Graeme Finlay‘s new book, Evolution & Eschatology: Genetic Science and the Goodness of God (Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books, 2022) Review by Stephen Pattemore I need to say at the outset that Graeme is a very particular personal friend, with whom I
From a Mother’s Heart: Reflections on Climate change and development in the Pacific – Eliala Fihaki
Eliala Fihaki recently moved with her family to Auckland. She works with Tearfund New Zealand as Senior Programme Specialist.[i] Eliala is also doing a PhD through the University of the South Pacific. NZCIS Administrator, Silvia Purdie, interviewed Eliala as part of the
Is Anyone in Charge Here?
Selwyn Yeoman talks about his new book on ‘Dominion’, subtitled “A Christological Evaluation of the Idea of Human Dominion over Creation“ Purchase for $30.00/book plus $6.00 p and p, for one OR two copies; orders direct to Selwyn at <selwyn.yeoman@xtra.co.nz>
Attachment to God in Christian life
Insights for individuals and the church, by Maureen Miner Bridges For the last fifty years Christians have been exposed to relational theology. Yet our understanding of Christians in relationship with God has scarcely benefited from psychological and neuroscientific advances in
Proclaiming the Wonders of the Heavens
Sarah Beattie reflects on the first episode of Brian Cox’s series Universe(Sky TV, BBC Earth)This episode, entitled ‘The Sun: God Star’, appears to give some validation to the possibility that physicists may be the new psalmists proclaiming the wonders of
Summer Reading
Three book reviews by Philip Pattemore: Faith perspectives on theories of origins. Philip reviews: ‘Understanding Scientific Theories of Origins: Cosmology, Geology, and Biology in Christian Perspective’, ‘In Quest of the Historical Adam: A Biblical and Scientific Exploration’, and ‘Baby Dinosaurs
Fatigue and recovery from a medical view
Professor Stephen Chambers (Companion of the NZ Order of Merit) is one of NZ’s leading teachers on infectious diseases. Semi-retired from University of Otago’s medical school he has been advising Government through the Covid pandemic. Stephen is an active member
A desert theme for Christmas
Rev Dr Graham Redding What does the Christmas story have to do with the climate crisis? The biblical character of John the Baptiser holds the key, and the insights of desert spirituality. December is the month where Christmas pageants and
God of the Jab: Jesus and Vaccination
By Rev Scott Thomson With reaction growing among the ‘un-jabbed’, especially from some smaller or conservative Christian groups and individuals, how might we articulate a faith perspective on immunization? Where might we find Jesus in our current situation? Jesus Jesus
“To notice what I notice”: Faith and Anxiety
Andrew Saunders Notes for NZCIS Winter Lecture 2021Firstly, some clarifications. I see anxiety as resulting from concerns about the future and what will happen; whereas I think depression is struggling with what has happened in the past …To me faith,
Vaccination, communion and sacrifice
Today was a particularly joyous Sunday as I was able to receive the Lord’s supper, followed later by the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination. I wanted to reflect on what it meant for me, for the Christian community I am part of
John Polkinghorne sage doyen of Science and Faith: tribute from a physicist
By Prof. Jeff Tallon, physicist The Reverend Canon Sir John Polkinghorne KBE FRS passed away on 9 March 2021. While he distinguished himself in two separate careers, one as a professor of mathematical physics and the other, latterly, as an
John Polkinhorne (1930-2021): testimony of a biblical scholar
Re John Polkinghorne, by Dr. Tim Medowdroft, Senior Research Fellow, Old Testament, Laidlaw College I was sad to hear this week that John Polkinghorne had died. I am not a scientist (not even close) on two counts, first that I
The queens of science
By Gray Manicom. Both Theology and Mathematics have been celebrated as “the queen of the sciences”. Perhaps the famous mathematician Gauss, who thus crowned Mathematics, was critiquing the aged words of the famous theologian Aquinas. Perhaps he was implying that
Is there Mathematics without God?
By Gray Manicom, Phd student in mathematics, University of Auckland Galileo Galilei supposedly said “Mathematics is the language in which God has written the universe”. This makes Mathematics seem like something independent of God, that exists without God and that
How do we talk to Children about evolution?
by Emma Belcher Recently, my six-year-old daughter saw a picture of the typical (but erroneous) monkey to man evolution transition. Her comment was something like, “oh so it started like a monkey, then went to there, and then to us.”
The Amazing Placenta: evolution and pathway to humanness
The amazing placenta: evolution and lifeline to humanness[1] Summary: This article describes aspects of how the placenta arose in evolutionary time. It describes how the quality of placental function reflects environmental factors (including social ones) that impinge upon the mother.
The Human Body in Feldenkrais and Dooyeweerd
Alan Cameron, Legal Scholar, LLM (Jurisprudence), CFP, MNZFG I am an independent Christian legal scholar with a particular interest in the philosophy of law. I was a founding member of the Wellington Centre for Christian Studies based at Victoria University,
The Sixth Mass Extinction & Genesis
By Dr. Yael Klangwisan Suffering tends to be silent. Extinction is no different. We need science, the humanities and Scripture to give voice to this silence. In this blog, a biblical scholar reflects on human loneliness without animals, how science
Are viruses evil? The book of Job, coronavirus and genetics
By Dr. Jacob Martin During this pandemic it is hard to make sense of all of the suffering around the world. Where is God in this pandemic? Is this a judgement from God? How does God allow viruses to kill
Healing in a Time of Pandemic
By Nicola Hoggard Creegan Based on a sermon on John 9:1-41 given at All Saints, Ponsonby, on Sunday 22nd. On March 24th this year, we were given 2 days’ notice to move from level 2 to level 4 lockdown, a
The Gospel of Jesus and the Crisis of the Earth
By Graeme, Finlay In appreciation of Sir John Houghton FRS who died on the 15th April 2020, a victim of COVID-19. The authors of a major study have concluded that ‘Human actions are causing the fabric of life to unravel’;
An Earth Day Parable
The Pangolin Effect: Covid-19 and Human Sin by Silvia Purdie, 22nd April 2020 April 22ndis Earth Day, and it behoves us to think closely about our effect on the earth. The trail of this present pandemic tragedy is a case in
Being a Christian in postgraduate research
What does it look like for a Christian to be doing postgraduate research? Postgrad research is an opportunity to contribute to expanding our knowledge about the physical world. Everyone hopes for breakthroughs, securing an academic position or even saving the
Evangelism by irritation: Kim Hill interviews Andy Gosler
Evangelism by irritation: Kim Hill interviews Andy Gosler
Evolution and Beauty
by Nicola Hoggard Creegan In our upcoming conference Beyond Conflict: Evolution, Science and God, we will among other things, be exploring different understandings of evolution, both at the level of mechanism and philosophically. This blog, then, is a short excursus
Easter reflections
by Nicola Hoggard Creegan It is Easter, and He is risen! We hear very little if anything about the religious meaning of Easter in the New Zealand media. This central core of Christian teaching, is, however, of immense importance in our
Does Science Prove God? A Response to Professor Richard Easther
The Spinoff recently published a blog post written by Professor Richard Easther, head of the Department of Physics at the University of Auckland. The post concerned the showing of a “creationist” video (embedded in the post) in Mount Hobson Middle School during
Seeing God
by Prof. Carolyn King There is a story about an American who was determined to see the Loch Ness monster. He travelled to Scotland, and asked the locals for information about when and where it had been seen, and by