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Letters to the Editor

By Richard Gunther

 

In the 1980’s I was going through a difficult patch, because I felt that my life was not productive enough for the Lord and, faced with the knowledge that life is short, I wanted to contribute more to the building of God’s Kingdom while I had the opportunity.

As I prayed about this, and read the Bible, two verses kept coming to me: Ezekiel 22:30 "And I sought for a man among them, that should . . . stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it", and Philippians 2:15 "That you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world."

I had recently been reading ‘The God Who is There’ by Francis Schaeffer and ‘Whose World?", and several of C.S.Lewis lesser known books. I wanted to know how I could get the Christian message across to more people? I noticed that Paul spent three months in public places: "Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him." Acts 17:17. It was then that I realised there was already a system by which the Christian point of view could be spread to thousands of people in my area, ‘in the market’ so to speak, on a weekly basis, and it would cost me almost nothing: the newspaper. (Considering the cost including printing, of having just one gospel tract posted to everyone in Timaru is about $3000, this was a very economical solution)

The Bible tells us that if we are going to "strive" we must "strive lawfully" (2Tim.2:5) so I set about finding the rules for letter-writing. The newspaper itself spelled most of them out – word limit 250 words, no poetry, etc. I also soon learned that it always pays to preface comments with "In my opinion . . ." or "I think that . . ." and to avoid Bible quotations, dogmatism and unkind words. It does pay to quote people, because for some strange reason people think a view is more important if you say "So-and-so said:"

The problem which loomed largest was the fact that the gospel is called "an offence" (Gal.511, 1Pet.2:8 but having said this we are also told: 2 Corinthians 6:3 "Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed." So presentation of gospel and Bible truth had to be done with tact, discernment, warmth, and consideration, yet the gospel itself had to be there in a pure form without ‘offending God’ by being an incompetent messenger. This was quite a challenge! It was like trying to give sour, stinky medicine to people who didn’t even know they were sick.

"Speaking the truth in love" (Eph.4:15) is not the easiest thing to do, so many of my earliest letters to the editor were clumsy, and rather blunt, but after a while I gradually learned how to speak to the subject with a little more ‘aplomb and etiquette’. Like most things, practise makes 'perfect' - something I have yet to achieve!

Circulation of the newspaper in my area was about 37,000. Frequency of my letters was usually one per week. Duration of writing those letters is now 22 years, which comes to approximately1,144 letters, but printed 37,000 times for each letter gives us 814,000 letters, and multiplied by 52 weeks every year produces a staggering 42 million letters. (42,328,000 to be precise)

I decided to ‘stand in the gap’ and try to present a Christian point of view on various topical events and ideas as they came along. If there was nothing particularly interesting going on I would either reword Christian teaching or start some debate. Often these ‘irritation value’ letters provoked wildly abusive responses, or crassly ignorant comments, but it all added to the enjoyment, and I’m pretty sure most people who read these semi-illiterate responses knew who was making the most sense.

I commend to you writing to the editor of YOUR local newspaper. Perhaps you can see it as your ministry to your local community, for Jesus. If even one letter from the Christian point of view is printed, who knows what a force for good it may be in God’s hands? God can do mighty things with our small efforts.

The following letters are copied more or less straight from my scrapbooks, in which I have kept all my little efforts over the years. I have put them out in the public area not to ‘brag’, but to encourage you, the reader, to put your own pen to paper and start writing for God too. You are free to quote me, or base your own letters on my own.

God bless you as you too "stand in the gap"!

…………………………………………………

1984

First published letter.

Dear sir, I have heard many hours of policy talk so far this past fortnight, and there is no disputing that we need to know what a political party intends to do in the practical, material and national areas.

What I have yet to hear is where any of the parties stand in regard to moral and spiritual things. Are they for Jesus Christ or against Him? Are they for the raising of Biblical moral standards, or against them?

Etc

For all and sundry

Dear sir, following an article published not long ago, in which I got the impression that meals at the Oasis Recreation Centre were more for people who were unable to afford good meals than for the general public, I have made some enquiries.

I thought that if I bought a meal at the Oasis, I might be depriving someone else of a good, very reasonably priced meal. Other people I have spoken to about this also had the same thought.

The fact is the meals are for all and sundry, and the general public is welcome to enjoy these well-prepared meals at midday without any qualms of conscience at all.

(The Oasis Recreation Centre was run by Christians, and I wanted to get some free advertising in the paper for them.)

A fate far worse

Dear sir, The ‘Our World’ programme about nuclear war and its probably effect was designed to cause viewers to think. What could be worse than an entire planet rendered lifeless by radiation and dust storms and an ice age? What indeed?

With due respect to the well-meaning folk who predict such things, may I say that there is something far worse. It is, surely, an established fact that all of us must at some time be born, and live for a short time, and ultimately, die.

Ten out of ten people die, as does all life on the planet, as each succeeding generation takes its place. But there was a man, not long ago, who came back from the grave, and strode dynamically into the world, proclaiming His power and authority over all things.

He also promised to raise all humans from their graves at some future date, and judge them.

What could be worse than nuclear holocaust? I believe that to be judged a sinner without a saviour, and to be sentenced to everlasting separation from God’s presence, is far far worse.

Nuclear war may seem terrible, but death comes to us all, one way or another, so why not lift our eyes and look further than the grave, and then put our trust in the one who overcame it?

Who is to set the standard?

Dear sir, in response to ‘analyst’ 31st March, who says that "the big change in attitudes in our society today lies in the behaviour of the girls"? ‘Analyst’ would pin much on the raising of moral fibre among women. May I enquire where is this moral tone to come from and who, or what standard of morals these women are to set their levels by.

I believe, with due respect to the views of ‘analyst’ that there are at least three ways of raising the moral tone of our society. All three stem directly from a personal commitment to the person of Jesus Christ – the creator, origin, and judge of all moral standards.

First, the Christian home. This can provide a great barrier against wrecked lives, nurturing and training children in good living, and giving them security that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.

Second, regular attendance of Bible teaching and preaching. The word of God has changed untold millions of lives from a lifestyle of destruction to one of joy and positive optimism.

Third, observance of the sabbath. Those who devote one day in seven to the happy worship and prayerful remembrance of who God is, what He has done, is doing, and will do, are refreshed continually. Young people benefit immensely from this stabilising routine in their changing lives.

History is witness to the fact that it is better to put a fence at the top of a hill, than to provide an ambulance at the bottom. A generation born again by the power of Jesus Christ needs no ambulance.

Read all the Bible

Dear sir, the short answer to Mr Fountaine (18 May) is: "Please read the whole Bible."

From his letter I see that he has made the usual mistake of confusing true Christianity – the world’s greatest blessing – with false and spurious copies.

Since Jesus Christ founded the one true religion (His claim, not mine), misrepresation, misunderstanding and plagiarism has occcurred. Anyone can call himself a Christian, and do anything in the name of Christ.

Mr Fountaine also equates the unChristlike behaviour of the Roman Catholic crusaders, the confessionals, wars in Ireland and religious fanaticism with true Christianity. This lack of discernment on his part can easily be remedied if he will simply examine the life, words and works of the founder of true Christianity.

Mr Fountaine asks: "Why do Christians consider that they are the only ones who are right?" Jesus did. E allowed no loopholes in His claims for himself. Either He was the way, the truth and the life, or He was not. He was also the one who thundered against hypocrisy . . .etc

Comfort in God’s Word

Dear sir, I am responding to all those parents who have, through a cot death, suddenly lost a dear and precious child. I hope that what I say will be a help and comfort to them as they cope with the reality of their loss.

For whatever natural reasons all life is given, sustained, and withdrawn by our heavenly Father. If this is accepted as true, then the loss of one’s child is no accident. We should remember also that that same Father, in infinite love, watched His very own Son, His child, die on a cross. God knows what it is like to see a child die, but He permits it because there is a greater purpose behind it.

We on earth, limited by time, inexperience and the inability to fathom anything beyond a certain point, must realise that God is not limited in any way. He inhabits eternity. He understands everything. His nature is pure wisdom, with love, and holiness. It is utterly impossible for Him to do anything which is not motivated by pure love.

God tells us, in His word, to give Him thanks in and for all things. Can yo thank God for taking the child He gave to you? If you can, it will help to ckleanse away any bitterness which might be there.

Remember also that Jesus showed a great love for babies and young children He enjoyed holding them in his arms. The gospels also record how Jesus raised a young boy and a young girl back to life.

Finally, if you accept Jesus as your saviour – and thus unite with God, you can be assured of a future reunion with your loved ones. This must be the happiest word of comfort anyone could hear.

All for our own good.

Dear sir, "thankful" (28 April) asks me how can we give thanks for the taking of life, except when it comes as a release from prolonged pain?

Please recall that the whole theme of my leter was this: we have a loving heavenly Father, who lives behind all our reality. He is all-wise, all-knowing, and absolutely in control of everything.

Now if you can accept this totally Biblical statement, you can see that all life is not only given from Him, but also sustained and withdrawn by Him.

Also . . . he is not obliged to explain anything to us. We can be thankful, in a general sense, for everything, because He means, ultimately, everything for our good. "Thankful" says that when "ultimately" death occurs . . . we ought to say, "Thy will be done." I agree, in part, but would add: "Thank you Father that thy will, and not mine, is being done." I hope "Thankful" sees that I was only trying to bring comfort to someone by presenting the Bible’s teaching and not my own opinions."

Stafford St. needs new mall.

Dear sir, I am very much in favour of having a street mall in Timaru, for a number of reasons . . .etc

Teach morality as well.

Dear sir, regarding the teaching of sex education in schools, may I off a few thoughts to those involved.

To all parents, please do not allow anyone to teach your children simply the mechanisms of sex, mating and reproduction, without also instructing them on the moral and spiritual areas, which are always involved. The desire to pair off with the opposite gender is strong in most healthy people, and without the moral and spiritual restraint, sex can become cheap, trivial, debased and a short-lived thrill, which can spoil the fulness of marriage.

To all young people please do not follow the well-worn path to emotional, spritual and often physical ruin, which so many of your age have followed. Do not disregard the fact that everything we do has repercussions in every area of our and other people’s lives. Sometimes we reap what we sow years afterwards, and sometimes for the rest of our lives.

There is nothing new about my opinion . . . . the Bible says that sex is only part of our make-up, and in order to enjoy sex, and stay happy, we ought to follow the instructions of God . . . etc.

A suggestion of evolution.

Dear sir, the Herald carried two items that caught my eye. One was about the possible formation of a solar system some 50 light years from our planet, and the other was the question as to whether NZ would survive a nuclear war.

He two items seemed to be linked in that both suggested evolution – another planet like our own forming, the development of life, evolution from singe cells to monkeys and their relations, mankind, nuclear war and the result: total extinction.

If one believes in evolution as the basic theme of totally unguided, randomly occuring events, working on material which comes from nowhere, and goes to nowhere, why is there so much compassion shown about the preservation of mankind? Surely it it is not motivated merely by the fear of dying? If we are, as many evolutionists claim, just an accidental life-form, made of ‘mindless’ atoms and molecules, that just happened to become organised for a brief moment of time, why should anyone care about anything?

Such things as world famine, loneliness, poverty, pollution and so on, are of no lasting consequence at all. Death reigns supreme.

These questions are worth considering, if you are an evolutionist. The only alternative to evolution is Jesus Christ, creation, and the Bible; the only viable alternative that is.

Get on knees first.

Dear sir, the Herald’s "Hawkeye" cartoon (19 Oct) pictured the rime Minister as Moses, leading Israel to the promised land. An amusing idea, but fraught with misconceptions.

First, it was God, not Moses, who led His people out of the bondage of Egyptian slavery. Moses was only the instrument.

Second, the promised land had to be conquered through warfare, thus destroying the wicked Canaanites, for whom judgement was long overdue.

Third, if Lange is a modern-day Moses, his Labour government must also be committed to the Lord Jesus Christ and call NZ to repentance, because without a spiritual renewal NZ will not be any different this year, next year, or any other year. No policy by any government can change the fact that human beings are basically slaves to sin, and no leader on earth can alter that fact. The Lange Moses is leading people from the slavery of Egypt to the slavery of Canaan.

If we really want to leave the Egypt of national debt, unemployment, poverty, etc we must all get on our knees first. As Jesus, our true Moses said: "Without me you can do nothing."

Evolution wrong.

Dear sir, Richard Leakey declared recently that he had found "the most complete skeleton of an early human ancestor". He dated the bones at 1.6 million years old.

I acknowledge this man’s experience, knowledge and sincerity, and do not pretend to be on the same footing as far as his training is concerned, but I would like to propose an alternatinve view.

About 7000 years ago God created this planet, and covered the land areas with plants and animals. Each separate and special creature and plant continued to reproduce after its kind, held tightly by the genetic code within its cells. Mankind, male and female, was also created.

The Genesis account describes how and why sin, which is rebellion against God, came to earth, and the consequences. Following the judgement on Mankind and all creation, a further judgement was necessary – the Great Flood. This global submersion of the planet buried all the civilisations, plants and land animals existing at the time.

The evidence is obvious – our fossil fuels, massive limestone outcrops, vast sedimentary deposits, inland dry lakes and of course the billions of tons of bones buried in the sedimentary rocks all round the world.

Richard leakey assumes that the bones he has found belong to an ancestor 1.6 million years ago. It could be, though, that they come from a human, only a few thousand years distant, or, they may simply be the bones of a primate.

There can be no ‘missing link’ if the Bible is taken into account, but there can be anything at all if the speculative assumptions of the evolutionist are used. It is either one or the other, but cannot be both.

Homosexuality.

Dear sir, was Jesus a homosexual? Of course not. Should the coming TV documentary, which alleges that he was be screened without protest from Christians? Of course not.

. . . .it is blasphemous to suggest that the Son of God would ever practise a sinful activity that he himself said would bar a person from entering God’s kingdom. Also, homosexuality is part of the sinful nature of fallen Mankind, and if Jesus was sinful in any way, he could never have been the perfect sacrifice for our sins. He would have given his life for us in vain. Etc.

Two theories opposed.

Dear sir, in reply to Mrs Sleigh, I do not, as she says, imply for a moment that biblical creation contradicts Darwin’s theory of evolution. I flatly and openly state it.

When the general impression and the detailed berse by verse account of Genesis chapter one is compared with the theory of evolution, there is no agreement. The two views cannot be made one. They are completely and utterly opposed.

As Mrs Sleigh said, faith in Jesus Christ determines salvation, but that is a separate issue. My letters, which she referred to, were aimed at the faulty reasons underlying evolutionist theories. The general theory of organic evolution says that all living things have arisen by a materialistic, naturalistic process, which began with non-organic materials.

The creation account records the fact that all basic animal and plant types, the created "kinds", were brought into existence by acts of God, using special processes which are not operating today.

As to carbon dating, it is based on assumptions, not facts. Radiochronologists assume millions and millions of years before they even start, so all their instruments are adjusted to suit. I am not a scientist, but I know this method is basically dishonest. By way of illustration, look at the time Jesus created wine. If a scientist had dated the wine he might have given it three months. When the earth is dated, the same problem arises. God created the earth, fully constructed and finished, then he judged it with a global flood. Today, the rocks are assumed to be very old, along with the bones of the animals buried in them, because of the assumption inherent in the mind of the scientist. Etc.

Bible is full of facts.

Dear sir, Mr. Fountaine recently wrote: "Self-confessed Christians should get their heads out of the sand and let their brains see the light. Unquestioning and blind faith do not make a belief a fact." I heartily agree.

With respect the dictionary says: "a fact is a thing that is known to be true." This means that for faith to be worthwhile it must be based on something true, otherwise it is only faith in faith, or faith in nothing. Here is where Christianity, which is based on the Bible, really shines. The Bible is fact-filled, and it is factual, not only because it claims to be so, but also because it is verifiable by external examination. The Bible is self-authenticating.

The gospels provide a wealth of details. The life and times of Jesus are objectively and selectively given. The narrative is carefully objective, and truthful, logical and reasonable.

The remainder of the new Testament is a collection of many themes, all laid out carefully, reasoned and argued with logical progression.

Mr Fountaine rightly criticises "unquestioning and blind faith". It was to prevent such worthless faith that God gave to us the evidence, truth, and facts, all collated into the book we call the Bible. Etc.

Ethiopians must believe.

Dear sir, the disastrous famine currently devastating Ethiopia and other countries has troubled many caring people in the West. We live, comparatively, in lands that overflow with food and material goods. We also enjoy stable government and numerous welfare schemes that provide everything from financial support to special aids for the disabled.

I have grown up in the wonderfully blessed land of NZ, so my understanding of the causes for such disasters epitomised by Ethiopia is limited. There is no simple way of rectifying the problems of their countries. We can, as a country, organise the transport of food, medicine and technology, but that is a short-term remedy.

So how can disasters such as the Ethiopian one be averted, in the long term?

I believe it is possible to understand the how and why of famine by examining the root causes . . . Etc . . . as a national model, God dealt with Israel as if to show other nations, and us, how their welfare was directly related to their response to Him. When Israel turned away from God the nation was afflicted by sickness, crop-failure, warfare and famine. At times God withheld te rain for as long as three years. When the people respected and obeyed God He blessed them with rain and peace.

When I look at countries such as Ethiopia, I notice the predominance of other religions, the occult, and quite often a leadership that is definitely opposed to the Law of the Lord. It would seem then, based on the Bible record regarding Israel, that material needs are met when spiritual priorities are met. If this is so, then what Ethiopia needs most is a national repudiation of all false gods, true repentance, and obedience to Jesus Christ, which the Bible says is an imperative for all people.

Etc.

Question of belief

Dear sir, Mr Dunn has not read my leters carefully. If he had, he would not have said he thinks I am "bent on depriving society of the opportunity of watching ‘Jesus – the Evidence’"

It is not my wish to oppose my beliefs on others. The example of Jesus Himself ought to illustrate this, in that, while he held up God’s Word, preached it, taught it, stayed faithful to it, died according to it, yet not once did he ever try to force people to follow him.

……………………………………….

The above letters were some of the very first I wrote. Looking back at them now I see areas where they could have been improved, but the Christian viewpoint is unmistakable. Over the years I have been complimented repeatedly by friend and ‘foe’ on these letters, and many readers of the newspaper, I am told, look out for them eagerly. I have been to two special meetings at the Timaru Herald, to meet other regular writers, and have become in a miniscule way, a sort of celebrity – simply because I stuck to the job! I have written through at least three editor’s and will probably keep going for many more years. One other aspect of this is the fact that all newspapers are archived, so historians may one day sort through past letters as part of their studies. The letters are also a weekly item of encouragement for other Christians, and sometimes they may help Christians formulate a biblically-based opinion on some topic they hadn’t considered before.

I have also written to other newspapers, and the TV Guide and several other publications. It seems that in a democratic society there is a great deal of freedom to express one’s point of view – as long as it is done in the right way.Even better to express the view with consideration and tact.

More recent letters, around the year 2006, include the following:

Walking with Dinosaurs

Dear sir, he BBC program 'Walking with Dinosaurs' claimed that dinosaurs lived during what is termed the Jurassic period. This interesting name comes from the Dura mountains, which run along the French-Swiss frontier, in which certain fossils have been found in the sedimentary rocks of that region.

But the manner in which the fossils are dated is a case of circular reasoning, because the age of the rocks is estimated by the fossils they contain, and the age of the fossils is estimated by the type of rock in which the fossils are entombed. The fossils date the rocks I and the rocks date the fossils.

How do paleontologists date the fossils? By using the theory of evolution, which presumes that life evolved millions of years ago and gradually ascended in complexity (through mutations and natural selection) to the highly complex degree of today. But the fossils show no such progression. With the total absence of transitional forms, the entire so-called evidence for evolution entirely collapses, thus the Jurassic period is all part of the same 'castle in the air' theory.

Mutations are usually harmful and detrimental to organisms, and natural selection simply weeds out the weaker individuals, and never adds any new genetic information Therefore. it is foolishness to date a layer of rock by the fossils it contains.

What fossils in sedimentary rock do show is sudden, rapid burial, before decomposition takes place, of living organisms such as plants and animals. The process is clear, but the age of the rocks or fossils cannot be determined by circular reasoning.

Cartoon

Dear sir, the recent Islamic protests over publication of a caricature of their prophet has raised some interesting questions about freedom of expression, sensitivity to other people’s beliefs and individual choice. There is no simple answer but, as I see it, at the heart of the situation are two prophets.

One of these prophets has made the Arab east what it is today, and the other prophet has helped make the west what it is today. The interesting thing is how we Westerners treat the prophet of the west?

Here in the free western world the person of Jesus is ridiculed, satirised, caricatured and mocked. His name is used as a swear word, and he is pictured in a wide range of styles; comic, modern and Victorian. In every picture Bible he is depicted as a different man, and there is no end to the number of books which criticise, minimalise and subvert his teachings. Despite 2000 years of open attack, Jesus survives and thrives. Currently he has about 2 billion followers, and as far as I know they have never had angry, destructive fits over criticism of their leader.

One of the goals of radical Islamic forces is to bring about a political system based on Sharia law, which is utterly opposed to reason, science and freedom. The prophet of the east would have imposed this on the west already, were it not for the western prophet’s influence, yet here in the west we continue to ignore, at least nationally, his words. If Islam takes over, it will be because the west has finally abandoned their prophet.

Hamas

Recently the future of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process took an unexpected turn. About a week ago the Palestinians held their long-awaited parliamentary elections, and amazingly, the terrorist group Hamas was handed a landslide victory. According to the newspaper, Hamas is believed to have killed more than 500 people in 350 separate terrorist attacks since 1993.

I did a quick search of the Internet and found an interview with Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Zahar, which aired last week on Al-Manar TV, in which he said:

"We will not give up the resistance against the Israeli enemy, which ultimately led to its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank...Palestine means Palestine in its entirety - from the (Mediterranean) Sea to the (Jordan) River, from Ras Al-Naqura to Rafah. We cannot give up a single inch of it. Therefore, we will not recognize the Israeli enemy's right to a single inch...we can found a state on any piece of the land, and this will not mean we give up on any other part of the land...we must not pass on to our sons a disgraceful defeat by recognizing the Israeli enemy's right to exist, where it has no such right."

No wonder America is reluctant to recognise this organisation. Despite the fact that it was democratically elected, surely they must renounce their terrorist intentions before any progress can be made? You cannot sweet-talk a scoprpion while there is venom in its tail.

Noah’s Ark

Dear sir, there is a very interesting window display in Timaru at the moment, down the south end of town. It depicts the Biblical proportions of Noah’s Ark. Unlike many other modern depictions, especially children’s books, it does not have a bunch of cute litle animals walking around on the deck, or a chubby Noah standing near the prow smiling at the sun.

The window display gives reasonably accurate measurements for the length, breath and height of the Ark, showing its square-ended, barge-like shape. This contradicts stories of an Armenian site purporting to be the remains of the Ark, but which has a pointed prow.

The enormous size of the Ark also contradicts the theory that the flood was merely local because it would be illogical and nonsensical for God to organize the building of such a tremendous vessel when all Noah needed to do was walk a few kilometres to higher ground to avoid getting his feet wet.

Surrounding the display are many scientific and geological facts that directly and indirectly support the Biblical narrative. Many other world cultures tell a similar story of a worldwide flood and a few survivors from a boat. Despite all the evidence, there are still scientists today who deny the possibility that Earth was ever completely inundated, yet they claim that Mars, which has almost no water, once was! How odd to claim the bible story is wrong, when the Earth is already three-quarters covered in ocean.

Section 59.

Dear sir, regarding the proposed repeal of section 59 of the Crimes Act I would like to point out that it is already a crime in New Zealand to physically abuse a child; this is called assault and is a criminal offence.

Section 59 does not authorise assault on children, it only provides a justification to parents where the force used is reasonable and is used for the purposes of correction. There is a difference between abuse and correction. Section 59 does not allow abuse, it only allows correction. Abuse is criminal.

Section 2 of the Crimes Act defines assault as: "the act of intentionally applying or attempting to apply force to the person of another, directly or indirectly, or threatening by any act or gesture to apply such force to the person of another . . ."

What many people don’t seem to understand is that most smacking will fit the definition of assault as defined in section 194 of the Crimes Act 1961 and therefore be illegal.


Technically, if a parent smacks their child, they will be committing an assault, but section 59 currently provides a defence to this, so long as the force used by the parent is reasonable in the circumstances and is used for the purposes of correction.

If section 59 is repealed, parents would not have this defence and, as a result, any parent who intentionally applies appropriate corrective force to their child could be found guilty of the crime of assault!

The Office of the Police Commissioner has confirmed that most smacking would be considered an assault so what are good, sensible, loving parents going to do – abandon their parenting to the State? Give up their relationship to their children? There must be a better way to curtail genuine abuse than to penalise good parents. I am totally against the repeal of Section 59.

……………………………………………………….

These few examples give an idea of the sort of thing an editor is willing to publish. We hope that this essay will encourage you to put pen to paper and add your Christian point of view to publications which are open to other points of view.

…………………………………………….

Final notes.

Some other topics I have written on:

Birth defects and DNA as it relates to creation and the Fall, the movie ‘Deep Impact’, education and ideology, Radiohead and the lyrics they sing, old. Preserved headsreturned to maori, the World Cup soccer games, many book reviews, Te Papa, why people are leaving church buildings, liberals and their poisonous views, evolution – many on this topic, Halloween, smacking of children and correct discipline, NZ defence force, star theory, the age of the oceans, movie reviews – many of these, nudist colonies, disabled people, reincarnation, avalanches and daredevils, a religious study, creationism and intelligent design – many on these topics, our solar system, buzz words, the Simpsons, politics, familes, ape rights, the Wizard and real wizards, art, Nostradamus, South Park, drinking age, billboards, East Timor, Pentecostalism gone mad, forgeries, New Zealand, leader’s debate, spider’s thread, the millenium, human behaviour, life forms, Christmas and the true Bible Christmas story, the moon, religion and Christianity, the sun, US shootings, our universe, biology, dinosaurs, mammoths, the 60 minutes TV program, freedom of speech and license to be rude, Family Guy and its callousness, marriage, Easter, racism, video bans, AIDS, smoking, HarryPotter, property rights, Mark Todd, fossil frauds, letter boxes, robots, global flood, home schooling, sex pledges, abortion, sex education, the new Year, saving forests,truth, Mark Middleton, the death penalty, environmental concerns,cloning of humans, the human genome, Hollywood, self-images, China and the US, what a hero really is, Teletubbies and other good programs, Jesus,, Christian ethics,historic scrolls, the Bible,Noah’s Ark, terrorists, GM food, human embryos, the Iron Age, Justice Fisher,Advertising, television, hate crimes, war movies, totalitarioan rule, prisons, the Dalai Llama, Shakespeare, rights, beauty, the Honour code, gambling, Elvis, September 11th, the Feminist movement, parenting, Fundamentalism, a porn movie, NCEA, animal rights, the good life, polarice melt, the Boy Scouts and zero tolerance, China, Superman, futility of care for the aged or infirm, euthanasia, reality TV, the Da Vinci Code, the Muslim faith,our Earth, infanticide, the Treaty ofWaitangi, the flatulent tax and Mel Gibson’s film ‘The Passion’, to name but a few.

There is seemingly no limit to the range of topics available to be written about, but it usually pays to focus on some contemporary event and add the Christian view to that. Editors like immediacy and relevance. They are smart people, with a good eye for an interesting item.

 

Good luck.

 

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