Blog Ngā Tuhinga
Reflections, theology and ideas from our faculty and the wider Laidlaw community.
Covid Update
Throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we have continually reviewed our policies with reference to the various Government mandates, public health advice, and with careful attention to Christian ethics and the…
Walking to God within community
None of us work or walk alone. As Ron Rolheiser (1999) says, we are “walking to God within a community” (p. 135). Who we are as Christians is not merely an individual pursuit, because, “Part of the very essence of…
Covid Update
Here we are, in yet another season of change. We’ve considered the revised settings and received further information from the Ministry of Education about their impact on tertiary institutions. Here is how Laidlaw…
Laidlaw at Orange
From 3 December 2021 Laidlaw College will move into the Covid-19 Protection Framework (CPF). To find out more about our decision-making process please take a look at our article on moving into the CPF. At Orange:…
Laidlaw moving into the Covid-19 Protection Framework
Aotearoa NZ is moving into the COVID-19 Protection Framework (CPF) on Friday 3 December. This means that our Henderson and Manukau campuses move into Red, and our Christchurch campus moves into Orange.…
Vaccination Update
Vaccinations, and the implications of vaccine passports, are an important conversation that we will all need to be having in the coming days and weeks. You will have seen the announcements about vaccination requirements…
Laidlaw Auckland at Level 3
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my…
Laidlaw Christchurch at Level 2
To ensure consistency for all students, and to protect the vulnerable in our community, all timetabled classes will remain online until further notice. There will be some instances where students will be invited to…
Laidlaw Auckland at Level 4
Our Manukau and Henderson campuses will remain closed under Level 4, and learning will continue online. As we have experienced previously, we will not be able to gather again on campus until Level 2, and then with some…
Student Update
Over and over again the Psalmist calls out to the living God in and from all sorts of circumstances – good, bad, predictable, and unexpected. Psalm 46 reminds us that: God is a safe place to hide, ready to help…
Laidlaw at Level 4
Kia ora koutou, e Laidlaw whānau, God promises in Philippians 4 that he is with us and gives us a posture with which to approach situations like COVID: ...The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every…
LATEST COVID-19 UPDATE
Kia ora koutou, e Laidlaw whānau, With tonight’s (14 Feb 2021) announcement of the move to Level 3 from midnight in Auckland and Level 2 around the rest of the country: • Our Auckland campuses (Henderson and Manukau)…
COVID Response - Next Steps
Kia ora koutou, Laidlaw whānau, These past 24 hours I’ve been reminded of the story of Jesus sleeping amidst the storm on the Sea of Galilee (Matt 8; Mark 4). I don’t know how you are feeling with the news of the past…
Official COVID-19 Information
Please check these websites for the most up to date information on the COVID19 situation published by the NZ Government and health services. New Zealand Government “ Unite Against COVID-19 ” Ministry of Health updates…
Library usage during lockdown
Kia ora tātou, In light of the closure of Laidlaw campuses until further notice, our physical libraries are now closed and all borrowing and returning of physical books (both on campus and distance requests) has…
A word from the Pasifika Council
Bula vinaka, Fakalofa ahi atu, Kia orana, Malo e lelei, Malo soifua, Talofa, Taloha ni, Warm Pacific Greetings to you all During this challenging time, we encourage you all to take this pandemic very…
Reflection on Christian Response to Crisis
In the face of a fear-inducing pandemic, Christ and Christian communities have much to offer. In the early centuries of the Church, Christians stood out amongst contemporaries for their response to the epidemics that…
Dare to Answer the Call
There come times where we are revealed or drawn to a certain relevant Jesus promise perhaps about who we are, or who we are not; about how to treat other people; about our being saved through grace; about our…
A Restored Life
Laidlaw student Bob Reynolds marvels at the grace of God as he reflects on his life’s journey thus far. For Bob, the movie Once Were Warriors was a real-life experience. His Niuean mother was the black sheep of the…
Called to Teach!
Nehemiah (Miah) Tagaloa was living comfortably in the world of finance and insurance when the call to train as a teacher became too loud to ignore. He was involved in his church’s children’s ministry and doing volunteer…
Meet Roxette Falesima
Second year Bachelor of Ministries student Henderson Campus I’m the second oldest sibling of five brothers and one sister, and one adopted sister. My mum has been a solo parent for over 11 years and in that time I was…
Jesus, Friend of Sinners
by Dr Mark Keown I was working through John’s account of the Feeding of the 5000 in John 6:1–15 yesterday and realised something I hadn’t noticed. The miracle is the only one found in all four Gospels (Mark 6; Matt 14;…
What is a Kiwi?
by Dr Mark Keown What is a Kiwi? Well, according to the freedictionary.com it is “Any of several flightless birds of the genus Apteryx native to New Zealand, having vestigial wings and a long slender bill. Also called…
Lucy: A Model of Maximum Brain Power?
by Angelene Goodman - Course Developer I recently saw the DVD ‘Lucy’, and although the plot was frankly ridiculous, it did provoke some theological reflection on my part. Very briefly, the story is about a young woman…
And His Name Shall Be Called…
by Dr Mark Keown As I listened to a most excellent pre-Christmas sermon last Sunday on Isa 9:6, I opened my logos software and looked at the Greek OT version of Isa 9:6 to see how the Greek translators had dealt with…
Cycling and Cruciformity
by Dr Mark Keown This year my wife Emma and I joined a cycling group, NZ Cyclist ( http://nz-cyclist.spruz.com ) to get fitter and make some new friends. The group is full of great guys and gals, real salt of the earth…
Technology's twisted paradise
by Dr Yael Klangwisan I remember my first computer. It came with a cassette player & tape (even before the floppy drive) and I remember writing simple code. But growing up alongside space invaders, email and internet…
Beyond Disability
by Fiona Sherwin Laidlaw has many opportunities to speak into various areas of church life in Aotearoa New Zealand. One conversation we have been involved with over the past three years is in the area of disability. We…
Another Great Kiwi Read: Read Mark and Learn by Derek Tovey
by Dr Mark Keown On the plane from New Zealand to the UK I read Derek Tovey’s short book on Mark’s Gospel. As New Testament Lecturer at the College of St John the Evangelist in Auckland, Derek is well known for his…
Extravagant Forgiveness
by Dr Mark Keown I recently read Jesus’ Parable of the Unforgiving Servant again (Matt 18:21–35). I was hit afresh by its power. Peter comes to Jesus and asks him how many times he should forgive his brother who has…
Paul's View of Slavery
by Dr Mark Keown My friend and learned colleague Phil Church’s excellent blog “ Does the Bible Really Condone Slavery? ” got me thinking. Phil rightly challenges the idea, even recently propagated by Kevin Rudd in…
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN: It's not an act, we do need each other
by Dr Mark McConnell I can’t quite remember the first film I saw him in it, but I do remember thinking “Who the heck is this guy?” Philip Seymour Hoffman kept cropping up in the strangest of places... or should I say,…
Religious Instruction and the Resurrection of Jesus
by Dr Philip Church Recently it was reported that the St Heliers School Board had decided that RI (Bible in Schools) would no longer be offered in the school. There is nothing newsworthy about this, of course. For a…
Some Great Kiwi Theological Reads
by Dr Mark Keown One of the delights of January is being able to read those books that you have been longing to read. So, over summer I have been doing this. Included in these books I have read are three which have…
The "Waning of Christianity"
by Dr Philip Church The christening of Prince George provided the opportunity for the NZ Herald to remind us all of the waning of Christianity in New Zealand ( NZ Herald , 23 October 2013, A3 ). Interestingly, the…
Barth, Hell and the Kings of Leon
by Dr Mark McConnell The other week in my first year Introduction to Theology class I was taking about Barth's understanding of election. Jesus Christ is the elect and all humanity is elect in him. This understanding of…
Wanted! Leaders of Character!
by Dr Mark Keown What a week in the news for NZ's leaders. First, there is the stunning revelation of Len Brown’s infidelity just after he has been re-elected mayor of Auckland. What a story! And it sounds like there is…
You can't fatten a hog by measuring it
by Dr Dianne Scouller The NZ Herald article Schools face takeover if pupils failing on Tuesday 24 September raises some issues of serious concern. One is the harsh – some might say totalitarian – imposition of authority…
Fences and Wells
by Andy Crowe, Bachelor of Teaching I encountered this metaphor while on a short-term mission trip which resulted in me staying in that place for three years. It applies to mission and to spirituality. This is how I…
Maaloula
by Dr Philip Church The other day I learned in an email from my friends at Middle East Concern ( http://www.meconcern.org ) that Syrian opposition forces had taken over the village of Maaloula in Syria. According to…
An "Aha Moment", 1 Cor 1:17
by Dr Mark Keown What a privilege I have to be paid to study the Scriptures, digging in each day to the text in its original language, seeing things, learning things, being shaped – what a joy. Thanks Laidlaw. Thanks…
WWJD?
by Caleb Anderson, Graduate Diploma in Theology (Christchurch) The other day, a classmate avoided a parking fine due to a clerical error, and started a discussion about whether he ought to own up and pay it. The…
Eight reasons why Alan John Miller is not Messiah!
by Dr Mark Keown Last Sunday night (May 26) TV One’s Sunday aired the report “The Gospel According to AJ.” Several years ago, “AJ The Messiah” was run on the same show. Clearly there is a real fascination with this man.…
The Bangladesh Building Collapse
by Dr Mark Keown The horror of the Bangladesh building collapse has caused me not only to pray for those who are suffering so greatly as we all should, but to be thankful for NZ building codes. Not that these codes are…
Privilege
by Andy Crowe, Bachelor of Teaching student I have been sitting at my laptop for 5 hours, pouring over readings, occasionally pulled by the gravitational force of Facebook as though it were the Earth and I were the…
The New New Testament
by Dr Philip Church From the Jesus Seminar who gave us The Five Gospels: What Did Jesus Really Say? The Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus (HarperCollins, 1993) we now have The New New Testament (Houghton Mifflin…
Worldwide Religion Rejection - Sorry Bob Jones, You Are Wrong.
by Dr Mark Keown 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…
Atheists Temples?
by Dr Mark Keown A friend recently posted on Facebook an article entitled “A Truly Godless Place: Why We Designed a Temple for Atheists” (…
A Book with no Quotations?
by Dr Philip Church The New Zealand Herald Canvas magazine contains a list of questions each week under the heading “Brain Trainer.” I usually read them and try out my general knowledge. Question 5 on 26 January 2013…
Was Jesus really born in a stable?
by Dr Philip Church The traditional Christmas story, played out in numerous nativity pageants around the world every year has Joseph and a highly pregnant Mary knocking on doors in Bethlehem, being turned away from…
The Levite's concubine and the new media
by Dr Yael Klangwisan The last year has seen some turbulent clashes between the mainstream media and social media, requiring the intervention of government in the West. In fact in the last year this clash came to a head…
Education is the Practice of Freedom
by Dr Yael Klangwisan Education is the practice of freedom. Hence its danger. Education as the practice of freedom leads to empowerment, and to the ability to choose between choices, and to create new choices from which…
Reflections on another Hong Kong Adventure
by Dr Mark Keown Two years ago I went to Hong Kong to do ministry. I have just got back from another eleven day Hong Kong jaunt, fellowshipping and ministering at the Vine at the invitation of my great friend and…
Déjà vu? School Closures in Canterbury
by Wendy Fowler Upon arriving in New Zealand in 1998, I was confronted by a dilemma: to accept a job at a thriving country school in Mid-Canterbury which was being threatened with ‘voluntary closure’ set out by the then…
Paralympics - London 2012
by Fiona Sherwin A significant event began on Thursday 30 August with the opening of the 2012 Paralympics in London. Compared to the Olympics two weeks before, it is receiving far less attention from media outlets such…
Evangelical Presbyterians' Statement On Same Sex Marriage
by Dr Mark Keown Last week, Presbyterian Affirm, of which some of the Laidlaw faculty is involved, released a statement on same-sex marriage. It was put together over the last few weeks with a number of evangelical…
Afghanistan - should we have ever been there?
by Dr Mark Keown The tragic deaths of the five soldiers in Afghanistan over the last month has understandably led to calls for NZ to withdraw from Afghanistan asap. Withdrawal however is complex as, to do so would send…
My Favourite Moment of the Games
by Dr Mark Keown 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…
The Radical Call of Tatenda Taibu
by Dr Mark Keown I dreamed of being an international cricketer in my younger days. Each year, I played rugby in winter, cricket in summer, and wanted to be one of those double All Blacks who played both codes for NZ. I…
Is it time for church sponsorship?
by Dr Mark Keown So the All Blacks are in discussions with potential sponsors who will place their logo on the centre of the jersey front. The English have the big Oa on theirs, the Springboks have SaSoL, the Wallabies…
Life in the Midst of Suffering and Shame
by Dr Mark McConnell Life, Above All , a German-South African production, is a movie (recently released on DVD) about suffering, shame, community and redemption. The “hero” is a 12 year old girl, Chanda, who shows us…
Jesus, Israel and the Church
by Dr Philip Church This past Wednesday (13 June) we had a presentation at Laidlaw College from Bob Mendelsohn, the Australasian director of Jews for Jesus . His topic was “Jesus, Israel and the Church.” Bob is a warm…
A Glimpse into Western Values
by Dr Mark Keown The results from this year’s annual US Gallup beliefs and values survey are intriguing (see http://www.gallup.com/poll/154799/americans-including-catholics-say-birth-control-morally.aspx ). The first…
Money, Politics and the Kingdom
by Dr Mark Keown 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…
Stimulus
by Dr Philip Church 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…
ANZAC Day
by Dr Philip Church 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…
Diary of a Disciple: Day 1006
by Dr Mark Keown Nothing much to say about today except, “woe, woe, woe!” – lament and grief. We remained in the house, we cried, we sang songs of lament, we talked, we tried to make sense of what has happened, but we…
Diary of a Disciple: Day 1004
by Dr Mark Keown Again we awoke with no idea what was about to happen? It was the day of Passover. Me and a few of the others thought we would take the initiative, so we asked Yeshua where he would like us to prepare…
Diary of a Disciple: Day 1003 (Morning)
by Dr Mark Keown We rose again in the morning, this time with muted expectation. A few bits and pieces to eat and then we again headed into Jerusalem. The fire had gone from us all, replaced with concern. No-one dared…
Diary of a Disciple: Day 1000
by Dr Mark Keown What an amazing few days. There was Yeshua, for the third time, telling us that he is going to be rejected, arrested, suffer greatly, die and then rise. Why does he say that stuff all the time? It is…
From Flower Grower to Specialist in Ancient Texts
by Dr Mark Keown For those on the Auckland campus, this week has been a special time of hearing from Dr Dirk Jongkind, the John W. Laing Research Fellow of New Testament Text and Language at Tyndale House and fellow of…
My Sweat, Your Money, Their Life, Go Bible!
by Graeme McNae This blog-piece is written by Graeme McNae, Tongan Programme Coordinator, School of Theology, Mission and Ministry. Graeme is an avid mountain biker and is combining his love of cycling and the Bible,…
Ending 2011 With Gratitude
by Dr Mark Keown One of the toughest verses in the Bible is 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “Give thanks in all circumstances.” It is always easy to give thanks when one is the recipient of great news – like the birth of a baby.…
Christmas... disruption and celebration
by Dr Rod Thompson God has a way of disrupting – at least it feels that way from a human perspective! – our lives . Think of Mary and Elizabeth, meeting in a house somewhere in the hill country of Judea, centuries ago.…
Why Christians should be green
by Dr Nicola Hoggard-Creegan Christians should be green because we are made of green stuff, cells and water and oxygen and other by-products of the death of stars. We share kinship with all life and we believe all life…
Making Your Votes Count
by Dr Mark Keown What a difficult choice we face as we go to the polls later this week. There are really pressing issues facing New Zealand and the world – the global economic problem, the disparity between rich and…
What is Christian Education Really About?
by Dr Di Scouller Note: This blog piece is inspired by Dr Di Scouller’s PhD – Back to the Future: An Investigation of the Curriculum Model Adopted by the Association of Classical and Christian Schools – awarded Sept 23,…
Parihaka Day
by Dr Mark Keown Preliminary Note: As I sat to write this blog at 5.45am, Friday Nov 4, I had an unusual experience. I had resolved to write this for some weeks. I was half way through when I put on the TV3 morning news…
Welcome to the Laidlaw blog
by Dr Mark Keown Welcome to the inaugural post of the Laidlaw College blog. We are developing this blog because of the important role blogging now has in our world as an integral facet of communication. The blog is not…