Dear New Zealand Government,

            We are all aware the world is not as it should be. There is pain, suffering and inequality everywhere we look. Nations sell weapons to dictators and then sanction blockades causing hunger, lack of medicine and infrastructure breakdown hurting the people the dictator used the weapons on. Companies cause destructive loss of habitat, and exploit the vulnerable for a greater return to shareholders. Free trade is prioritised ahead of fairtrade. For the sake of an easy life and a desire for more stuff people close their eyes to the gradual destruction of the fragile eco-systems that keeps the planet habitable. We are all aware that the world is not as it should be.

            You are complicit. You make policies for the poor but are among the elite in a wealthy nation and so have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. You are also caught up in huge global movements and systems that seem to have become bigger than anyone’s ability to control, and even though you do your best, you are complicit.

            Earlier this month it was revealed that the Security Intelligence Service kept a file on Green MP Keith Locke. He was, it would appear, deemed a threat to national security for his peace activism and anti-capitalistic notions. He was seen as subversive.

            It is with the deepest regret that I discover you do not also have a file on me. It would appear I am harmless to the way things currently are. Were you aware that I signed a petition against the G8 summit? I don’t like the policies of the IMF and I own ‘The Corporation’ and ‘The Yes Men’ on DVD?

            It is with even deeper regret that I discover that the Anglican Church also has no active file with the SIS. I became part of this group because its founding charter is so radical; I hoped it was subversive of the current empire. But there is no file. Were you aware that in taking communion each week we declare that we are not bound first and foremost to the benefit or advancement of this nation? But that we are caught up with a global family of people we consider our brothers and sisters – nay of one body – most of whom are living in poverty? Our founder was considered a troublemaker. He was something of a peace activist. He was executed. Yet there is no file on his organisation. Are we not subversive of the current order?

I am willing to offer my full support for an immediate investigation as to weather a file should be opened. I will bring the refreshments; we are very good at tea and cake and have been known to drink wine from time to time.

Your sincerely

Jolyon White.

Those words again; “…a time of Jubilee is coming…”

Jubilee was the time when all land was returned to its original owner. A system ensuring that power and wealth did not gradually pool upwards leaving people stuck in systemic poverty with little hope of climbing out. A lease hold economic market rather than a private ownership economic market. I realise a direct parallel is not applicable, yet there is surely cause for reflection – “Lord search us and know us.”

Back to the song; “…a mighty river through our nation.” A typical western symbol of justice is a blindfold lady holding balanced scales. Blindfolded, objective, dispassionate; when the balance is even, that is justice. A scriptural symbol is of a mighty flowing river, passionate, often in favour of the marginalised and dispossessed, seeking a return to relationship and wholeness whatever that might take.

“It is a matter of grave concern that there is an apparent breakdown of the rule of law within the country, and that the democratic process is being undermined, as shown in the flagrant disregard of the outcome of the democratic elections of March 31st 2008, so that Mr Robert Mugabe illegitimately holds on to power. Even the recent political situation of power sharing, brokered by SADC, may not be long lasting and simply further entrench Mr Mugabe’s regime. There appears to be a total disregard for life, consistently demonstrated by Mr Mugabe through systematic kidnap, torture and the killing of Zimbabwean people. The
economy of Zimbabwe has collapsed, as evidenced by the use of foreign currencies in an independent state.

We therefore call upon President Robert Mugabe to respect the outcome of the elections of 2008 and to step down. We call for the implementation of the rule of law and the restoration of democratic processes.”

Read the entire statement here.

The Anglican Mission Board has also launched an emergency appeal in support of the Ahli Arab Anglican Hospital in Gaza. 

The hospital is a profound example of the vision of peace the Anglican church has for the entire region. They provide critical medical and surgical care for all the people in the Gaza strip regardless of political affiliation, race, class or gender, and is in sore need of assistance. See the details of the appeal here.

The leaders of New Zealand churches are deeply concerned about the dire situation in Gaza and support the call for an immediate ceasefire in the region

The escalation of violence and associated increase in civilian casualties is intolerable. It is time for concerted action to end the suffering of the 1.5 million people trapped within the 360 square kilometers of Gaza with little food, water and medicine, and under almost continuous attack from the land, sea and air.

Before the collapse of the ceasefire in December, the borders of Gaza were tightly controlled and movement in and out very difficult. Now the conditions are much more lethal. The consequences of this unparalleled pressure cannot be underestimated. Already many innocent civilians have been killed and injured. People are living in perpetual fear and growing numbers of people are in desperate need of food and water as well as medical treatment. The trauma will have a lasting effect on everyone and is undermining any possibility of negotiating a just and sustainable peace.

To date the international community has failed to broker a lasting peace. We urge the New Zealand government to do all that it can through the United Nations and through its own diplomatic efforts to call a halt to Israel’s military offensive and the Hamas attacks. New Zealand has an obligation to uphold the international community’s ‘Responsibility to Protect’ populations from war crimes as agreed at the United Nations’ Millennium Summit.

As followers of Jesus, who exercised his ministry of reconciliation in this troubled region, Christians are deeply concerned about Jewish-Palestinian enmity. While religion is often tragically used to fuel inherited hostilities, it can also be a force for shalom/salaam. It is our hope and prayer that all adherents of the three Abrahamic faiths in that region (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) might truly seek the way of peace and reconciliation to which their scriptures bear witness.

We encourage church members and all people of goodwill to:

- Pray for the victims and perpetrators of violence in Gaza and Israel.
- Pray for the success of diplomatic efforts between Hamas, the Israeli Government and the international community.
- Pray for peace and reconciliation.
- Advocate for the New Zealand government, world leaders and the United Nations to take effective action to renew the ceasefire in Gaza and work towards a just resolution of the conflict in the interests of long term security and peace.
- Support the Christian World Service and Caritas Gaza Appeals providing desperately needed food, fuel, water and medicines in Gaza.

13 January 2009
Jabez Bryce, Bishop of Polynesia
Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia
John A Dew, Archbishop of Wellington
Roman Catholic Church of New Zealand
Rodney Macann, National Leader
Baptist Union of New Zealand
Garth McKenzie, Territorial Commander
The Salvation Army
David Moxon, Senior Bishop of the New Zealand Dioceses
Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia
Graham Redding, Assembly Moderator
Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand
Mia Tay, Clerk
Quaker Peace and Service Aotearoa New Zealand
Religious Society of Friends
Brown Turei, Bishop of Aotearoa
Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia
Jill van der Geer, President
Methodist Church of New Zealand

• Father Peter Murnane, Dominican Friar, ‘A time to keep laws and a time to disobey them: civil disobedience and civil resistance in the age of private and government terrorism’
• Dr Chris Marshall, Religious Studies Department, Victoria University, ‘Biblical perspectives on anger and violence’
• Dr Nicola Hoggard-Creegan, Laidlaw College, ‘A theological critique of the Seville, and UNESCO-adopted, Statement on Violence’.

All Saints’ Lounge, 284 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, Auckland
Registration is $20, includes lunch, morning and afternoon tea

Registration: Please register by Monday, 17 November, with Chris Barfoot, email barfoots@xtra.co.nz or tel (09) 575 6142.

Arranged by the Anglican Pacifist Fellowship. A printable poster for this event is available http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/apf/apf221108.pdf

More information about the Anglican Pacifist Fellowship is at http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/apf

The quiz is run by St. Michael’s Global Mission Group and is raising funds for the Anglicare StopAIDS programme in Papua New Guinea for HIV/AIDS testing, education, counselling and health services.

To raise extra funds, we’re auctioning off a selection of awesome prizes half-way through the quiz. Come prepared with your general knowledge and brainpower to compete in teams of 8 people.

Tickets are $20 each, or if you want to go beyond the call, you can buy a table of 8 and sell the extra tickets to your friends. We’d love to see you there!

E-mail quiz@stmichaels.org.nz, phone (leave a message) / txt 0275 547 714 for tickets or more info.

• 7pm – 9pm, 22nd November 2008

• St Michael’s Church Hall, 83 Upland Rd, Kelburn, Wellington (just before the Kelburn shops)

Youtube video: Anglicare STOPAIDS fights HIV in Papua New Guinea

The quiz is run by St. Michael’s Global Mission Group and is raising funds for the Anglicare StopAIDS programme in Papua New Guinea for HIV/AIDS testing, education, counselling and health services.

To raise extra funds, we’re auctioning off a selection of awesome prizes half-way through the quiz. Come prepared with your general knowledge and brainpower to compete in teams of 8 people.

Tickets are $20 each, or if you want to go beyond the call, you can buy a table of 8 and sell the extra tickets to your friends. We’d love to see you there!

E-mail quiz@stmichaels.org.nz, phone (leave a message) / txt 0275 547 714 for tickets or more info.

• 7pm – 9pm, 22nd November 2008

• St Michael’s Church Hall, 83 Upland Rd, Kelburn, Wellington (just before the Kelburn shops)

Youtube video: Anglicare STOPAIDS fights HIV in Papua New Guinea

]]> http://www.justice.net.nz/news/stopaids-quiz-night-auction/feed/ 0 http://www.justice.net.nz/criminal-justice/response-to-heralds-article-on-bailey-kurariki/ http://www.justice.net.nz/criminal-justice/response-to-heralds-article-on-bailey-kurariki/#comments Sat, 24 May 2008 19:00:08 +0000 Anne http://www.justice.net.nz/criminal-justice/response-to-heralds-article-on-bailey-kurariki/ Letter to the Editor of the Herald on Sunday

From the two New Zealand-based leaders of the Anglican Church, Archbishops Brown Turei and David Moxon, and the Anglican Church’s Social Justice Commissioner, The Rev Dr Anthony Dancer.

We want to register our concern at last Sunday’s story ‘Paroled killer’s lavish new life’.

That sensational headline doesn’t, in our view, disguise the fact that this was a thin story (Home-delivered pizza? Sneakers for a birthday present?) .

The State has determined that after having served a lengthy period in detention, the time has come for Bailey Kurariki to begin the long and delicate process of reintegration into society.

It’s in every New Zealander’s interest that he is properly rehabilitated – and that process is made doubly difficult if it has to be conducted in the harsh glare of a media spotlight.

We understand that many Christians have reached out to Bailey Kurariki during his time in prison – and continue to do so.

Prison Fellowship is perhaps the most notable of these Christian groups – and it has the respect and endorsement of many Anglicans, including our prison chaplains, who are interested in the work of restorative justice for both victim and offender.

Prison Fellowship is a Christian ministry, born as a response to Jesus’ command that his followers should visit those in prison.

Further, we believe that Christian conversion does bring saving grace, and it does bring redemption and transformed lives – which is the best, and perhaps only hope for many of those in prison.

Bailey Kurariki is paying, in full, for his crime. But there is no doubt in our mind that New Zealand will be better off if he is ransomed, healed and restored.

Yours sincerely,
BT
DM
AD
Prison Fellowship: Kurariki Media Exposure Criticised

Herald on Sunday: Paroled killer’s lavish new life

Anyhow, these concerns included issues with full image syncing, notes, disk mode, lack of calendar input and lack of games.

Steve Jobs reportedly replied and addressed the last two issues:

David,

Best,
Steve

Now, if you’ve bothered to read this far, I found that interesting simply Jobs’ assistants responded by saying “the new iPod touch is a completely different animal inside than the old iPods and the games just don’t translate.” And I thought, instantly (which may say more about where my mind is at than I would like) – hey, I wonder how that would look as an ecclesiology…

We call the new iPod an iPod, but it’s a totally different thing inside. But outside, it’s in a box that says iPod, so it is one. And they don’t port old games over because they just don’t translate. Well well…in the church we seem to spend all our time trying to make translation work, and get terribly concerned if the new thing is different on the inside than the old thing. Isaiah 43:19 has something to say about that, it seems to me: “Behold, I am doing a new thing. It springs up. Do you not percieve it?” I guess in many cases, if we are honest, the answer is, erm, well no, we don’t – because we are really rather attached to the old thing, and only just getting used to that.

Of course, we’re not really meant to get ‘used’ to ‘it’, are we. Emerging church, starting with the likes of Joy in the early 90s, engages this head on. But an awful lot of stuff in the established church seems to pass itself off for emerging church these days…or “new ways of doing church”.

How does all this relate to justice? Well, why don’t you tell me. I think it has a lot to do with mission identity, pneumatology (theology of the holy spirit), and our future being just where we are.
And if you haven’t got an iPod, clearly you are in the wrong church - go here!