“N.Z. Not A Christian Nation”

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30782, 21 June 1965, Page 1

“N.Z. Not A Christian Nation”

“New Zealand was not a Christian nation but was more churchminded than Australia,” said a Dutch theologian (Dr. Klaas Runia) in an interview after his sermon in Christchurch Cathedral last evening. New Zealand, he said, did not have Christianity in politics, did not have Christianity in social life, did not have Christianity in commerce. It just did not mean anything. “I believe that in politics, too, they should take into ac-

count the commandments of God; the law of God,” said Dr. Runia. “I would give my vote to a Christian politician. What I’d like this fellow (politician ) to do is to bring Christianity into practice with politics.” Dr. Runia is a professor of theology of the Reformed Theological Seminary, Geelong, Victoria.

In Christchurch this week he will give five luncheon lectures on the “Doctrine of God." His talks are on behalf of the Inter-Varsity Fellowship.

So many people, said Dr. Runia, believed that Christian

ity was a Santa Claus. That one could no longer speak on this subject in Christchurch —to give people a proper idea of the Biblical doctrine of God. “I often believe that people have not got much idea any more what the Christian message is,” said Dr. Runia. “They have a caricature of it.” Dr. Runia said he believed one could no longer speak of Christian nations—they belonged to the past. This applied not only to New Zealand, but to Europe and America also.

This in a way, he said, was good thinking. “I think that too often

Christianity was mixed up with a lot of other things which actually did harm to Christianity," he said.

“Too often in the past, things were coated over with a bit of Christian veneer—but they were not really Christian The fact that the veneer is taken away today is just healthy.”

Dr. Runia said that rather than have some pseudo Christianity, it was better to have none at all, and then to come with the Christian message to the world.

In his evensong sermon. Dr. Runia preached to a congregation of 600, including more than 300 university students.