Bob Jones is at it again. In the NZ Herald today (19/03/2013) he has commented on the decline of religious adherence in the recent British census. He speaks of his hope that the same thing will happen in NZ. No doubt his hope will be realised, as there is no secret that European Kiwis who make up the majority of the population have been rejecting institution religion for decades now. Sadly for Bob, we Europeans don’t have many kids, so NZ will increasingly become non-European and religious adherence will begin to rise as we are peopled by Polynesians, Asians and others in the future. Read More...

A friend recently posted on Facebook an article entitled “A Truly Godless Place: Why We Designed a Temple for Atheists” (http://www.good.is/posts/a-truly-godless-place-why-we-designed-a-temple-for-atheists). The article speaks of atheism learning from religious devotion and developing contexts in which secular people can meet their “need to be awed” – something that “we feel whether or not we subscribe to a faith.”  Read More...

It is easy to be negative about the state of the church and the seeming decline of Christianity, especially if we are myopically focussed on our own situations. However, a recent study of the last 100 years of Christian growth shows that the global situation is far from demoralizing – in fact, Christianity remains easily the world’s strongest religion, has expanded dramatically in Asia and especially Africa, remains strong in the west, and has seen a dramatic spiritual awakening. Read More...

The Olympics were amazing. For one who has dabbled in rowing, all those rowing medals were amazing. The Kiwis acquitted themselves well. It all culminated with Valerie Adam’s belated win, albeit in disappointing circumstances. I am so glad Valerie won a gold, because all the others were won sitting down – it shows that Kiwis can walk, run and throw, and aren’t just the birds that are good at lounging around.  Read More...

Congratulations to all the Kiwis who received a Queen’s Birthday and Diamond Jubilee honour. In Romans 13:3, in the passage on the role of the State, urges the Romans to ‘do what is right and you will be praised.’ So it is great for a nation to honour its people for services rendered.  Read More...