Editorial

Having said that, the three feature essays are all focused on people and people groups, and each seeks to listen to the lived experiences of people in order to respect their personal narratives, take seriously the actions of churches and Christians, and realistically and pastorally attend to the implications these narratives occasion. Christopher Longhurst opens the volume with an honest and critical examination of the New Zealand Catholic Church/Te Hāhi Katorika ki Aotearoa’s redress protocol Te Houhanga Rongo—A Path To Healing (APTH). With a focus on victim and survivor testimony, Longhurst questions the effectiveness of APTH, The New Zealand Catholic Church’s response to complaints of historical clerical child sexual abuse. While this is hard reading, it is necessary reading if the church is to learn from her mistakes, repent, and do better. Whilst Longhurst’s essay has the Roman Catholic Church as its focus, other churches are not exempt from these issues, as the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care is witness to. Dale Campbell’s essay stays within the field of trauma but extends this beyond the Roman Catholic Church into social justice more broadly, including any situation where trauma has been experienced in the interactions between persecutor, victim, and rescuer. Campbell explains and applies the Karpman Drama Triangle to various social justice contexts to illustrate how this can be a helpful tool for how biblically informed notions of justice can be lived out in real-world situations. The final feature essay by Samuel Carpenter has as its focus the Williams’ family story as it relates to Aotearoa and te Rongopai. Carpenter shows how the nonconformist roots of the William’s family in Britain influenced their work in Aotearoa and illustrates some of the many ways in which successive members of the family further te Rongopai in Aoterora. Carpenter offers reflections on their legacies in shaping Christianity, culture, and nation in Aotearoa and argues that Māori language, cultural knowledge, land, and people, would not have survived the impacts of colonialism as they have done without the influence of the Williams family, their mission colleagues, and the early Māori church.

In addition to the featured essays you will find the usual Stimulus fare of humour with St Imulus, music reviews, and other informative material. Thoughtful Christian discourse is alive and well in Aotearoa. On behalf of the new editorial team of Erica Griffin and Fiona Sherwin, it is a delight to continue the long tradition of Stimulus, and we look forward to serving you with further volumes. 

Myk Habets