News and events – Student Christian Movement Aotearoa

Embracing Hopelessness in Aotearoa

Last Friday, I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in a master class with ethicist Miguel De La Torre to discuss his 2017 book Embracing Hopelessness. Many thanks to Associate Professor Mike Mawson for organising this discussion, and to all others who were there to contribute their thoughts and energies.

De La Torre’s book argues that there is a type of hope wielded by Christians that precludes any meaningful challenge to the status quo on behalf of others. Perhaps the best illustration is from his introduction:

I first began to develop a theology of hopelessness in 2006 when I took a group of predominately white students to the squatter villages of Cuernavaca, Mexico to learn from the poor. During our outing we spoke with many families living in horrific conditions. That evening, as we processed the day’s activities, one student struggling with what she had witnessed shared that in spite of the miserable conditions in which these people lived, she still saw “hope in the eyes of the little girls.” Hope, as a middle-class privilege, soothes the conscience of those complicit with oppressive structures, lulling them to do nothing except look forward to a salvific future where every wrong will be righted and every tear wiped away, while numbing themselves to the pain of those oppressed, lest that pain motivate them to take radical action. Hope is possible when privilege allows for a future. A child can hope when college is assured, when parents know how to game the system to advance themselves and their progeny economically, when safety and lack of fear create a livable environment. Even the hopeless can be distracted when stomachs are filled and rest can be found in warm comfortable beds. But for so many from minoritized communities where surviving into adulthood is itself a challenge, and where skin pigmentation ensures lack of opportunities to wealth and health, hope runs in short supply. My immediate response was to explain that this same little girl in whose eyes my student saw hope would more than likely be selling her body in a few years to put food on the table or would be trapped in an abusive marriage attempting to survive classism and sexism, so I wasn’t sure what kind of hope my student detected. Among the disenfranchised, the dispossessed, the least of the least, I discovered an ethos where hope is not apparent; rather, it is imposed by those who might be endangered if the marginalized were to instead act (page 5).

His argument builds through the book, as he considers various case studies of Korea, American Indians, Auschwitz, the shooting at Emmanuel AME church, and Latinx migrants. The book at its best is a polemic that affords an interruption in the usual machinations of theological and ethical thinking. The jarring language of embracing desperation instead of holding out hope for a better world does its job of unsettling the usual tracks of eschatological maneuvering. Acknowledging that change is not really possible, that God may or may not break into history (and likely will not), what horizons or possibilities emerge? In the end, he argues for an ethic para joder, or screwing with (really, f*cking with) the system. This kind of trickster ethics emerges as a playful, life-oriented mode of messing with the mechanics of the system. There is much more to say about his thesis, the methods of the book, and the generosity and humility of the author in person, but for now, I want to answer the question that occupied the second half of our discussion: what kind of radical praxis are we called to here in Aotearoa?

There are many examples of jodiendo in the history of Aotearoa. The ones that spring immediately to mind are Hōne Heke cutting down the union jack flagpole, Tītokowaru’s followers removing the surveyor’s pegs at Parihaka, the Peace Squadron blockade of nuclear warships, and scattering broken glass on the rugby pitch in protest of the Springbok Tour of 1981. In Wellington, we are fond of Adi Leason and co’s disruption at the five eyes base at Waihopai.

Whilst we might draw inspiration from the past, what creative disruptions might lay in our future?

Early on in our conversation, Professor De La Torre mused that whatever we do, neoliberalism is always five steps ahead of us. Petitions, campaigns, marches, occupations, pamphlets, street art— all of these are more than easily absorbed by the intertia of the status quo. Some have even argued that these activist tools amount to no more than spinning our tires, leading to exhaustion and burnout. The desublimation of protest provides a tidy release of anxiety and frustration whilst material changes do not manifest. Even with the strategies and theories of change, there is not much that can be done in the face of power.

So what is left? Whether it’s hopelessness, Hulsether’s critical pessimism, Berlant’s cruel optimism, or Tony’s contained opposition, the systems out there and down here seem insurmountable. De La Torre argues that only once we realize the futility of it all can we move to an ethic para joder.

If you’re keen to brainstorm, dream, or fuck with the system, give a shout!

There may be no hope. But whatever we do, at least we can do it together.

Michael

Bookworm (2024): a theological review

Bookworm (2024) is a compelling story about a precocious, adventurous 11-year-old girl connecting with her absent father as they search for one of Aotearoa’s only cryptids, the Canterbury Panther. Through the story’s twists and turns, the daughter Mildred and father Strawn get to know each other in their most vulnerable moments.

Reader be warned, spoilers below

One of the most striking moments in the film is when young Mildred makes a confession to her father. She relates that she’s always felt an outsider, even with her mother. She confesses that she used to wish that her mum would disappear and that her father would scoop in and be the figure who understood her completely.

This scene speaks a deep theological truth about the human condition, community, and belonging. On the one hand is the teenage—the Freudian analyst might add Oedipal or Elektra—impulse to push away from their known parent figure. And on the other hand, there’s the reality that our parents (literal or metaphorical) are flawed, but they are a part of our story nonetheless.

As humans, we long for the unknown that might be better, that grass that is definitely, certainly, indubitably greener just over that fence. And yet, as Mildred finds out, her father is not the competent, caring dad she’s been longing for. Exactly the opposite. He’s almost the definition of incompetent—in his career, his parenting skills, and street smarts. Moreover, he does not understand her. He does not get her. He does not see her at a spiritual level with a preternatural recognition borne from a filial bond. Again, it’s almost the opposite. Mildred is just as strange to Strawn as she is to everyone else. But what this movie does do brilliantly, is show that there is more to life and love than belonging and understanding.

Despite the two not understanding each other at a deep level, the two bond through shared ups and downs in their quest for video footage of the panther. The relationship the two have is not built on a cognitive understanding of the other, or even of relating to each other from shared past experiences, i.e. trauma bonding. What the film does particularly well in that it avoids the well worn trope of two misunderstood outcasts bonding over their shared societal marginalisation.

Echoing a lesson of alterity from the phenomenologist tradition, understanding of the other is not the goal of relationships of any kind. Meaningful relationships start with recognition of the other as other: completely infinite in their otherness, completely unknowable as a complex human being. The beautiful paternal-filial relationship in the movie begins not with recognition of similarity—what Levinas diagnoses an “imperialism of the same”—but recognition of difference.

I am not sure if it’s an universal experience, or just one that fictional Mildred and I share, but I have definitely felt that longing to be fully known, to be understood. I wonder though, how much of that anxiety of being understood is a product of the discourses, myths, and even theologies that flow out of our culture. The myth goes something like: if only someone understood me, I would not feel alone. But what this film shows is that the cure for loneliness is not being understood; it’s a commitment to show up, to recognise the other as strange and flawed and see their foibles. We may never be fully understood. We may never fully understand ourselves, let alone another. But that should not keep us from walking together on the adventurous, tumultuous, and hazardous paths life has set before us.

Biotech, Religion, and Treaty Obligations

The government announcement today about ending a gene technology ban outside the lab was noticeably (but unsurprisingly) silent on any reference to matauranga Māori, Māori kaitiakitanga, or religion.

Alan King-Hunt’s 2023 thesis on biotech control of predator wasps, matauranga Māori, and religious and spiritual Māori perceptions offers an incisive perspective about the plurality of views within Māori communities about biotech controls, religion, and culture:

“This essay contends that public engagement about wasp biotechnological controls is inherently secularised – that is, such discussions have yet to be cast within contextual spiritual and religious terms. As such, this thesis seeks to reassert Māori and non-Māori religious and spiritual views about biotechnology within the broader predator-free A-NZ context” (16).

“[M]any respondents felt that the scientific case for ‘doing something’ about wasp numbers in the country is consistent with notions of environmental responsibility found in Māori cultural, religious or non-religious views, beliefs, or principles. Whether or not that involves one or more wasp biotechnologies is dependent on a set of conditions that need to be met before discussions about giving consent are initiated, such as a provision of evidence that explains any safety measures and risk aversive strategies, a public engagement process that centers the position of Māori as Treaty partners, and also includes both scientific and non-scientifically trained communities representing a diverse cross-section of New Zealand society, and for lead researchers to develop science communication strategies in order to better inform non-scientific communities about the benefits and risks of wasp biotechnological controls” (171–172).

Whilst the promises of gene editing technology are great — who wouldn’t want to reduce emissions and cure cancer? — the perils are also readily apparent. I hope that the government has the courage to step into its role as treaty partner and initiate discussion with Māori and tauiwi alike to hear the religious and spiritual concerns of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Drag, Olympics, and Offense

It’s Olympics time! We’d be remiss if we didn’t chime in on the Dionysus / Last Supper controversy!

A few quick comments:
1. I’ve seen a lot of people arguing that it wasn’t meant to depict The Last Supper, rather its referent was a painting of Dionysus and a bacchanal. This is plausible (though some sources, including the English version of the Olympic app guide indicate a Last Supper inspiration at least in part). But! Artist intention is only part of a work’s ‘meaning’. Meaning is produced between artist, artwork, and viewer. In that sense, even if the intention was not to reference the Da Vinci Last Supper, we have to reckon with the interpretation instead of just saying: you’re uncultured and read the tableau wrong.’ Which leads me to perhaps a more important question to me than artistic meaning:

2. What should Christians be offended at? By this question, I want to be clear I’m not slipping into whataboutism, i.e. don’t be offended at this when there are bigger things happening such as wealth inequity, violence, etc. I am genuinely interested in the nature of offense. Is it that something holy has been cast as unholy or sinful? One of the unique things about Christianity is that our God is holy because of God’s nature. Human action in no way affects the power or nature of God. How could a parody of the last supper in any way diminish the glory of God? God doesn’t need protecting. This was the lesson sword-wielding Peter learned in the garden. Even in Gethsemane, it was never the Christ follower’s job to stand in the way of Jesus and those who would lead him down a path of humiliation.

The job was to stay with Jesus. There’s more to say, but I’d love to hear your opinions and thoughts in the comments below.

Michael Toy
Public Theologian

PS for other reading (on a similar subject, whose views I don’t necessarily agree with 100%): https://jesusinlove.blogspot.com/2007/10/queering-last-supper.html
https://cassidyhall.com/2023/03/01/lastsupper/

Submission on the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill

Submission to the Committee Secretariat Social Services and Community Committee

July 2024

Student Christian Movement Aotearoa (SCMA)

Tēnā koutou Social Services and Community Committee,

Student Christian Movement Aotearoa is a progressive Christian group in tertiary institutions across the Motu. We write with grave misgivings about the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill in its current form.

As a group of tertiary students, most of us are renters or have rented during our course of study. It makes absolutely no sense to us that changing the rules to allow landlords more power over ending tenancies in general without cause will in any way benefit the renter. Students are already subject to economic precarity and housing insecurity, and this will only exacerbate that situation, in addition to increasing the inequality gap between families of means and those will less.

We’re not policy experts and do not pretend to be. We are people who have experienced the woes of renting in New Zealand, and let me tell you none of those woes were because landlords had too little power.

I could talk more about how Jesus looked after the last, the lost, and the least, and that this policy only looks after those who have an abundance. I could talk about the Hebrew Scripture principles to ensure all are housed and taken care of. I could talk about how how Jesus condemned greed and amassing stores of wealth and power. Those are the models of human flourishing given to us in our reading of holy Scripture, and in our reading run quite counter to the power and wealth amassed to landlords in this bill.

The bill as it is now is ridiculous and laughable, and frankly does not warrant any more of our time. It’s wild that both the Conservative Party and the Labour Party in the UK have pledged to abolish no-cause evitions, and yet the government thinks that this is somehow a ‘pro-tenant’ move.

Ngā manaakitanga,

Michael Toy

publictheologian@scm.org.nz

Public Theologian

Student Christian Movement Aotearoa

Submission to the Justice Committee on the Local Government (Electoral Legislation and Māori Words and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Bill

May 2024

Student Christian Movement Aotearoa (SCMA)

Tēnā koutou katoa Justice Committee:

Student Christian Movement Aotearoa is a progressive Christian group in tertiary institutions across the Motu. We write to you as Christians committed to justice and God’s desire to see all flourish and as a movement committed to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We believe that God is always on the side of the marginalised and that we are called to do everything in our power to work towards the way of God here on earth, where all can have abundant life: especially the last, the lost, and the least.

We write in support of extending the delivery period for voting papers from 6 days to 14 days as well as extending the voting period. We acknowledge the limitations on NZ Post and believe this new time frame would allow more people access to civic participation.

However, we are extremely opposed to the measures that would reinstate polls on Māori wards and Māori constituencies and require new polls on those electorates that have not had a poll. Below we outline three concerns we have with the proposed legislation.

1. The 2021 amendment to the local government elections was a step forward in acknowledging the wisdom and knowledge of tangata whenua and providing representation for an underrepresented group. Removing any barriers, such as the need for referenda, to the establishment of Māori wards and Māori constituencies allows for historically underrepresented, marginalised voices to be heard.

As Christians, we acknowledge our part in both the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and in the subsequent sins associated with settler colonialism. Missionaries, priests, pastors, and lay Christians were not innocent in the history of Aotearoa colonisation. The impacts of colonisation are still felt today. This reality has been outlined extensively in Treaty of Waitangi Tribunal reports, in the academic literature, and recounted in oral histories so I will not list them again here. “Ka mua, ka muri.” We walk forward facing the past. We look to learn from our history, and we see this new legislation as a move away from co-governance and thus a move away from embracing the vision our spiritual ancestors had at Waitangi in 1840.

2. In any democratic system of governance, the interests of the many do not always consider the interests of the few. In this way, democratic governance is by nature hegemonic. And when majority rules, it is easy to dismiss the needs of the few. Māori wards and constituencies, while imperfect, mitigate in part the hegemonic tendencies of democracy.

Majority ruling in its own interest at the expense of the minority has been seen throughout Aotearoa New Zealand’s history, where the interests of minority groups such as Māori, have been disenfranchised and betrayed first by a system that excluded their voices, and then by a system of majority rule. There may come a time when the interests of Māori are adequately considered by a general population of voters. But that time has not yet arrived. Allowing local governments to establish Māori wards and constituencies helps mitigate this historic underrepresentation.

While there are of course, other minority and marginalised groups whose needs are not represented in local government, we see Māori representation as a key first step in allowing for bicultural partnership to operate at all levels of government in the spirit of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

3. Representational democracy is still democracy, and the local government representatives who established these wards and constituencies were duly elected. Not every decision — especially decisions that require moral courage and specialised knowledge of political and historical contexts. That is why we have representational democracy.

The Bible as a whole tells many stories about many things, and it is not a political handbook. It is, though, a collection of texts with rich wisdom on the condition of humanity. In its political messages, one theme that comes through abundantly clear is that humans often and perhaps inevitably fail at self-governance. When the people en masse, or as a mob, gather together to make political decisions in the Bible, it always ends disastrously. We see this backlash against Māori voices in the same vein as other reactionary, populist, mob-like mentalities that have contributed to further racism and oppression against Māori. We elected leaders to lead. Mandating decisions go to referenda undermines the very leadership and decisions of those we have elected.

Diversity enriches us all. Hearing the voices of Māori at all levels of governance enriches us all. As tangata tiriti, we hope and pray that you would lead with courage, and recognise that justice is met when Māori are truly given power to help govern this land at all levels.

Ngā manaakitanga,

Michael Toy
Public Theologian
Student Christian Movement Aotearoa

Submission on the Parole (Mandatory Completion of Rehabilitative Programmes) Amendment Bill

April 2024
Student Christian Movement Aotearoa (SCMA)

Tēnā koutou Justice Committee:

Student Christian Movement Aotearoa is a progressive Christian group in tertiary institutions across the motu. We write with grave concerns about the Parole Amendment Bill and the effects it will have on those in prison. As Christians, we are called to seek out and show compassion to all people, especially those who sit on the margins of society, such as those in prison. While not denying the harm done by those who are incarcerated, we also acknowledge the social complexity and those factors that are inextricable from those stories, such as abuse, colonisation, and addiction.^[1]

We support the spirit of the amendment — that rehabilitation be a primary goal within the corrections system. But, we are deeply worried that the system as it stands now is not equipped or resourced enough to provide timely and accessible programmes. Parole Board chairman Sir Ron Young himself has written about his concerns over the lack of access to rehabilitation programmes,^[2] and it does not seem that any systemic change has taken place since then.^[3]

Access to rehabilitation programmes goes beyond personal motivation, and until these resourcing and systemic issues are addressed we urge the government to pause this bill.^[4]

Ngā manaakitanga,

Michael Toy
publictheologian@scm.org.nz
Public Theologian
Student Christian Movement Aotearoa

^[1] Hāpaitia te Oranga Tangata, Justice Deparment, https://www.justice.govt.nz/justice-sector-policy/key-initiatives/key-initiatives-archive/hapaitia-te-oranga-tangata/

^[2] Charlotte Cook, “Parole Board says prisoners waiting years for rehab, psychological help” RNZ, https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/parole-board-says-prisoners-waiting-years-for-rehab-psychological-help/GJRGISQNAINT4HPGOYBZ64TPME/

^[3] Tara Shaskey, “Corrections ‘failing’ prisoners and public as lengthy delays for rehabilitation programmes continue,” NZ Herald, https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/crime/corrections-failing-prisoners-and-public-as-lengthy-delays-for-rehabilitation-programmes-continue/C2FC4XBWVNAGNOX65TFBNTYAXY/

^[4] Laura Johnstone, “Changes to NZ’s Parole Laws to Improve Rehabilitation Could Lead to Even Longer Prison Times,” The Conversation, https://theconversation.com/changes-to-nzs-parole-laws-to-improve-rehabilitation-could-lead-to-even-longer-prison-times-224846.

Submission on Fast Track Approvals Bill

Submission to the Environment Committee on the Fast Track Approvals Bill
April 2024
Student Christian Movement Aotearoa (SCMA)

Tēnā koutou katoa Environment Committee:

Student Christian Movement Aotearoa is a progressive Christian group in tertiary institutions across the Motu. We believe that God desires all to flourish, and God’s desire for justice and flourishing informs the way we relate to whenua. Because of this — and guided by Māori theology which urges us to see that we relate to Atua, God, only through relating to whenua — we express our concerns with this bill as currently written.^[1]

While we agree with the principles behind this bill, namely, that there can be undue bureaucratic red-tape in gaining approval and consents for some infrastructure and development projects of national significance, we express deep worry that so much decision-making power lies with ministers rather than with other independent experts in matters of conservation and environmental protection.

As a student organisation comprised primarily of rangitahi, young people, we are deeply concerned about kaitiakitanga of our environment, particularly with the effects of climate change already upon us. We are in a climate crisis with Aotearoa seeing the effects of the extreme weather events in early 2023. We are a group that cares deeply about social justice, particularly for those already marginalised, and we have seen from personal experience (supported by academic scholarship) how climate change disproportionately affects persons with disabilities^[2], indigenous peoples^[3], our Pacifica neighbours^[4], and our Rainbow whānau^[5].

With no guarantee that the ministers of any government would put the interests of people and God’s creation above corporate profits, we urge the committee to reconsider rendering such power to ministers of the government.

Ngā manaakitanga,

Michael Toy
publictheologian@scm.org.nz
Public Theologian
Student Christian Movement Aotearoa

^[1] Henare Tate, He Puna Iti i te Ao Mārama: A Little Spring in the World of Light (Auckland, NZ: Oratia Books, 2012).

^[2] Molly M. King and Maria A. Gregg, “Disability and climate change: A critical realist model of climate justice,” Sociology Compass 16, no. 1 (2022): e12954.

^[3] V. Reyes-García, García-del-Amo, D., Álvarez-Fernández, S. et al. Indigenous Peoples and local communities report ongoing and widespread climate change impacts on local social-ecological systems. Commun Earth Environ 5, 29 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-01164-y;

Danielle Emma Johnson, Karen Fisher, and Meg Parsons, “Diversifying Indigenous vulnerability and adaptation: An intersectional reading of Māori women’s experiences of health, wellbeing, and climate change,” Sustainability 14, no. 9 (2022): 5452.

^[4] Christina Newport, Jemaima Tiatia-Siau, K Dee Aimiti Ma’ia’i, Yvonne Underhill-Sem, and Alistair Woodward, “Anchored in pacific protocols–climate change, mental health and wellbeing,” Climate and Development (2023): 1-11.

^[5] Samuel Mann, Tara McKay, Gilbert Gonzales,Climate Change-Related Disasters & the Health of LGBTQ+ Populations, The Journal of Climate Change and Health, 2024, 100304,

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joclim.2024.100304.

Set Free for the Present: Queer theology and post-heteronormative ethics

All are welcome to this public theology forum exploring post-heteronormative ideas. We are delighted to have Liam Miller, PhD Candidate at Charles Sturt, join us to explore the radical turn away from the future espoused by queer theory and queer theology.
Tuesday 9 April 6:00-7:30pm
Zoom link: https://vuw.zoom.us/j/96866787090?pwd=VGRVWWdNQ21idW96UWZPRHRUTUk3Zz09
No need to be a “theologian” or even a Christian. We’re here to facilitate conversations about the big questions in life wherever you are in your journey.
We are an affirming group that celebrates the diversity of our whānau, whether in gender, sexuality, race, or ability.

Worshipping a Slutty God: Salvific and relational implications of a non-monogamous God

All are welcome to this public theology forum during Wellington Pride Week to explore post-heteronormative ideas as they relate to Christian theology. It has now been well documented that the Bible traces a move from being monaltrous (worshipping one God in a pantheon of gods) to monotheistic (there is only one real God). This workshop explores the idea of a non-monogamous God, building on concepts of ethical non-monogamy and recent pop culture transgressions of heteronormative boundaries.

Wednesday 6 March 5:30-7pm
BYO beer or wine. Light snacks and non-alcoholic drinks provided.

Hybrid event. In-person at St Peter’s on Willis Garden Room.