Explore why place and belonging matter for local churches, with seven practical ways congregations can ground ministry in their place. The Greek New Testament word for church is ekklesia, meaning “called out.” While this denotes a people set apart by a particular faith identity, it can also be interpreted geographically. […]
Blog
43 posts
Discover why having a sense of place matters for your faith, wellbeing and calling to care for creation, and how to build one We Are Persons-in-Place God is present and active in every aspect of our lives, wherever we find ourselves (Psalm 139:7-10; Acts 17:28; I Corinthians 8:6). God’s grace is related […]
Discover why having a sense of place matters for your faith, wellbeing and calling to care for creation, and how to build one We Are Persons-in-Place God is present and active in every aspect of our lives, wherever we find ourselves (Psalm 139:7-10; Acts 17:28; I Corinthians 8:6). God’s grace is related […]
Explore how nature becomes a place to encounter God through wonder, attentiveness, and a contemplative gaze, plus practical steps to begin. I was ambling along the Minnehaha Track on the outskirts of Fox (South Island) when suddenly there it was in front of me. I saw a tree sculpture. A […]
Mission is a word often used, but it is not easy to find a concise definition of it, let alone one on which everyone can agree. Mission has many elements. Defining Mission Decades ago, the Anglican Consultative Council identified five strands to mission which have since gained wide acceptance: To […]
The scope of Christian redemption is frequently reduced to a strictly individualised, anthropocentric transaction—a rescue mission designed exclusively to extract human souls from a corrupt world and secure them a place in a distant, disembodied heaven. However, the New Testament presents a radically grander vision of salvation, one that encompasses […]
Creation care is a legitimate aspect of the church’s mission. Jesus told us to take the good news to the whole creation — human and non-human. The Lausanne movement has recognised creation care as an integral part of the church’s mission. It resonates with the bigger biblical goal of shalom, […]
Explore how Jesus’s death connects to climate justice, Romans 8, and the call for Christians to choose discipleship over denial. When Jesus was crucified on a stake in Jerusalem, very few realised that there was a lot more at stake than just jealous religious leaders asserting their authority or egotistical […]
Six science-backed answers to your climate-denying relatives’ favourite arguments — respectful, factual, and ready for the dinner table. We all seem to have that one relative who denies climate change (loudly) at the dinner table – the one who points to snow on the ground in winter to disprove global […]
For centuries, mainstream Christian eschatology has been dominated by a single, dramatic image: the total destruction of the physical universe. Popular culture and traditional theology alike have long anticipated a final doomsday where the Earth is consumed by fire, the material world is obliterated, and believers are rescued to live […]
Genesis 2:15 reveals a second Great Commission: humanity’s unrevoked call to work and guard God’s earth as faithful, priestly stewards When Christians hear the phrase “The Great Commission,” their minds almost universally fly to the closing verses of Matthew’s Gospel. There, Jesus instructs His disciples to go into all the […]
For centuries, the Bible has been read primarily as a roadmap for human salvation and moral conduct. However, as the twenty-first century faces unprecedented ecological upheaval, a growing chorus of theologians, scientists, and historians are turning back to ancient scriptures to answer a modern crisis. While the term “climate change” […]
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus frequently upends human expectations regarding power, wealth, and status. One of His most profound theological declarations occurs in Matthew 19:28, a verse that bridges the immediate concerns of His disciples with the grand, cosmic climax of salvation history. Prompted by Peter’s blunt question regarding […]
The tension between biblical passages describing a cataclysmic end of the world and those declaring the structural permanence of the Earth has challenged theologians for centuries. While popular apocalyptic narratives emphasise a future global annihilation, a profound thread of scripture weaves a radically different narrative: that God has made binding, […]
The theme of renewal is the heartbeat of the biblical narrative. From the opening pages of Genesis to the final visions of Revelation, Scripture reveals a God who is not passive about decay, sin, or destruction. Instead, He actively works to make “all things new.” This renewal is not merely […]
2 Peter 3 is the absolute epicentre of the debate regarding the future of the physical Earth. Rapture proponents and dispensationalists rely heavily on this chapter to argue that the physical universe will be completely vaporised, obliterated, and replaced with a totally different reality. They use verses like 2 Peter […]
The contemporary climate crisis has prompted many religious communities to re-examine their foundational texts for ecological guidance. Within Christianity, the words and actions of Jesus Christ serve as the ultimate authority for faith and practice. While Jesus did not speak in modern scientific terms about ecology, carbon footprints, or biodiversity […]
For nearly two centuries, a specific theological narrative has gripped a massive cross-section of modern Western Christianity: the pre-tribulation Rapture. Popularised by nineteenth-century theologian John Nelson Darby and catapulted into late-twentieth-century pop culture via books like Left Behind, this worldview insists that true believers will be secretly evacuated from Earth […]
The Creation Care movement is a thriving theological and social movement within Christianity—including evangelical, Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox traditions—that directly pushes back against Rapture fatalism. Instead of treating the Earth as a disposable “burning house,” Creation Care argues that environmental stewardship is a fundamental Christian duty commanded by God from […]
In September 2025, the Department of Conservation (DOC) launched Always Be Naturing, a transformative multi-year campaign designed to redefine New Zealand’s relationship with its environment. This movement goes beyond traditional “look but don’t touch” conservation, urging New Zealanders to view nature as a vital system that underpins their identity, economy, and […]
In the eighth chapter of his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul paints one of the most vivid and sweeping pictures of cosmic redemption in all of scripture. He describes a creation that is not a passive, disposable backdrop for human salvation, but an active participant in the grand […]
We categorically reject the theological illusion that the physical universe is a temporary, disposable stage destined for total annihilation. For too long, the toxic rhetoric of a “doomsday escape” has excused the pillaging of our planet. We affirm that the Earth is not a sinking ship from which humanity needs […]
Annihilation or Transformation? The Historical Theological Debate Christian history has long wrestled with how literally to interpret the transition from the old earth to the new. This has solidified into two primary camps: Annihilation (Re-creation) and Transformation (Renovation). Theological Position Core Premise Key Scriptural Defence Historical Proponents Annihilation (Creatio ex […]
The question of whether our current efforts to heal and restore the natural order will be carried over into the New Earth touches on one of the most profound debates in theology. Scripture does not provide an explicit, technical blueprint detailing the fate of specific human projects. However, a strong […]