If you ever visit the Bay of Islands in New Zealand’s upper North Island, take the ferry to the particular bay where the gospel was first preached, by Samuel Marsden from Australia. That was on Christmas Day 1814. The general area is well worth visiting, having various historical sites that recall early missionary effort.…
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Christian life and witness in New Zealand is a very mixed bag. Most of the traditional Protestant churches – Anglican, Presbyterian and Methodist – are in a state of decline. The Baptist denomination is the most evangelical of the mainline churches. The declining churches reflect doctrinal indifference, a strong feminist influence, and differing attitudes…
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New Zealanders are very conscious of their smallness relative to the rest of the world, in population, economy and land mass. That condition is perhaps seen as having its attractions and advantages. But that has not always been the case. We’ve just been reminded through an agreement made recently between the New Zealand and…
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The gospel came to Australia with the ‘First Fleet’ in 1788. On board was Rev. Richard Johnson, an evangelical Anglican clergyman. He ministered under great difficulties until 1800, when he returned to England. It was only in the 1850s and the 1860s – following the gold rushes and the end of convict transportation –…
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The professedly evangelical scene within Australia presents a kaleidoscope – active groups within larger, compromised denominations; a small number of independent congregations; and a burgeoning multitude of neo-Pentecostal causes. Unlike the UK, there are no wider Evangelical associations, nor is there a substantial sprinkling of ‘Evangelical Free’ churches. Bible-believing, gospel-preaching churches are few in…
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When Juan Samaranch, President of the IOC, announced in September 1993, ‘And the winner is Sidn – eeee!’, the New South Wales government knew that preparing for the 2000 Olympics would entail an immense amount of work. Seven years and $3.5 billion later, Australia presented a sporting event that won the praise and admiration…
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Just thirty years after the crucifixion of Christ, the apostle Paul made this remarkable claim: ‘all over the world the gospel is bearing fruit and growing’ (Colossians 1:6). Writing in the third century, Tertullian told the Roman world: ‘We are but of yesterday and yet we already fill your cities, islands, camps, your palaces,…
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I write this letter in the comfort and security of my study. We have just returned from three weeks holiday at a small seaside village called Lennox Head. It was just Val and I and the dog. There was no telephone in the house where we were staying and I didn’t turn on my…
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The true church here is alive and bearing fruit to the glory of God. 1999 is an important year for the ‘Land Down Under’ as we face a referendum, the result of which will affect our future in the long term. For some years the issue of Australia becoming a republic has been…
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As I sit writing this report I never cease to be amazed at the wonder of the ‘Land Down Under’. The landscape is glorious and the scene from my study window is of trees and mountains. The sun is shining brightly and the countryside is green from the plentiful rain which has fallen during…
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