Inquiry into Abuse, Covid Vaccine and Thank you
Good Morning and Welcome to this week’s Gospel and Culture update, by Alan Vink
Inquiry into Abuse, Covid Vaccine and Thank you.
Monday 14th December, 2020
The purpose of this weekly ‘Gospel and Culture’ blog is to assist pastors and Christian leaders to quickly understand ‘key’ issues of the day and how they might intersect with the Gospel, Church and with Christianity generally. It is essentially a ‘curated’ blog that raises 2-3 current issues and directs you the reader to a reliable article, podcast and/or a website for further reading. It is my contribution to help us ‘think Christianly’ and to develop a Christian world-view. Jesus prayed for us in John 17, “I’m not asking you, Father, to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one………make them holy by your truth”.
Royal Commission into Abuse in Care (RCI)
From their website here.
What is the Inquiry About? We are looking into what happened to children, young people and vulnerable adults in State and faith-based care in Aotearoa New Zealand between the years 1950-99. We may also listen to survivor experiences before and after these dates.
Why have an Inquiry? For a number of years, individuals, community groups, and international human rights treaty bodies have called for an independent inquiry into historical abuse and neglect in State care and in the care of faith-based institutions in New Zealand. This public inquiry was appointed to provide prompt and impartial investigation and examination, both to-
- understand, acknowledge, and respond to the harm caused to individuals, families, whānau, hapū, iwi and communities; and
- ensure lessons are learned for the future.
This inquiry has two strands, looking back which seeks to establish what happened and why, and looking forward which seeks to ensure that what occurred cannot happen again.
POV. This Royal Commission is well overdue. The stories are heart breaking and the life time impact on victims is too sad for words.
It never ceases to amaze me that it so often takes Inquiries like this to ‘force’ both state institutions and faith-based institutions to admit wrong doing, to unreservedly apologise and to pay for damages (compensation). As Christian organisations we must be better than that going forward.
COVID19 Vaccine and Christians
Perhaps no surprises, but none-the-less concerning is the view some Christians have towards the Covid19 vaccine including the rather extreme view that this is the ‘mark of the beast’ of the book Revelation. Here is a good piece written by the Christian Medical Fellowship in the UK. Probably a good idea to take special note given that it is written by Christian Doctors.
And finally for 2020
Let’s give thanks for all that the Lord has done this year. For His protection over our lives, for our families and loved ones, for the local church we are part of, for the privilege to gather together freely (and covid free) this Christmas and go on a holiday. And most of all for Jesus our redeemer, our ransom, our rescuer and our reconciler. And lastly, thank you to all my readers for your support, encouraging notes and occasional words of correction. I count it a HUGE privilege to show up in your ‘inbox’ every week and offer you a few thoughts about the intersection of gospel and culture.
Have a blessed Christmas and wonderful new year,
Alan
There are NO copyright restrictions on this email update. Got some feedback about this Update, or anything in the news? Would you like us to cover a story then drop me a note at alan.vink@leadershipworx.org.nz Alan is Executive Director of LeadershipWorx and blogs here.
Alan Vink is currently the Executive Director for LeadershipWorx. Prior to this role he has been the Executive Director of Willow Creek Association NZ (WillowNZ), a Baptist pastor (23 years), Bible College teacher, and church consultant.
