The Pacific Journal of Theological Research
The Pacific Journal of Theological Research (PJTR) is an open-access journal which aims to provide an international vehicle for scholarly theological research with a special focus on the Pacific region.
Dissolving Dream: The Improbable Story of the First Baptist Maori Mission
Copyright (c) 2004 The Pacific Journal of Theological Research
Calvinism, communion and the Baptists: a study of English Calvinistic Baptists from the late 1600s to the early 1800s
Against the Tide: Spreydon Baptist Church 1960 to 2000
Women in Ministry and Leadership in the Baptist Churches in New Zealand
Church Responses to Social Issues in Depression New Zealand, 1933
This essay considers the responses of three denominational presses over a three month period in 1933. At this time the great depression was at its height in New Zealand. On the international scene, the effects of the rise of Nazism were emerging. A study of the Anglican, Baptist and Methodist publications reveals the churches’ responses to the economic situation to be consistently pietistic, even whilst providing practical aid. There was greater variation in comments on Nazism but these denominations did not yet present a voice demanding radical responses to these issues.
Baptist Expansion in Colonial New Zealand
Baptists in colonial New Zealand followed two distinct paths in developing new causes. Particularly in Auck land and Dunedin a cautious sponsorship of new fellowships by one or two large churches proved an effective if slow method of expansion. In Canterbury a rapid proliferation of small churches took place in the 1870s. This approach, unique in New Zealand, reflected the special economic and demographic conditions of that province. This article argues, in addition, that key Canterbury leaders followed Methodist models of church extension, creating a very different pattern of development, which was eventually superceded by the more mainstream Baptist approach.
Dimensions of baptism: biblical and theological studies
Copyright (c) 2003 The Pacific Journal of Theological Research
The Gospel in the world: international Baptist studies
J.R.R. Tolkien’s trilogy The Lord of the Rings has grown enormously in public recognition in recent decades. In New Zealand, of course, it holds a particular fascination due to the outstanding success of the recent films. With the mounting appreciation has come a wide range of interpretations. In this essay I will highlight some of the Christian symbolism and theological implications of the themes and plot of this powerful epic.
Worship: Revealing what we really believe
This is the second of two articles that investigate the theology and practice of New Zealand Baptist worship from 1880-2001. This article examines the period from1960. An underlying theme of the article is the relationship between worship and evangelism, the writer putting forward the case for giving primary position to worship, in the expectation that this will indirectly improve evangelistic endeavours. The charismatic movement which began in the 196O’s brought much new life to Baptist worship, but also created controversy and initiated a renewed discussion about Baptist identity and Baptist worship practices. Some of this discussion is considered. A description of the practice of worship in this period is offered, based on personal interviews and church surveys. In the final section the practice and theology of New Zealand Baptist worship and its impact on evangelism is reflected on by considering notions of divine encounter.
Joseph Kemp and the Establishment of the N.Z. Baptist College, 1922-33
The impact of Joseph Kemp on the early history of the N.Z. Baptist Theological College has not fully been ac knowledged. A picture of a Baptist College under J.J. North as a moderate/liberal alternative to Kemp’s con servati ve/fundamentalist Bible Training Institute has been accepted. This is an inaccurate impression. Until Kemp’s death in 1933 he and North maintained great respect for one another. Moreover Kemp made pivotal contributions to the formation and establishment of the Baptist College.
The Kingdom in Miniature: Building a Colonial Theology
Among the most important occasions in colonial New Zealand Baptist life was the address of the President of the Baptist Union, given at the Annual Conference. These were often insightful ‘state of the union’ pieces. They were also a vehicle for the articulation of Baptists’ sense of themselves, their mission and their theology. This 1908 address by F.G. Buckingham reveals the de veloping ecclesiology of New Zealand Baptists and the challenges they faced. Many of the issues will seem familiar to readers nearly a century on. It is reprinted from the 1908/9 Yearbook of the N.Z. Baptist Union.
Beyond foundationalism: shaping theology in a postmodern context
Copyright (c) 2002 The Pacific Journal of Theological Research
George Johnston's Evangelistic Journey on the West Coast of the South Island 1884-6 Part II
Fearless for truth: a personal portrait of the life of George Raymond Beasley-Murray
The Cell Church Model in New Zealand Baptist Churches
The Cell Church model was discussed widely in New Zealand Baptist Churches during the 1990’s. The concept of small groups being like cells and constituting the church radically changes the structure of church. It fulfils needs based on relationships and community, with the opportunity to empower and release people for ministry. Cells are highly evangelistic in focus. A number of churches embarked on this by establishing cells, but with dramatically different outcomes. Three case studies are considered; a church which has successfully established as a cell church, one which modified its approach to small groups, and one where the attempt was unsuccessful. Church can effectively function with the cell/small group as the main focus, and an effective Cell Church model can be implemented. To do so requires vision by the entire leadership and effective communication that it is a way of being church, not just a strategy for evangelism of church growth.
Ministerial Credentialing in the Baptist Churches of New Zealand
New Zealand Baptists have taken a variety of approaches to their ministry. The nature of ordination has been a contested issue. For most of the twentieth century, a system of denominational accreditation operated, to ensure the smooth movement of ministers between congregations. In the 1990s a registration model was adopted, requiring ongoing supervision and development. This essay examines the history of these changes and assesses the impact of the registration system.
Worship in New Zealand Baptist Church Life: Dynamic Centre or Means to an End?
This is the first of two articles that investigate the theology and practice of New Zealand Baptists at worship from 1880-2001. This first article looks at the period up until 1960. H.H. Driver and L. B. Busfield are early critics of the New Zealand Baptist practice of worship. The arrival of J.W. Kemp to be the pastor of the Auckland Baptist Tabernacle reinforced a popular pre-millennial, fundamentalist and evangelical theology which encouraged the Baptist family of churches to prioritise evangelism over worship, with the result that worship services came to resemble evangelistic meetings. J.J. North’s Baptist Theological College trained men for ministry in this theological climate and henceforth ministers trained at BTC gave scant attention to the place of worship in the life of the church. In the 1950’s voices were again heard, echoing Driver and Busfield in calling for the centrality of worship in the life of the church.
The Baptists as a Global Faith Community
The Journal and Selected Letters of William Carey
Copyright (c) 2001 The Pacific Journal of Theological Research
George Johnston’s Evangelistic Journey on the West Coast of the South Island 1884-5 (Part I)
Conditional Immortality and New Zealand Baptist Churches 1880-1892: The Bradford Challenge to New Zealand Baptist Orthodoxy
In the 1880s the Rev George Brown from Bradford, England, challenged Auckland Baptists with his preaching on Conditional Immortality. George Aldridge, also from Bradford, followed Brown and large crowds heard his teachings. In 1889 the Rev. C.C. Brown of Timaru was expelled from the Baptist Union, in part for associating with Aldridge and his congregations. Thomas Spurgeon and a number of others had threatened to resign from the Union unless this action was taken. In 1892, after Spurgeon had left the Auckland Tabernacle, Brown was reinstated with support from the Canterbury Auxiliary. One of the influential laymen demanding toleration and an advocate of Conditional Immortality was Herbert Olney of the Oxford Terrace Church. Changing attitudes since have made separation on account of the doctrine of Conditional Immortality unnecessary.
Scars on the Australasian heart: Anzac Day as a contextual atonement image
Contextualisation has come of age. However while much research is evident with regard to contextualisation in non-Westem contexts, contextualisation within Western culture has attracted less theological reflection. If Robert Schreiter’s ethnographic approach to contextualisation is applied to Pakeha culture in the New Zealand context, the significance of Anzac Day emerges. A symbol of corporate identity arising from a national experience of shared grief, it has contributed toward the formation of a Pakeha spirituality. The symbolism inherent in Anzac Day can be correlated with dimensions of the atonement in regard to voluntary sacrifice, shared solidarity and resurrection motifs. In both the Anzac Day experience and the atonement, historical reflection on an experience of shared suffering has resulted in a renewal of hope and a reconfiguring of corporate identity. This dialogue between the Anzac Day experience and the atonement, while open to a feminist and pacifist critique, encourages a more indigenous expression of Pakeha spirituality.
Far from being a mere theological hurdle, the doctrine of the Trinity is central to the Christian community’s understanding and practice of worship. We worship God by participating in the Son’s communion with the Father through the Spirit, as we are in Christ and in the Spirit. Indeed, it is only through such “Trinitarian” worship that we appropriate the reality of the Son’s relationship with the Father. This paper derives such an understanding of Trinitarian worship by thinking explicitly after the New Testament scriptures. Further, we summarise the practical outworking of such ‘Trinitarian’ worship in many areas of Christian life including the Eucharist, baptism, preaching, community worship, prayer and holy living.
Making Yesterday Serve the Cause of Tomorrow: 50 Years of the Historical Society
Despite a general interest in Baptist history, New Zealand Baptists from their beginning in 1851 had no official Historical Society for almost one hundred years. After the Second World War, however, the possibility was raised of a society in New Zealand on the lines of the one in England. This came to fruition in November 1950 when the NZ Baptist Historical Society was founded. The Society focussed on four things: publicity, arranging annual meetings, establishing an archive, and publishing books and bulletins of historical interest. Since 1986 the Society has adjusted to a more modem approach. It has amended its name, produces a regular Research Journal, has transferred the archives to a more up- to- date facility and has begun the full computerisation of its records. It faces the 21st century with confidence despite limited finances and changing demands.
Copyright (c) 2000 The Pacific Journal of Theological Research
Bartian Theology: Mission and the Simpsons
The Simpsons is a television phenomenon, a show that has had unprecedented success, draws a wide audience and has remarkable depth to its cultural portrayal. This essay examines the way God and Christianity are presented on The Simpsons and considers what insights into our society we may draw from it and what Christian responses might be made. An understanding of satire and a grasp of 'Bartian theology’ afford a deeper appreciation of this popular cartoon.
Evangelical experiences: a study in the spirituality of English evangelicalism, 1918-1939
A Baptist in the Nest: William Wade and the C.M.S. in New Zealand
William and Sarah Wade were probably the first Baptists in New Zealand. They were, however, members of the Anglican C.M.S. mission. William Wade’s correspondece reveals the tensions within the mission and his frustrations with the local leadership, especially Henry Williams. Land purchases and other ‘secular’ activities are criticised. These factors combined with Wade’s history, his personality and his Nonconformist piety to make his position with the C.M.S. ultimately untenable.
'My language brought me to Jesus': Brian Smith and Translation as Mission
Brian and Shirley Smith’s outstanding contribution to mission in Tripura was capped by the translation of the New Testament into Kok Borok. This language did not have its own script. The choice of Roman script for the translation had unexpected political ramifications demonstating once more the power of language to disturb and to convert.