A Pondering: The middle ground is not sacred

A Pondering: A quick thought or random wondering We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men or women are persecuted because …

A Pondering: Does the language of “mission” contribute to White Supremacy in the Church? / A.J. Hendry

A Pondering: A quick thought or random wondering I've been reflecting recently on how the language of "mission" (so often used in the Christian community in the context of helping the "less fortunate") feeds into the colonial narrative of White Savourism. It seems to me that it feeds this idea that "we" - church, community, …

A Pondering: Do white critiques of Christianity erase the voices of our whānau of colour? / A.J. Hendry

A Pondering: A quick thought or random wondering I got a lot of liberal and progressive friends (and I love ye'all) 👊 but, when i hear voices from the white progressive space who name Christianity as no more than a tool of white supremacy and white Imperialism, I hear white supremacy and the erasure of …

Reflection #40: The Sin of Sodom: The Poison of Patriarchy

Reading: Genesis 18-23 I, perhaps like yourself, was taught that the sin of Sodom was that the men in the town were gay.  Reading this passage today I wondered how I ever accepted that interpretation. This story is about a group of people that have become so dehumanized that they attempt to rape and brutalize …

A Pondering: Theology is Constructed

A Pondering: A quick thought or random wondering I listen to some people talk about theology sometimes as if it something that can be downloaded from some heavenly cloud and thus will arrive in a perfect package, neatly compiled. But, its not like that is it? Theology is constructed, it's built, its wrestled with, and …

Reflection: #39 Abraham the Father of colonization / A.J. Hendry

Reading: Genesis 17 "... I will give the entire land to you.... where you now live as a foreigner.... it will be (your descendants) special possession..." It's hard not to read about land in Aotearoa and not reflect on how our ancestors have fought and contested over the whenua. My ancestors read these texts and …

Reflection #38: Abram’s oppression and Hagar’s Liberation

Genesis 11-16 It is hard not to feel uncomfortable by the way women are spoken about and treated within this text. Sarai is reduced by Pharaoh to her beauty, she is used by Abram to gain power and security. Women are mentioned alongside property as the possessions returned to Lot after he is rescued, and …

Reflection #37: Divine Violence/ A.J. Hendry

Reading: Genesis 3-10 As I read this passage I had to take a moment to allow myself to sit with the brutality of it. It begins with Cains murder of Abel, and continues to reveal humanities descent into violence and lust for power. A lust that becomes so unsatiable that God decides to massacre the …

Reflection #36: Deathknell for the Patriarchy

Virgin Mary and EveCrayon & pencil drawing by Sr Grace Remington, OCSO© 2005, Sisters of the Mississippi Abbey. Image can be purchased here Reading: Genesis 2-3 I read these passages with my sisters, with those who as a result of what has been written in this text, have suffered at the hands of men who felt …

Reflection #35: Original Goodness / A.J. Hendry

Reading: Genesis 1 It can be really easy to be overcome by how messed up this world is. For me at least. Daily, I bear witness to the consequences of some of the worst our society has to offer our people. Its horrendous, and to be honest traumatic. Holding Hope is a constant struggle. Can …

Reflection #34: The God of the Old Testament can seem like an oppressive tyrant. Should we ditch Them?

A few months ago I was speaking with a friend who - though is not someone who identifies as a Christian herself - loved the liberating message within Jesus' teachings. She spoke about her early memories of being in church as a child and hearing about this Jesus who spoke about giving to the poor, …

Can the Church Accept Gay Marriage? P13: Is this the hill we want to die on?

*note, this piece is part of an ongoing series. The conversation in this blog builds directly upon the conversation prior. If you’re just joining this korero, I would encourage you to start with part one, which you can find here As we round out, I want us to consider whether this is really the hill we …

Can the Church Accept Gay Marriage? P12: Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin. Is it time to put this phrase to bed?

*note, this piece is part of an ongoing series. The conversation in this blog builds directly upon the conversation prior. If you’re just joining this korero, I would encourage you to start with part one, which you can find here As we’re wrapping up, I just want to address one phrase that is often used in …

Can the Church Accept Gay Marriage? P11: We’ve formed relationships, what next?

*note, this piece is part of an ongoing series. The conversation in this blog builds directly upon the conversation prior. If you’re just joining this korero, I would encourage you to start with part one, which you can find here After, a period of listening, learning, and loving, the natural question which will arise is, what …

Can the Church Accept Gay Marriage? P10: Can we Love our neighbour if we don’t know them?

*note, this piece is part of an ongoing series. The conversation in this blog builds directly upon the conversation prior. If you’re just joining this korero, I would encourage you to start with part one, which you can find here The Law is Love Let us start by remembering the words of the One we have …

Can the Church Accept Gay Marriage? P9: Is it possible to have unity, within diversity?

*note, this piece is part of an ongoing series. The conversation in this blog builds directly upon the conversation prior. If you’re just joining this korero, I would encourage you to start with part one, which you can find here Unity within diversity As I’ve engaged in this korero one thing that has become explicitly clear to …

Reflection 33: Xmas and Those who We’ve Abandoned

Reading: The Book of Acts 19-28 I'm sitting here, drinking my coffee, and gearing up for what will likely be an intense couple of days. It's been a hard week already, xmas is a hard time for our young people. Those with no whanau around them, who've been abandoned by our communities, condemned by our …

Reflection #32: Ihu Karaiti the Liberator / A.J. Hendry

Reading: The Book of Acts 16-18 The story of the First Followers is the story of an oppressed and marginalized group on the edge of society. Beaten, imprisoned, excluded, they seek to carve out space and meaning for their new community. They join with the Divine in Her work of Liberation, they are released from …

Reflection #31: So Many Boundaries, Can Anyone Get In? / A.J. Hendry

Reading: The Book of Acts 10-15 I grew up with a faith that was filled with boundaries, we often discussed, and agonized over who was in and who was out. People who swore, got drunk, went to night clubs, were on shaky ground. Muslims, atheists, liberal Christians (#AnyOneWhoWasntAsConservativeAsMe) and of course, Gay people, were out …

Reflection #30: Social Transformation’s possible, its just going to cost us

Reading: The Book of Acts 8-9 What sort of Love would prompt you to sacrifice your life? The Early Followers of the Way were willing to die for an idea, the idea, that the Divine dream was becoming reality in this world, that She had sent Her Son to enter into the messiness of our …