herald reader acknowledging that the parliamentary prayer has been modified suggested New Zealand’s national anthem, God Defend New Zealand demands the same scrutiny, notes Max Cryer. “This is not impossible. Australia and Canada have both altered words within their official anthem, and in 1971 the Chancellor of the Exchequer reminded the British Parliament that Britain’s anthem, God Save the Read more
Climate Change: External Aid agencies “sidelining God”
Monday, June 12th, 2017
An Australian academic has suggested that one reason for the failure interventions for climate change adaptation in Pacific Island communities by external aid agencies is the wholly secular nature of their messages. Patrick D Nunn is Professor of Geography at the Australian Centre for Pacific Island Research and Sustainability Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast. Read more
- Spirituality and attitudes towards Nature in the Pacific Islands: insights for enabling climate-change adaptation
- Pacific Bishops Climate Change Concern
- Change is Here: The Pacific Island Story
- Climate Change is Here: The Pacific Story
- We Have to Talk About Climate Change – Cardinal Ribat
- Young Anglicans go into training to help Pacific communities adapt to climate change
Collar-gate: Covering up a logo causes a wave of moral indignation
Thursday, April 20th, 2017
When Sony Bill William covered up a BNZ logo on his rugby shirt he crossed a line that few have crossed in New Zealand; he made a public display of his religious convictions. It was a move that made world-wide headlines and it was not received well by all. It even merited a comment from Read more
NZ born population drifting away from church
Friday, June 17th, 2016
People born or raised in New Zealand, are drifting from church says the Catholic Bishop of Auckland Patrick Dunn. He said this is happening across all ethnicities. Dunn said that while it was affecting all parishes, many were not aware it was happening, because the churches were still full. New New Zealanders are replacing are Read more
Two more churches become upmarket residences
Tuesday, April 19th, 2016
Declining church attendance has given rise to a steady stream of churches being converted into upmarket residences Two more former churches have recently gone on the market. In Wellington the former St James Presbyterian Church in Newtown’s Adelaide Rd, has been completely rebuilt to accommodate five new apartments. Architect Simon Novak of Novak + Middleton Read more
Dignity of Marriage takes another dive
Tuesday, April 19th, 2016Ministeroni’ Karen Martyn, who became the world’s first legal marriage celebrant for the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM) earlier this year, was the marriage celebrant when Toby Ricketts and Marianna Young got married last Saturday. During the first-of-its-kind ceremony, the bride and groom discussed their marriage’s terms and conditions in a comical list of demands and promises. “If Read more
Joe Bennett and the Pope
Tuesday, October 13th, 2015
An Anglican theologian and blogger, Bosco Peters has replied to a “letter” NZ columnist Joe Bennett wrote to the Vatican suggesting it forget about the theology and just focus on being nice. Bennett gave a big thumbs up to Pope Francis, saying, “Whatever Pope ‘Tubby’ Francis has, we need to bottle it”. But he advises the Pope, and presumably Read more