Stimulus Vol 12 Issue 2 May 2004 |
Table of ContentsIs New Zealand’s future churchless? St Imulus Models and Metaphors Laodicea and the seven churches Sacrifice Is the Passion anti-Semitic Mystically Correct Genesis and genetics A missing link Pulpit: Call of the covenant Book Reviews The Da Vinci Code Hegemony or Survival: America’s Quest for Global Dominance Worship as Meaning: A Liturgical Theology for Late Modernity The Cambridge Companion to Postmodern Theology Vocation in the Poetry of the Priest Poets George Herbert, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and R.S. Thomas Performing the Faith: Bonhoeffer and the Practice of Nonviolence The Puppet and the Dwarf: The Perverse Core of Christianity Mere Discipleship: Radical Christianity in a Rebellious World Dialogue |
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May 2004 |
EditorialAs a diversion from editing weekend, the team has been gaining some minor entertainment from testing some of this issue’s fine prose with a readability tool. It already tells me that this far through the editorial I am “Teetering on the edge of unclear”. I certainly have some way to go before it pronounces me as “Clear… you get to the point”. However, I take some comfort that the whole NRSV text of the Bible and Apocrypha is judged as “Mostly clear, with some unnecessarily long words and sentences”. Unfortunately most of our society increasingly believes that in the message of the Scriptures, God (to quote the analytical software) “…overwhelmingly embraces obfuscation and does not want the reader to understand anything he has to say.” In this issue of Stimulus we are reminded that God does in fact want us to understand his message. Gavin Drew describes how Paul’s understanding was changed, not by what he read, but by the shock of coming “… face-to-face suddenly with the once apparently despised, God-cursed, God-rejected, crucified Jesus.” The ability of this crucified Jesus to transform lives is affirmed by an ex-lesbian writing on what she terms “The Third Way.” Our consciousness of the crucified Jesus has been sharpened by Mel Gibson’s film, The Passion. This issue contains reviews from three perspectives. After considering the controversy Simon Perris concludes that it is the central story that still holds us – “There is no greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”. Many who believe that God and his followers “embrace obfuscation” see proof of this in the decline of the church. Lloyd Geering long ago predicted its demise before the end of the twentieth century – however, he has still not been able to preside over its funeral. Kevin Ward considers Geering’s and other claims regarding Christianity’s demise in his seminal article on whether New Zealand’s future will be churchless. While God’s message is written in the book of the Scriptures, it is also written in the book of nature. As the Psalmist wrote, “Day to day pours forth speech” (Ps 19:2). The decoding of the human genome has been completed, and that of the chimp is about to be published. The similarities between the two have a huge impact of how we understand our place in the order of God’s creation. Graeme Finlay and three other scientists present their perspectives and conclude by saying, “The supreme tragedy would be to perpetuate the lie that acceptance of the findings of genetics, and faith in this redeeming God are mutually exclusive. For by doing so we would be turning many people away from the Kingdom of God.” Continuing these observations from the book of nature, Lindsay Robertson presents some thoughts on Adam as “homo spiritualis”. Nicola Hoggard Creegan in her regular column provides food for thought on what the fall means to nature. David Cashmore presents some thoughts on the message to Laodicea in Revelation. Anyone with children must read St Imulus. We welcome Mike Mawson as our new book review editor. His industry has given us eight reviews in this issue. We trust that this helps our readers choose reading material that promotes clarity in thought and action rather than obfuscation. The One who is the eternal Word and in the beginning said, “Let there be light” would like that. David Cashmore Douglas Maclachlan |
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A churchless future? |
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“...to be part of the gospel imperative to transform minds and put faith in God into practice.” |
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STIMULUS THE NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF CHRISTIAN THOUGHT AND PRACTICE |