The NZCIS Winter Lecture Series focused on anxiety and faith. It drew on insights from theology and psychology to explore a range of aspects of anxiety, spirituality, pandemic and climate change.

‘Faith and Anxiety in an Age of Pandemic’
Dr Ashley Bloomfield
(View video HERE & translation of karakia here)
If you are watching this recording, in the interests of fairness to those who attended the webinar, we request that you donate $5 to Account number06-0193-0674457-00

10 November 2021
Dr Ashley Bloomfield is NZ’s Director General of Health. In this utterly absorbing and candid talk Ashley reflects on the experience of leading our national pandemic response, and reflects on his learnings about faith, anxiety, leadership and self care.

Ashley’s talk was watched online by 2,500 people, and is now available on video to watch and share. NZCIS is enormously grateful to Ashley for his generosity is sharing this with us.

‘Decentring the Eurocentric Self:
Community and Pacific Perspectives on Psychological Well-being in the Context of Climate Change’:
Olivia Yates

(View lecture HERE)

Olivia’s talk was on 11 August 2021.

Scientific thought in the Industrial era saw interdependent conceptualisations of the self as be recast and reduced into the individualised, Eurocentric self. Born from dissatisfaction with the separation of the self from socio-political contexts, and the minimisation of culturally situated knowledge within research, Community and Pacific scholars are decentring Eurocentrism within Psychology. Alternative understandings of the self as embedded within spiritual, familial, social, cultural, and political spheres have informed the development of holistic models of well-being. This presentation follows the development of Eurocentric theories of self as contrasted against community and Pacific framings of well-being. Drawing on research about Pacific climate-related migration, we contest reductionistic views of migrant well-being, and propose alternative approaches to working with climate migrants which conceive of the self as inherently relational, and well-being as intrinsically political.

Anxiety has a History:
Nicola Hoggard Creegan (view text and images HERE)

Nicola Hoggard Creegan discusses the biblical and theological backgrounds to our experience of anxiety, drawing on Kiekegaard and Tillich.

Leadership and Faith in Anxious Times:
Chris Clarke
(view text HERE)

Chris is currently Executive Director of Arrow Leadership and CEO of Wilberforce Foundation.

Chris shares deep and wide from his experience as a CEO in health administration about:
“Leading an organisation through anxious times
Leading oneself through anxious times”

“To Notice What I Notice” – reflections on anxiety and faith:
Andrew Saunders
(View Andrew’s Blog HERE)

University Chaplain (and NZCIS Board Chair) Andrew Saunders shares a deeply personal encounter with anxiety and faith in this Blog post.
“I have seen a bit of life, have continued to grow in my faith and have had my fair share of anxiety brought about by stress, sickness, overwhelming circumstance, failure and ultimately disappointment with self and others.
Today, I am sharing what have I seen and learnt about faith and anxiety. …”

Overcoming Anxiety: a reflection on the calming of the storm:
Rev Silvia Purdie
(View full text HERE)

“I want you to leave today with a better understanding of what anxiety is, And I want to give you some practical tools for yourself and for other people in overcoming anxiety.
Like the disciples in the boat many many people – in fact, I would dare to say most people in the world today – are struggling with fear and anxiety. The world is a scary place, more so now than it was a couple of years ago. Pandemic, conspiracy theories, disasters and global warming swirl around every person on the planet and batter in with fear and anxiety.”
Discussing the story of Jesus calming the storm, Mark 4: 35-41

Climate Change and Mental Health

Silvia’s seminar on Climate Change and Mental health, part of Mental Health Awareness Week 2021. View HERE