Atheists say three million Kiwis need to hear the Gospel

A new atheist billboard campaign in NZ will feature these slogans:

"The three slogans appearing on billboards were: "In the beginning, man created God", "Good without God? Over one million Kiwis are" and "We are all atheists about most gods. Some of us just go one God further".

The ads also featured the phrase "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life", borrowed from the British Atheist Bus Campaign which caused a storm when it launched last year."

I am probably a bit thick, but I take the second slogan to mean that three million out of four million Kiwis are bad. I am one of those. We need to hear the gospel and be transformed by responding in faith and repentance to Jesus Christ. Fancy atheists telling us this!

The third slogan involves some interesting logic. An analogy which springs to mind is driving safely without a seatbelt. We are safe without a seatbelt most car journeys we go on. Sadly some of us go one journey too many.

I will not sleep tonight trying to puzzle when the beginning was when 'man created God' ... any suggestions?

Some strange northern hemisphere Anglican thinking (except for sensible Mexico)

A couple of 'odd' things off the internet:

The Lead describes ++Schori arriving in Australia and being treated as an 'equal' Primate by ++Aspinall, with the note 'whatever the sentiments of Archbishop of Sydney are on the matter'. The dig here is at Canterbury. Has Canterbury ever not treated ++Schori as an equal as a Primate? Read the item carefully: the Primate of Australia says she is welcome in his Diocese, Brisbane. He cannot say (a) she is welcome in Australia (because, as The Lead notes, she is not welcome as Primate in Sydney) and (b) she is welcome in Australia with the minor exception of Sydney, because Sydney is not a minor exception, being about half the Australian church. I suspect that there may be a (c), that she is not welcome in some other dioceses of the church. It does not appear that she is going anywhere than to the Brisbane Diocese, otherwise one would presume that a report in the Melbourne Anglican media would know of that. There is more chance of having a semblance of knowledge of our church by visiting Auckland and Christchurch than there is of knowing the Australian church by visiting just two of its dioceses, let alone one diocese.

Thinking Anglicans lines up a report on Anglicans objecting to the Covenant. The arguments proffered are simply outrageous about grabs for power by homophobic crazies. Then it mentions that Mexico has ADOPTED THE COVENANT. Mexico!! That is interesting. A neighbour on the doorstep of TEC has seen the light, ignored crazy arguments, and acted sensibly!

Fruitful Wednesday

I think our day at the Hermeneutical Hui has gone well. Yesterday we engaged with Genesis 19. Today with Leviticus 18 and Romans 1. I know some readers here may be keen to get some sense of 'where the Hui is going' and/or 'what conclusion is emerging'. To each such query I simply say, we are on a journey, and the journey is likely to have an end in some kind of statement at the conclusion of the next hui. There is no intention to discuss, agree and then publish a statement at the conclusion of this hui.

What kinds of things are being talked about? Well, I am in just one of the twelve small groups, so I do not know all that is being talked about, but the sense I get from conversations with one or two, combined with my own (brilliant) group experience, is that we are canvassing the range of interpretive issues that come up in discussions such as one finds in the larger commentaries.

I think it would be appropriate to report that we are talking together. Those last two words can be read as talking together and as talking together.

So, in one way I have told you little, deliberately, out of respect for the character of the hui, but in another way I have reported something significant about our life together in ACANZP, as represented in the group of 90 or so present!

Further Reports on Visit

++Katharine Jefferts Schori is now on her way to Australia. A final set of reports on Taonga re further Christchurch events are here. I think her visit has been an important exercise in various ways. Not least we have some reflection we could consider doing on how we can best maximise the time such a distinguished visitor has in our church. Could she have visited more centres than two, for example?

Also, if time, there is some further ACI reflection on the Pentecost exchange of letters.

Fruitful Tuesday

Quite a nice day yesterday. Nice, for instance, to find rain in Auckland. So it's not just Christchurch being punished for its moral turpitude this winter :) Lots of fruitful conversations. Catching up with old friends, developing some new friendships. Some good humour along the way. A lovely eucharist led by another old friend. Engagement with Scripture. Good engagement without drifting off into a parallel universe in which Scripture plays no role. Yes, the 3rd Hermeneutical Hui of our church is off to a good start.

Meanwhile Anglicans elsewhere are thinking about things. Prodigal Kiwi(s), for example, offers some thoughts on priesthood in Tikanga Pakeha.

I am also trying to formulate some thoughts ... on a workshop on effective preaching in 2010, this Sunday's sermon on a theme in the readings, Christ-centred mission, which handily is one of the three key strategies in our diocese's strategic plan, and on heresies, especially gnosticism and Pelagianism.

Fruitful Sunday

Episcopal Cafe's The Lead picks up a collation of news and blog posts re the visit of Presiding Bishop Schori to New Zealand.

In its opening paragraph it offers this reasonable deduction from the items:

"Her first Sunday looks to have been a fruitful one."

I suggest it depends what is meant by 'fruitful.'

It was a fruitful Sunday in terms of participating in some lovely, warm, hospitable occasions. Some new friends were made. And on the part of those of us who heard ++Schori preach we got a first hand experience of the persona of this leading Primate in the Communion.

But was it a fruitful Sunday in terms of getting to know the reality of our church? When perceptions bounce across the internet about who is close in friendship and comradeship in the Anglican journey of the 21st century, it may or may not have been a fruitful Sunday in terms of perception meeting reality.

The experience of Sunday was of genuine warmth and hospitality. But the experience of Sunday (and the days preceding) was not of the fullness of our church. Some will interpret this visit as deepening the perceived closeness of relationship between ACANZP and TEC. But the reality is more complicated: a part of our church is strongly affectionate and admiring of TEC, while another part is both suspicious and, as previously posted by me, very concerned for Anglicans once part of TEC but now no longer, and another part is oblivious to what is taking place in our Communion. That last section of our church, I suggest, would be most concerned to find that in some eyes it was viewed as part of a church more likely to go where TEC goes than where the majority of the Communion goes. (Of course it would be delighted to find that the kerfuffle was over and the Communion was united!)

25, 55, 500, 145

Yesterday I went to four church events. I participated in worship at two services in a parish church, also preaching and presiding. 25 were present at the first service and 55 at the second. A case could be made for such a parish being a 'stock-standard' NZ pakeha suburban parish. In the afternoon I was present at a farewell for one of NZ's longest-serving vicar's. Wally and Rosemary Behan are leaving St John's Latimer Square, one of our largest parishes, normally with some 500 people worshipping each Sunday across three congregations, many of whom are children, teenagers, young adults, and young married couples. Wally and Rosemary are aroundabout retirement age, but they will be far from inactive in ministry in the foreseeable future. In the evening I went to Festal Evensong at St Michael's and All Angel's Church with Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori preaching. The sidespeople gave the attendance number at 145.

Just to get something out of the way, in case I unwittingly convey a sense that this post is building up to some demolition of the Schori sermon, the sermon was fine. Indeed, thinking of all episcopal sermons I have heard in my life, one of the better ones. It began with greetings from the 16 countries of The Episcopal Church. Its texts were 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 and Galatians 5:1, 13-25. It articulated a case for enlarging our freedom in Christ, and used a number of illustrations from Episcopal life and mission (e.g. Haiti, Sudan) to elucidate the challenges some Christians are facing in respect of enjoying the abundant life of God for which Christ has set us free. In spirit the sermon was akin to a recent one noted here. 'Fine' does not mean I have no theological quibble, but let's see if the text is published or not, before I reflect on that. [Text is now published on Taonga]. But 'fine' does mean lots and lots to agree with, to be encouraged by, as well as challenged by. Incidentally, I thought the Presiding Bishop's voice is very nice to listen to. Not every preacher's voice is (what I call) 'listenable'.

Readers familiar with New Zealand Anglican modes will know that St John's Latimer Square stands very solidly in an area described in terms such as Reformed, evangelical, and low church - with these labels being proudly owned by St John's staff and congregation (see further on their website). In the course of yesterday's speeches of farewell and thanksgiving reference was made to other markers of one aspect of the Anglican spectrum in our Communion: 'Proclamation Trust', 'Sydney', 'Dick Lucas', 'Moore College', and 'Peter Jensen'. By contrast St Michael's and All Angels stands very solidly in an area described as 'Anglo-Catholic'. It would not just be some local Christchurch bias on my part to suggest it is New Zealand's best known Anglo-Catholic church, if not it's longest standing one. Last night's evensong did not disappoint in any way: splendidly robed clergy and lay ministers, a robed choir, bowing and crossing at appropriate points in the service, and incensing. The last mentioned being something on which there is no stinting. I am not sure which theological labels, if any, the staff and congregation there would own, so I will not give any here. (You may wish to explore their website further).

Our challenge as a Diocese, and as a church in these islands, includes holding together our diversity. A wide 'diversity' by any Anglican measure. It includes finding ways to build up the numbers of participating worshippers in 'stock standard' parishes. It includes finding successor ministers to those who have created the great challenge of leaving their parishes in extraordinary good heart and great numbers. It includes discerning what is drawing young people to our parishes (and what is not drawing young people to our parishes), and then fostering the results of that discernment. It includes enhancing our freedom in Christ and appropriation of the abundant life God has promised to us. It includes making decisions about the polity and policy of our church for the years ahead which are both faithful to Scripture-based Anglican theology and representative of the make up of our church. It includes not dividing our church.

Our life as an Anglican church has many things to be grateful for, and huge potential yet to be reached. Its breadth of diversity was on evidence for me personally through the course of yesterday. The day ended on a lovely note, including a convivial and generous reception after the evensong. Such feasts of worship and fellowship are always pictures for Christians of what the church seeks to be in its completeness. We are not there yet. By God's grace may we become what God is calling us to be.

PS There is a very nice photo of my colleague Bosco Peters with ++Katharine at the reception, posted here, and a witty reflection to accompany it!