The fastest growing religion in New Zealand is a religion of no religion.[i]
This does not represent a decline in religion but a transfer of religious affiliation. The new religion of New Zealand is “civic religion”.
This is very evident in the huge growth of attendance at ANZAC day services. While I commend the remembrance of ANZAC, it has now taken on a life all of its own as a civic religion. We gather before the breaking dawn, stand in silence, pray and connect with the fragile nature of human life, suffering and pain. We reflect on the blessing of life and the personal freedom we enjoy in this land, and together we sing "God defend New Zealand"!
The original returned servicemen did not want to talk about WW1, let alone commemorate it. Now we have well groomed children on TV news telling us of their great grandfather or uncle who gave his life for their freedom. This is not good history. The young men did not give their lives; they had their lives taken from them. Lest we forget. Lest we forget the political bungling and social conditioning that provided the conditions for war.
Civic religion extends its reach to a hybridisation of commercialism and religion in Christmas, Mother's Day, Father's Day and Easter. In the same way as life requires festivals to mark the seasons of life so too do retailers seek opportunities to open our hearts…before they open our wallets. Nothing loosens the wallet like Christmas carols playing from mid-October.
Civic religion is also alive and well in the charity sector. New Zealand is one of the most generous countries in the world[ii] yet the local church may need to pass the plate around a couple more times just to make ends meet.
New Zealanders are very generous people and are becoming more discerning as to where and why they give. The bottom line; Kiwis want to make a difference. Watch Campbell Live, at least once a week John highlights an appeal and then passes the plate.
Another example of civic religion concerns property. When a local church has been damaged in an earthquake or is unable to pay for its upkeep, we can see great concern regarding the future of the church building from people who have long since given up on Sunday worship.
"Green" is another expression of civic religion. Who will advocate and care for our environment? The rise of "Green" in New Zealand is a movement that grows as we continue to abuse our waterways and exploit our land.
So how does the Church respond to this vibrant and growing expression of faith?
Embrace it! Could this be the movement of God's spirit?
We must learn to listen to this new civic religion. It is a rejection of institutional and denominational faith but it is not a rejection of faith. We need to ask some very hard questions of ourselves. What are we as a church doing or not doing that has led to a transfer of faith?
The Church of the future needs to be a Church that taps deeply into the psyche and spirituality of our land. Each of these expressions represents a dimension of life and faith that we, the Church, have a significant opportunity to engage with. If we fail to engage, the new civic religion will ultimately be Godless.
Our task is to recognise that a "come to us" message is over. We must adopt a "go to" faith that connects with the hopes, hurts and hungers of our nation. This is what I see in the ministry of Jesus; he went to where the people were and tapped into their deepest longings.
Andrew Norton
Moderator
13 May 2015
[i] 2013 NZ Census: 1.63 million New Zealanders claim “no religion” an increase of 26 per cent since 2006.
[ii] According to World Giving Index 2014, New Zealand is the 5th most generous.