What’s the story, Lord?
So, what kind of press has Christianity enjoyed in Southland since last Easter? hit the files.
So, here’s the breakdown. ‘‘God’’ had 420 references in stories published in The Southland Times since last Easter, ‘‘church’’ 363, ‘‘Jesus’’ 85 and ‘‘faith’’ 458.
Quite a lot of those ‘‘faith’’ ones were in a strictly sporting context, we couldn’t help but notice.
Sport seemed to outdo the church when it came to invocations of faith being shown, or called for, or rewarded.
’’Lord’’ featured in 322 stories, although that search category has been particularly compromised by the attention given to the similarly-monikered singer songwriter.
Lorde had quite a newsworthy year. Could the same be said for God?
In reflection, maybe, through the conduct of devotees. But it does get messy. Amid stories trivial and profound, there’s no getting around it that news reports have been full of false sightings.
Was there something?
Whether or not it amounts to taking his name in vain, a high proportion of our printed references to God can be dismissed as mere expressions of surprise.
He’d be getting nothing done if he looked up and said ‘‘What?’’ every time someone has written, or been quoted saying, ‘‘Oh My God’’.
Through this hollowed-out phrase, his name has been appropriated for arguably the most overused phrase of our American-influenced age.
Maybe the most famously used ‘‘Oh my God’’ during the past year was mouthed by the actress Emma Stone on the Oscars stage, as the best-film fiasco unfolded to worldwide press attention. Hardly God’s fault, of course.
The relationship between Hollywood and Himself has been a source of many stories, few of which could be called profound.
Movies didn’t do our Lord many favours this year. Lots of movie stories that featured his name were passably pagan, such as the upcoming Thor Ragnarok directed by Taika Waititi, with its God of Thunder vibe, and the empowering Polynesian hit Moana, featuring Maui the trickster demi-god.
On a less elevated dramatic level, the voice of God was rendered, in an Invercargill production of Badjelly the Witch, by an actor whose other task was playing a mud-eating worm.
The future of faith
A breakdown of census data reminded readers that, while most southern Christians are European or Maori, both of these groups are losing adherents at an accelerating rate.
In 2001, just 25 per cent of people of European descent identified with no religion. By 2013 it was 42 per cent. Among Maori the increase is from 35 per cent to 53 per cent.
Among the Catholic church, the growth of the Filipino community has been offsetting this in many parishes.
Those declining numbers mean that Invercargill Catholic parishes may combine into one large one, incorporating St Mary’s in Invercargill, St Theresa’s in north Invercargill, St Patrick’s in Georgetown and Sacred Heart, Waikiwi.
Pope Francis and the Archbishop of Canterbury pledged to press towards full reunification of the Catholic and Anglican churches; they admitted they ‘‘do not yet see’’ a solution to differences over sexuality and female clergy.
But they believe God will ‘‘open new doors’’.
Blessings and gratitude
Robbie Williams, after an earlier falling-out with unimpressed concert reviewer was in reconciliatory mode promoting a return concert. After recalling waves of feelgood audience bonhomie from the criticised concert, he added the benediction for his former antagonist: ‘‘... so it’s all good, and God bless Simon Sweetman. God bless him too.’’
Not all blessings have been gratefully received.
Journalist Martin Van Beynen on daily walking the gauntlet of Beggar’s Alley in Columbo St, Christchurch: ‘‘Even their signs show very little effort. They usually sign off with God Bless, as though they have provided an opportunity for God to bless the donor.’’
God was thanked many times throughout the year, sometimes with more conspicuous actual gratitude than others.
Among the most compelling examples at local level was that of southern businessman and racing identity Ian ‘‘Inky’’ Tulloch who thanked God to be alive after he was seriously injured in an awful crash at Teretonga in March.
We also read of singer, Stan Walker, speaking on a Destiny Church stage about his postconversion reconciliation with his violent father. Quite the turnaround, given their history.
‘‘After every hiding, I used to sit there and cry and think ‘God, kill him’...’’
Speaking of Destiny, the nation’s charity watchdog cleared Destiny, which we described, delicately, as a ‘‘religious group’’ of any wrongdoing, a month after a petition calling for it to be stripped of its charitable status.
Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne remained unconvinced; ‘‘I do not favour taxing genuine churches and real charities but as Destiny is obviously neither, it should pay taxes like every other business. Destiny is a personality cult’’.
Abortion. Ever an issue
‘‘Each life is a God-given gift,’’ wrote Riversdale-Waikaia Presbyterian Church minister John Gullick in a letter on abortion.
Abortion features in 71 stories, notably when Prime Minister Bill English rejected calls for a review of abortion laws. That was code for liberalising them, he added.
Pope Francis issued a ruling granting priests the right to forgive abortion: ‘‘There is no sin that God’s mercy cannot reach and wipe away when it finds a repentant heart’’.
Still very much a sin, though, as many a commentator pointed out.
Structural stuff
Invercargill City councillor Peter Kett meant it as a reassurance when he asserted that the Rugby Park building would emerge from repairs ‘‘safe as a church’’, but was promptly reminded that First Presbyterian Church had been damaged by fire, Windsor Presbyterian Church had been demolished as an earthquake risk, St Andrews was an uninhabitable earthquake risk ...
Strictly speaking, First Church’s fire damage had been in 2015 and by February it had been made accessible again after an offlimited period lengthened by the need for asbestos decontamination.
Elsewhere, consent for the demolition of 107-year-old Gore Methodist Church included measures to retain heritage features and history. Otautau business owners Pamela Hopkins and Robert McGowan had converted the Otautau Methodist church into a gallery.
Make what you will of this one. A 100-year-old former church 10km from Otautau was swept by fire. Given there was no electricity supply, the fire was immediately designated suspicious. The old church stood on the property of ... anybody? ... Southern Naturally, the south’s nudist - beg pardon, naturist - club. There’s an Adam and Eve joke in there somewhere.
Then again, the Gracious, can’t we find something a tad more elevating? Yes we can. The Salvation Army launched a community finance scheme in Southland to help combat debt problems.
A loan could be taken out to help pay off hire purchase or credit cards and the money repaid at a low interest rate. The idea is to make it a little easier for people to get out of debt.
This is a partnership between the Sallies, the Ministry of Social Development and the Good Shepherd Church and follows a successful pilot in Manukau.
Take your pick of other examples of Christianity in action.
How about free meals for Central Southland farm workers during the busy calving and lambing periods. The meals were well received. The project was the brainchild of Winton woman Jess Wright, and flourished with the support of the local Presbyterian Church.
On top of which, there have been a host of supportive churchbased fundraising initiatives, like Queenstown’s St Peter’s Anglican Church fundraising to buy a vehicle for former Queenstown teacher Marlene van Tonder to keep up her good work in war-torn Sudan.
Mataura woman Barbara Cunningham was presented with the Governor-General’s Anzac of the Year Award. Mataura Community Board chairman Alan Taylor called her ‘‘a God-sent doer in a sea of talkers’’.
Come again?
One final thing. Honesty compels us to acknowledge this entrant into our columns.
‘‘They god a lot out of it’’ - a Volleyball Southland office manager on successful trials.
Upon reflection, that would be a typo on our part.
Sorry.