On Friday, 36 participants from 15 CCCNZ churches gathered at Willow Park Christian Camp for the CCCNZ Pastoral Theologians Fellowship theology workshop.
The theme was ‘Gospel & Culture’, and the day began with an outstanding presentation by international speaker Dr Darrell Bock (Dallas Theological Seminary) in which he developed a ‘theology of cultural engagement’ fit for our pluralistic context.
Other presenters—Emma Stokes (Lifezone Church, Carey Baptist College and adjunct faculty at Pathways Bible College), Justin Thompson (Manawarū Bible Chapel), and Rebecca de Jong (Lincoln Road Bible Chapel, Laidlaw College, and adjunct faculty at Pathways Bible College)—then focused on more specific elements of the gospel message, and how these might be shared in our contemporary New Zealand society.
The latter part of the day was dedicated to group conversations, in which teams worked together to outline ways in which key ideas from the day could be shared more widely.
Nick Goodwin, CCCNZ Pastoral Theologians Fellowship Coordinator, writes: “I was really pleased with the thought-provoking and passionate nature of the presentations and delighted by the enthusiasm and energy brought to the day by participants. It was great to see a range of ‘theologians’ interacting and contributing”.
Catherine Perich (Lincoln Road Bible Chapel) says: “I was impacted by the differing presentations of how a pluralistic world sees Christianity and how we can speak into that more effectively. I particularly liked Darrell Bock’s line that ‘people are not the enemy; they are the goal’”.
From left to right: Darrell Bock, Emma Stokes, Justin Thompson, and Rebecca de Jong.
Ian Payne (Eden Community Church) comments: "It was so encouraging to be with others who want to think deeply about how best to share the gospel with other Kiwis. Particularly touched by how radically gentle is the Kingship of Jesus".
Marina Shannon (Orewa Community Church) notes: “A very thought-provoking day exploring how to better our communication at the intersection of faith and culture”.
