We Kiwis have a real connection with farming.  It’s been the backbone of our economy from the start.  Many of us come from farms, have farming friends or family, or at least have stayed on a farm for a while. We’re not too happy when we see big chunks of our farmland being sold to overseas buyers but at least we’re sure the Kiwi land owner agreed to the sale and sold at a very [...]

In the lead up to Easter we have been putting up a new lent devotion each week day. These devotions are also available in the discussions section of our Facebook page and have been played on New Zealand’s Rhema. On the day Jesus was crucified and in the trial leading up to that event we see the biggest blow that could have possibly been dealt to evil, we saw the defeat of evil. Though evil [...]

The following is quoted from Jesus Radicals: Greg Boyd is the senior pastor of the mega-church Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. Boyd’s ministry took a decisive turn in 2004. As evangelicals rallied to re-elect George Bush, many attempted to coax Boyd to support a political party or to use his ministry and church to engage in partisan politics. After refusing such requests, Boyd developed a series of six powerful sermons entitled “The Cross [...]

It is my belief that violence is the last resort of the desperate. Torture is the use of violence usually for the purpose of obtaining information. The debate about American use of torture on detainees rages at the moment and I squarely place myself on the side of the argument against the use of torture. The latest Time magazine has an article in it titled “How to Make a Terrorist Talk” and it is certainly [...]

If you would like to receive an email each day that outlines the latest posts from this site, click here and fill in the form. While in prison for smuggling Jews out of Germany and later, executed for being involved in the plot to assassinate Hitler just before World War II ended, Deitrich Bonhoeffer penned this poem: Christen Un Heiden – Christians and Unbelievers Men go to God when they are sore and suffering, Pray to him [...]

For some time I have been considering what it really looks like to stand with the poor and oppressed as a Christian. I believe this is something central to what it means to live the Christian life and pursue the things God cares about as demonstrated through the life of Jesus.   Through my journey of shaping my life in this direction I have found myself feeling admiration towards movements that I simply do not [...]

I’m on holiday at the moment, but I could not sit comfortably without saying anything about the latest violence that has erupted against Gaza. Israel is now in it’s third day of air-strikes in the densely populated Gaza strip. The first nine hours of the strike saw 100 tons of bombs dropped and the death toll at the time of typing stands in excess of probably 250 Palestinians and the number of wounded is somewhere [...]

Warning – this post may offend many. The situation I am about to address is a firebrand that causes high emotion for many people. I am not seeking to make any friends with this, I have just decided that for the first time, I wish to air publicly, some of my privately held opinions on this matter and I believe it entirely relates to the point of this site. I cannot, in good conscience, remain [...]

Fiji along with 9 other countries has been selected for a United Nations pilot project on Violence Against Women. Participants from government, civil society, including faith based organizations, the UN and AusAid are at a three day workshop, which is in the final day today, to deliberate on a report on Fiji with regard to this issue; and the way forward. By 2010, the UN intends to have established joint programming on violence against women [...]