My church is Glenfield Presbyterian, a small church on the North Shore of Auckland. We are like most suburban evangelical family churches, with robust enthusiastic worship, great biblical preaching, modest children’s and youth ministries, some small groups, a traditional and contemporary service, and a real desire to see people healed, helped, and come to Christ.  Read More...

Gilbert Keith (G. K.) Chesterton, renowned Christian author and theologian, was born in London on 29 May 1874. His younger brother, Cecil, arrived 5 years later. At Cecil’s birth, the precocious Gilbert reportedly announced, “Now I shall always have an audience.” If Gilbert was hoping for a quietly passive younger brother, he was to be shocked. As soon as Cecil could speak, he refused to merely listen to Gilbert. He insisted on debate. And as the boys grew up together, they disagreed about everything.  Read More...

As is not unusual, our political scene is a bit messy at the moment. The big talking point is the Kim Dotcom-John Banks donation scandal. The situation has emerged because allegedly John Banks asked Dotcom to split a $50,000 donation into two $25,000 donations and then declared them anonymously when he should have named the donor. So now there is a he-said, she-said type of situation with Banks denying wrongdoing and knowledge, and the wolves gathering to prove he did. It sounds a little messier today with John Banks having lobbied Maurice Williamson over Dotcom’s proposed purchase of his Coatesville home. Read More...

Like many Stimulus readers, we at Laidlaw College greeted the news with a tinge of sadness that Stimulus, the New Zealand Journal of Christian Thought and Practice was to cease publication at the end of 2010. We had thought that Stimulus was the journal to inform and challenge thoughtful readers for the indefinite future. Consequently, we were grateful when the opportunity arose for us to consider re-launching it. We are pleased that this has come about, and grateful for the opportunity “to be part of the gospel imperative to transform minds and put faith in God into practice.” We are planning to produce the first edition of the newly re-launched Stimulus this week. Read More...

As I write it is ANZAC day. I didn’t get up for the Dawn Parade; in fact I confess I never have. From time to time it has crossed my mind, but usually only briefly. It might be because of my generation. It seems to me that ANZAC day is much more important now than it was when was growing up. My father served in the Pacific in World War II, but ANZAC day seemed to hold no significance for him either, but then again, neither did Easter. He was very conservative in his outlook, and attending the “Breaking of Bread” each Lord’s Day was he believed the Lord wanted him to do, rather than celebrating some annual festival with pagan origins. I have moved on from that. Easter has become one of the most significant seasons in the Christian calendar for me. But ANZAC day still has little significance. Read More...