ALIVE: Feb/March '15 by Greta Yeoman

an online magazine for christian young adults in new zealand | february - march 2015 | issue three

ALIVE magazine

EDITOR GRETA YEOMAN deputy editors NICOLA FROUD EVONNE KEY THE ALIVE TEAM ANNA GREENWOOD PAUL MCDONALD CONTRIBUTing writers/photos ASHLEIGH MANNING CARLA RAUZI FRASER BROWNE ******* WANT TO WRITE FOR ALIVE? GOT A COMMENT, QUESTION, SUGGESTION? ANY IDEAS FOR STORIES OR FEATURES? CONTACT US AT ALIVEMAGAZINENZ@GMAIL.COM ******* ALIVE IS RELEASED EVERY TWO MONTHS. DEADLINE FOR APRIL/MAY IS MARCH 20 ******* IF YOU HAVE ANY ADVERTISING OR STORY IDEAS PLEASE GET IN TOUCH ASAP. THE DEADLINE IS FOR SUBMITTING FINISHED STORIES NOT CREATING IDEAS. ******* ALIVE MAGAZINE IS A FREE ONLINE MAGAZINE FOR CHRISTIAN YOUNG ADULTS IN NEW ZEALAND. WWW.ALIVENZ.WORDPRESS.COM ALIVEMAGAZINENZ@GMAIL.COM ************ ALL PHOTOS (UNLESS SPECIFIED) ARE BY GRETA YEOMAN. COVER PHOTO OF BRAD DRING FROM RAPTURE RUCKUS, AT CLOUD FESTIVAL. BACK COVER PHOTO OF NEWSBOYS

386

Editor’s Column page 4 Cloud Festival & Festival One page 7 What Is It That Defines Us? page 28 God & Being Gay page 30

Christchurch: Four Years On page 38 Why I Dislike the Term “Saved” page 48 The Bible page 50

Columns page 52 Tips for First-Year Students page 56 Streaming Now page 58 Do’s and Don’ts Of page 60

I’m pretty stoked to bring you guys this, our third issue. Me and Nikki freaked the other day when we realised it means we’ve been running for almost half a year. Wowza! Thanks for reading this issue. Pretty stoked to bring you the stuff we have inside these covers. I’m so excited to share with you our festival coverage. I managed to make it up to Cloud (short-notice change of plans) so Nikki and I headed along, camera at my side all day. Fraser Browne kindly ended up writing his wonderful festival pieces as the full Festival One written coverage (he was meant to be a supporting writer but the job got dumped on him after we didn’t manage to find anyone else to do the full coverage. I think he’s done a splendid job. I hope you also enjoy all the wonderful photos (the Festival One ones anyway, I don’t really want to brag about my own - they don’t really compare). We also have done a small piece titled “God & Being Gay”. It was a much larger feature but we’ve slowly been cutting out bits and pieces, mainly because of one particular side shining through in the opinion pieces and we wanted to make sure it was all fairly balanced out. We’ve also got some fantastic opinion pieces, plus I compiled some of a years worth of photos for our Feb 22nd commemoration piece. Dept Ed Nicola Froud and contributing writer Ashleigh Manning also kindly put together a “Tips for First-Year Students” article to ease people into their first year of study. On the topic of study, I wish you students the best of luck. I had plans to study this year but my plans have changed a bit, so I’m taking a gap year. Should be interesting. Hey also, next tine you have a new issue of ALIVE in front of you my bio will have changed slightly. I’ll be nineteen. Scary thought. Not really. But it is scientifically proven too many birthdays can kill you. I hope you enjoy this issue. I took a slight break from editing the final stages to watch the last episode of Miranda. I hope this magazine offers you a break from the start and scare of entering a new year. Go well. Keep faith.

Hi I’m Greta and the 18-year-old editor of this magazine. I studied Media Communication in 2014 and am now taking a gap year to figure out the next step in life. I am a film-maker, songwriter and music fan in my spare time. I’m excited to see what this year holds for ALIVE and I’m so glad to know that there are people reading this sentence. It’s pretty wicked!

Greta Yeoman (Editor)

“Dying for something is easy because it is associated with glory. Living for something is the hard thing. Living for something extends beyond fashion, glory, or recognition. We live for what we believe.” ― Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz

L FESTIVA

SPECIAL

rewind: reporting back from CLOUD & FESTIVAL ONE

ALIVE sent some music fans off to Festival One and Cloud to report back from the debut of the two festivals. ALIVEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Editorial team Greta Yeoman and Nicola Froud report back from Cloud and Fraser Browne of Paper Cranes has given us a behind-the-scenes look at life at Festival One.

FESTIVAL

SPECIAL

The aim was to form a new community – and Festival One delivered. Festival One was fun, fresh and carefree. It felt like a homecoming for people used to Parachute – but it was definitely not worried about ‘filling the shoes’ of its predecessor. Rather, it was ‘boutique’ and proud of it. It had all the right elements, without trying to fill every possible niche. The effect was what they said on their site – a community of bands, art and music. It wasn’t just the free Argentinean BBQ on Saturday night (with almost a tonne of succulent meat served), or the generosity and helpfulness of volunteers. Or the access to the weird (human foosball, giant jenga), wild (rides) or practical (seminars or the kid’s programme). It was how close-knit everything was; even with international bands, it managed to retain a kiwi flavour of camping with your mates. It was relaxed, cool, chilled out. Lines were short. Stages were close, but far enough away to

FESTIVAL ONE

FESTIVAL ONE RAN FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS SUMMER, TAKING OVER PARACHUTE’S SPOT. FRASER BROWNE REPORTS BACK FROM THE MULTI-DAY CHRISTIAN MUSIC FESTIVAL. PHOTOS BY DAN BRUNSKILL avoid bleed between sets. It was impossible to avoid bumping into bands (I almost bowled over Gungor opening a door). The festival programme even stopped for meal breaks so you didn’t have to develop indigestion trying to see three acts ten minutes after lunch. The only thing that wasn’t ‘cool’ was the blistering, dry heat all weekend. Hard to complain about that,

though. Bucking the temptation to change too much in an attempt to stamp their own mark on their new territory, Festival One stuck to a familiar formula: with some top international acts, a few local favourites and some up-and comers, there was something for everyone. Headliners Switchfoot were worth the entry fee alone. Masters of en-

gaging a crowd, by midway through their set they already had everyone swaying their arms to ‘Gone’. “If you’ve ever been to a Switchfoot show - [you’ll know] you are the choir,” lead singer Jon Foreman said, getting everyone to sing along to ‘Love Alone Is Worth The Fight’. Foreman was his usual charming self, telling everyone about the band’s love for New Zealand: “We happen to feel your country is pretty awesome.” Gungor pulled off a technically brilliant show, with Michael Gungor’s guitar playing and their use of varying time signatures very impressive. Standouts were ‘Vapor’, ‘Beautiful Things’ and ‘You Are The Beauty’. Gungor played to their strengths, intertwining delicate moments with pure rock bombast, the cello playing of Cara Fox par-

Festival One was fun, fresh and carefree. It felt like a homecoming for people used to Parachute – but it was definitely not worried about ‘filling the shoes’ of its predecessor. ticularly beautiful. Beautifully produced Volcano Crowe was one of the best albums of last year, so having Halfnoise a part of the lineup was a coup for the festival. ‘Helicopter’ benefitted from the big stage, as did ‘Mountain’, which became a mass of seething energy when mastermind Zac Farro was joined on the drums by Rowan Crowe (Jury & the Saints, Lookin Up, We, the Revival) alongside Lorde’s drummer,

Ben Barter. The Jury & the Saints are known for their high intensity sets, but had some stiff competition from London rappers Guvna B who had the crowd thoroughly entertained. But for energy the standout of the festival was Lookin Up on the Music Box, with Crowe bouncing around the stage like a madman. With the sun seemingly intent on boiling, baking or frying everything, the market stage was taxing for artists. Van der Wel’s beautifully peaceful sound suited the lazy heat – even if as Van der Wel said, his “guitar was melting in the sun”. Dave Baxter (Avalanche City), who joined him on slide guitar / sunglasses, agreed that it was one of the hottest sets he’d ever done. The market stage was a perfect folk-like setting for many of the in-

die artists as it meant people browsing the shops could see and hear them. Emily Rice, who released an EP over the weekend, was a standout with both We Stole the Sun and her solo project. Also benefitting from the intimacy of the market stage was Holly Arrowsmith, who was joined by the delightful Van der Wel on banjo. Folk-rock outfit Late Night Poets were a crowd favourite and had the crowd raucously singing and stomping to the ever-catchy ‘My Darling’ in The Big White. Being a festival with a Christian slant, it would be amiss to ignore the worship elements. Omega & St Paul’s led a beautiful singalong set, while Edge Kingsland’s reflective set included new song ‘Standsure name’, which had an incredible slow build with a cacophonous and powerful chorus: “Hope is not a rumour, heaven is not a mile away.” Artist comments were pretty universal: “Absolutely, I’ll come back”, said John Irvine, NewWorldSon’s bassist. The festival had “a really great atmosphere,” said Matt from Chess Countess. From the stage Jon Foreman said he knew the band “had to be there”. And festival-goers were equally universal in their praise: “It’s cosy, down-to-earth and rustic”, said James, adding that it had a great community feel. “I’m having a great time”, said Channae, while friend Maaike said “we were looking for a party and we just found it”. From the stage Jon Foreman said when he heard that a festival was starting in the same place with many of the same people [as Parachute], he “knew we had to be there.” The festival may have been a little ‘boutique’ this year, with numbers about 5000, but it was so well run and enjoyable that Festival One might need to cap the numbers to keep it that way. A promising start from a festival that has already said it will continue next year. Still smiling broadly on the last day, festival director Graham Burt said he was “rapt” with how everything had run. With NewWorldSon being joined on the stage by half the crowd after their Market show, he said, “this is what it’s about – this is genuine admiration. “These guys are loving it”, he said pointing to the band – “they’re part of the family. That’s what we wanted. We got it”. Fraser Browne is the singer from folk band Paper Cranes, who also performed at Festival One.

FES

TIV AL SP E C

IAL

BEHIND-THE-SCENES WITH FRASER BROWNE FROM PAPER CRANES Festivals are often a blur. Saying something like that would usually be a cue for jokes about musicians and drugs or alcohol – but of course Festival One was a strictly sober affair. It’s just that, after months of preparation, everything seems to go into hyperspeed. On the way to Hamilton, we picked up some new t-shirts, found where we were staying, sat down for an interview, checked the set list, and made sure sound and photography were sorted for both our shows. At this point, things usually just get faster and faster until everything disappears – sort of like how things are if you’ve had thirteen cups of coffee and no sleep on an all-night bender before final exams. Festival One was a little different. In fact, a lot different. It was pretty laid back. With stages really close together, super helpful volunteers and a programme that

wasn’t crammed full, it just seemed like we had a lot of time on our hands. Other artists also seemed chilled out – it felt like I was bumping into them all the time. I even ended up chatting to Jerome from Switchfoot like an old friend (although I swear he mistook me for someone else). With the sun belting out all its greatest hits – Hot Hot Hot, Burn Baby Burn and Blister in the Sun – by Saturday I was really dehydrated. And that was after drinking – I kid you not – five litres of water. I briefly wondered whether the weird feeling I had was due to me slowly drowning, until I realised I hadn’t taken a ‘pit stop’ for five hours either. It didn’t help that I was wearing black jeans. Fashion over function? Our first show was at the Market, on a beautifully intimate outdoor stage. With everyone milling around from the shops and places

to eat it was perfectly positioned for listeners. But it also lacked any shade. By the second day most of the musicians were pulling shelter from wherever they could find it – including palm tree umbrellas from the pop up stalls. All this is to explain why I’m a little confused about what happened during the first set. We have an album coming out in March, so we played a whole lot of new tracks off that, along with a few off our EP. The new material is fresh, fun and generally more upbeat than our previous record – primarily because I’d had quite a big health scare during the first. It’s kind of hard to write an upbeat record when you’re… well, not so upbeat. By the time we played our second set, the time I’d spent drinking my body weight in water (and staying in the shade) was beginning to pay off. Essentially a massive outside

SP STIVA EC IA L L

It’s just that, after months of preparation, everything seems to go into hyperspeed. On the way to Hamilton, we picked up some new t-shirts, found where we were staying, sat down for an interview, checked the set list, and made sure sound and photography were sorted for both our shows. tent, The Big White had a slight circus feel – but our melancholy, contemplative songs in the set still suited. The crowd were really appreciative and we had good numbers. And it was really great to be able to finally play the new tracks for people. Bring on next time – I’ll just remember to wear shorts. Fraser Browne is the singer from Paper Cranes who are releasing The Road Home on March 20, with a nationwide tour in April and May. You can find them at www.papercranes. co.nz photos by Dan Brunskill

AL V I T ES

IA PE C

FESTIVAL ONE GALLERY PHOTOS BY MADELINE BRIGHOUSE OF BLOG ALL IN A ROW

FES

TIV AL SP E C

IAL

VAL I T S FE

IA SP E C

CLOUD FESTIVAL

TWO OF ALIVE’S EDITORIAL TEAM, NICOLA FROUD AND GRETA YEOMAN, REPORT BACK FROM THE ONE-DAY CHRISTIAN MUSIC FESTIVAL. PHOTOS BY GRETA YEOMAN The sun was high the sky for the debut of Cloud Festival. 31 acts, over 3 stages, over 12 hours. And it was all unashamedly about Jesus. As for our stand-out acts, we both agree The Soorleys were the highlight, the family folk band mixing new songs alongside the staples of Home and Saw You Dancing. American worship band Newsboys also ran a stellar set on the mainstage, getting crowds roaring as they encored with their hit song God’s Not Dead, introduced by the trailer to the film with the same name. It was also interesting to note the number of common worship

songs they had written, especially as there are many songs sung by other worship artists so that you never really know who wrote the original. Rapture Ruckus also did a fantastic slot, returning home in time to release a new EP, Invader Vol II, three days early to festival-goers. Besides a slight mishap with frontman Brad Dring falling off-stage mid-song the set was pumping with Jonathon Thulin joining the band on-stage to sing new RR single Volcano with the band (one of the best live renditions I have ever seen of an electronic song), before Rapture Ruckus’ appearance wound up with Hold On.

Outside, the heat draped itself over the crowds that were gathered at Mainstage, and at East and West stages, and only added to the beautifully sticky summer vibe. “You gotta hold on, help is coming, you gotta hold on, you gotta make it through the rain.” It was also fantastic to see Brad Dring make a surprise appearance during the Newsboys set, which made me suddenly realise the international recognition of the kiwi band. Greta also enjoyed Strahan’s slot,

his wonderful stories mixing in with the equally heartfelt songs. He talked of growing up in a Christian home before walking away from God in his late teens. He then told of a journey back to Christ, accompanied by the revelation his girlfriend (now wife) had also been seeking God at the same time. This story preluded Home, a song he wrote about his journey to faith, where the chorus sung: “Let them speak of man who lives to die, And in my bones beat the pleasure of your fire My heart still breaks but the rivers running wilder every day That’s how I know I am home.” He also had the whole audience

joining in for the more up-beat Deliverance, which I think commonly plays on Life FM, to close-out his set. “This is my deliverance hands held high as you deliver it , Oh you have made me a child of God My feet on the ground and my heart in heaven I am bread made without the leaven Oh you have made me a child of God.” The festival promoted itself as unashamedly about Jesus, and it was. Rapture Ruckus wound up their set with Hold On before closing with a prayer. As crowds gathered to watch The Soorleys the band openly prayed on stage, with a few crowd members yelling Amen much to the amusement of the band. Other highlights included Q&A’s with Hillsong Young & Free, Brian Houston, Todd White and others. The day heated up temperature-wise but it never really heated up to the crowd numbers many were expecting. Rumours were of around 4-5000 at Festival One, so we reckon probably 4000 people at the most hit up Cloud, probably less. It didn’t feel crowded. We lay on the ground during Hillsong Young & Free and there was plenty of space around us. The queues for food weren’t long either. We have only positive memories of the

inaugural Cloud Festival, and loved the one-day structure; it created an urgency, and an in-the-moment atmosphere. Downtime was at your own discretion, and the heat drew many people into the air-conditioned first floor to listen to interviews with various artists. Outside, the heat draped itself over the crowds that were gathered at Mainstage, and at East and West stages, and only added to the beautifully sticky summer vibe. With enough water breaks in the middle, it was easy to get caught up in the pounding of the ground, as the crowd jumped as one body, all day long.

FES

TIV AL SP E C

IAL

S SP TIVA EC L IA L

TODD WHITE AT THE Q&A SESSION WITH TODD WHITE AT CLOUD FESTIVAL, ALIVE HEADED ALONG TO HEAR THE EVANGELIST TALK ABOUT HONOUR FROM GOD. GRETA YEOMAN REPORTS.

American evangelist Todd White appeared at Cloud Festival, as part of a Gospel Experience on the Mainstage but also in a Q&A session. For 22 years Todd White was an aetheist and drug addict, before finding God in 2004. He talks about how he finds honour in God, and God alone.

become warriors for God but in that place it’s different and humble and God will exalt you.” White says, however, it’s never about you being exalted, to God it’s about him in your love being exalted. He says the unashamed gospel comes from never needing to receive honour from people, it’s

[pastor, minister etc] it’s about you becoming love” He talks of people leaving church to set up home-groups where they can lick their church wounds and share in their disagreements over church. “It’s a big hurt club, dude.” “If we have been accepted by the Father we can’t be rejected by people.” He talked of encountering his “When God comes in it’s not about you receiving pastor at a church work day who honour from people, it’s about you living and giving told him his revelation from God honour, and receiving honour from he who alone is wasn’t from God. He got mad but then he took a broom and went God.” out and swept the steps at his church. “When God comes in it’s not about always to bring honour to God No-one was watching. you receiving honour from people, - “and unfortunately that brings “And no-one was looking because it’s about you living and giving persecution everywhere you go” honour, and receiving honour he says, drawing a laugh from the I didn’t need them to thank me, oh dude, I was so possessed by the from he who alone is God.” audience. love of God, He loved me. I didn’t “So you can receive honour from In response to an audience memneed to do things to be loved by your Father and never need to be ber’s question about living boldly honoured by people.” for Christ, he begins talking about people.” So he swept out the front of his He says it is not about him getting how he dealt with disagreements church, crying and praising God. respect from people around him, in his first church. “it’s about me living in every situa- “I’m not saying this so you can lick “I don’t need a thank-you - we’ve become God’s thank-you from tion unshamed of the Gospel.” your church wounds, I’m telling heaven.” “It’s never about saying I love you, you this so that you can be free do you love me. It’s about becom- from them.” ing love and not expecting it back.” He says the first thing to do is plug Find out more about Todd at He also talks of warriors who earn into a church. lifestylechristianity.com or their respect by being the best “Because it’s never about needing find him on facebook: lifewarrior they can be. “It’s an oppeople to give you honour, it’s stylechristianity or follow him posite culture, so what happens is about living to give honour to he we have to be out of the warrior who alone is God.” on youtube. mentality and realise that we’ve “It’s not about you accusing them

F E ST

IVAL

SP E C

IAL

HILLSONG

YOUNG AND FREE ALIVE HEADED ALONG TO THE Q&A WITH HILLSONG YOUNG FREE, HEARING ABOUT THEIR NEW EP AND ALSO QUESTIONING THE BAND ABOUT THEIR SONGWRITING TECHNIQUES. GRETA YEOMAN REPORTS. knowing what they want to say and how they want to say it helps avoid cliches. “We are conscious sometimes of overusing the same things which is what’s been good with this last project [the This Is Living EP] is knowing the theme, like, strong theme ideas before we start writing.” “I think if we’re capturing who we are and how we honestly feel about Jesus then it should be different to anyone else’s experience.” “We could all sit down together and know exactly who wrote “People will reduce it to what they understand so we which song.” get people coming to youth and they go ‘man, that Fellow band member, Alexander Pappas (aka Pappas) says when concert was amazing’ but we as church folk, we know they wrote the We Are Young & that was worship. But they will reduce to what they Free album, they began writing some of the lyrics which were “a understand, they’ll shape it into what they know.” little bit” like cliches, ideas that they reused, so they had to learn video. we as church folk, we know that how to develop their ideas. She said they began to be conwas worship. But they will reduce So now they consciously find a cerned because some people wer- to what they understand, they’ll different theme to write around. en’t liking the song, however Laura shape it into what they know.” “But the biggest thing, yeah, realised their intentions were to Self-described ‘Youth worship guy’ especially as a songwriter as well, write worship songs, not be conAodhan King responded to Alive’s is going deeper in the writing, cerned with some fans disliking question at the Q&A about how challenge yourself to write more particular songs. the songwriters avoid using cliches than that.” “For us we know what God has put that appear in other worship mu“And I think we’re actually really in our hearts and all we can do is sic. excited about this EP and some be faithful to God.” “I think what helps us is actually more songs because we feel like She says they began writing with writing really personal - personal we’re taking it to a new place of the intention of what would their revelations or experiences.” songwriting.” friends listen to so that they can Aodhan (pronounced Aidan) says Hillsong Young & Free is the revolving youth ministry section of Hillsong Church, bringing new music from Hillsong to a younger generation. They recently released a new EP, This Is Living, which includes a song featuring Lecrae. Young & Free worship leader and Hillsong youth pastor Laura Toganivalu talked about releasing a new Hillsong music video and some of the band were reading through the comments below the

draw closer to Jesus. “We genuinely want to see people come to Jesus and worship Jesus.” “We’re just doing what we feel like we’re called to do.” So now they just ignore the critics. Laura’s husband, Paul Toganivalu, says people often react to worship differently depending on how they understand it. “People will reduce it to what they understand so we get people coming to youth and they go ‘man, that concert was amazing’ but

What is it that defines us? BY ALIVE DEPUTY EDITOR EVONNE KEY

There is a section of the Silmarillion, near the beginning (which I wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quote here because it is an entire paragraph), which describes the Ainur, the divine beings of Middle Earth, as taking on a humanoid likeness and raiment but not needing gender or human form to define who they are. What is it that defines us? Is it our cultural identity or race? Certainly we retain some pride in knowing where we came from and who our ancestors were, and a sense of pride to the way our country does things or did things, and the little things that make us different from the rest of the world. But where did we truly come from?

What about our gender, skin colour, hair colour or even what we wear? Does this make us who we are? Does this shape our actions and reactions? Due to prejudice perhaps, we act a certain way because the world has classified and stereotyped certain elements of physical appearance into being important. Media portrayal of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s image, not to mention the historical prejudices of race, religion and colouring, has twisted the way the world thinks about the outward appearance, forgetting that we are in fact, all human on the inside. Is it what we do, our occupation? Do we reap identity from success, prestige and wealth? How the

world views us, by our social status, has become so important these days, that we are blinded by what the world defines as satisfaction, forgetting that we are craving something intangible, and not of this world. Or is our identity in something much more everlasting and eternal, than we could ever imagine? Most of you havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t read the Silmarillion, but the Ainur, sort of like our angels/sub-par gods, have a very real sense of identiy and belonging in their Lord and Creater, Iluvatar. We are human, dust and flesh and bone, but we are so much more than that. We are living breathing, thinking

â&#x20AC;&#x153;How the world views us, by our social status, has become so important these days, that we are blinded by what the world defines as satisfaction, forgetting that we are craving something intangible, and not of this world.â&#x20AC;?

soulful creatures that were created and given a spiritual soul, one that is not defined by this worldly body. We were created by a Master, for a purpose, and through Him we have our identity. He chose each and every one of us and breathed His love and life into us. We belong to Him. We are not puppets, rather divinely individual and heirs to His glorious fortune- that is, eternal life for those who have thrown off the masks and moulds of this world, and accepted His love and grace as their raiment, His stars as their crowns of heavenly inheritance. And it is pieces like that, of this complex fictional work that make

me enjoy it so much. That Tolkien manages to weave in these profound insights of humanity into such a vast and magical world. That Tolkienâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s identity in Christ was real enough that it shone through in his writing, that he understood, that this world is broken and bent, and that we are not bound to it, nor should we bury ourselves in it, rather we were made to seek the Kingdom of God, and to bask in His love, and accept his grace filled inheritance, given to us freely. Je Suis Charlie. Three Airlines. The Sydney hostages and stabbings. The Paki-

stani School Shooting. And most recently, the shootings in Paris. Incidentally two weeks after I flew out of Paris. This past year has been saddening and these past few weeks have been, to put it simply, tragic Time. What is time? When did it begin? Who created it? God is outside of time. Therefore, is it humans who created it, in order to bind the world to understandable parameters? Or was it something that started as soon as the world did? As something that God created as part of this world, to hold it all together, so that we could understand our world better? The internet.

297

god& being gay

the christian and lgbt communties have uncomfortably co-existed in society for many years, with many divides in between. alive has cautiously approached the topic to further explore the debate over christianity and sexuality.

It’s been a long-debated issue, with comments from all sides of the discussion, but the conversation over Christianity and sexuality has continued even after NZ’s Marriage Amendment Bill passed in 2013. In late 2014 New Zealand news media ran stories about Jim Majoram, a gay Christian author, who received an abusive email from an Auckland pastor in response to Majoram’s autobiography, ‘It’s Life, Jim’, about his struggle with homosexuality as a Christian. The pastor, Logan Roberston, emailed Majoram saying that he was praying Majoram would commit suicide because of his sexual orientation. In a New Zealand Herald article, the Human Rights Commissioner, Richard Tankersley, responded to the email contents, saying, “hatemon-

bad, why wouldn’t God give me a way to change? It just didn’t make sense. I’d be in tears begging him to change me. Other times I’d be asking him what was so wrong with it anyway? The bible didn’t make sense given that all I wanted was a loving relationship with a guy. How could that possibly be a bad thing? Who would it hurt? I couldn’t get an answer, so I just stumbled on trusting that somehow I’d change. Of course, I never did.”

“CHRISTIANS HAVE A RIGHT TO OPPOSE GAY MARRIAGE, BUT NOT TO ACT AGAINST IT.” Gay marriage was legalised in England and Wales in March 2014, but is still prohibited by the Church of England.

“Church leaders have forgotten that the freedom not to be discriminated against is one on which believers themselves rely.” gers who attack gay Kiwis need to know their behaviour has no place in Aotearoa”. Majoram says the biggest problem for him was that no matter how hard he tried, he could not stop being attracted to guys. “It seemed that the Bible was clearly against it, and yet I simply couldn’t understand if it was so

UK Bishop Justin Welby told the UK’s Radio 4, in a December 2014 interview, that he could not answer the question as to why he had previously opposed the gay marriage bill (it seems he does not now, however that is unclear), as there were now discussions within the Anglican Church, both locally and globally, and it would be “inappro-

priate” to comment at this stage. “When I listen to people I know that I’m listening to people for whom not just the issue of sexuality but the whole way in which the Church lives and exists and reaches out to people, what it looks like to be a holy church, is something on which they feel passionately and are deeply, deeply, deeply disagreeing.” British playwright David Edgar, in an opinion piece in The Guardian in April 2014, posed the thought that “Christians have a right to oppose gay marriage, but not to act against it”. “When the Muslim Council of Britain refused to join Christian groups protesting against the equality bill it did so not because it supported it, but because it understood that the freedom not to be discriminated against was a right on which they themselves relied. They’re wrong about homosexuality, but they were right about that.” “Church leaders have forgotten that the freedom not to be discriminated against is one on which believers themselves rely.”

BIBLICAL BELIEFS So what does the Bible have to say about homosexuality? Senior Lecturer at Laidlaw College, Dr Bob Robinson, says the Bible seems “quite clear” both in

the Old Testament and “even more so” in the New Testament. In Romans 1:22-27 he says Paul describes homosexuality and lesbianism as ‘unnatural’: “Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way, the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameless acts with other men.” 1 Corinthians Chapter 6 states: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, practicing homosexuals, thieves, greedy, drunkards, verbally abusive, and swindlers will not inherit the kingdom of God. Some of you once lived this way. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. … Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.” Robinson queries “So, that seems clear, doesn’t it”, though he continues: “Well, some interpreters (and they seem to be a minority) think that such passages are not really talking about long-term, loving gay relationships, but abusive relationships. And if we look at the balance of the Bible’s teaching, we can’t help noticing that heterosexual sin is far more prominent and just and severely condemned.” He suggests other “sinful” behaviour is more of a concern in the Bible, while homosexuality is less of a concern. “The Christian position is that as sinners, alienated from God, every part of our lives is distorted – including our sexuality, both gay and non-gay. We are all “broken” and “disordered”

“My personal view on the subject of homosexuality would line up with most traditionally held Christian views. I believe the writings of Paul are clear on this subject.” and in need of healing.” Some argue, however, that the inclusion of “homosexuality” in the Bible has only been a recent addition. Ourspiritnow.com argues that

the word homosexual didn’t exist when the Bible was written, quoting a number of Greek or Hebrew words that have been allegedly incorrectly translated into English. Majoram also shares a similar viewpoint. “I no longer even consider the [Old Testament] references relevant, suffice to say, the Levitical laws are a non-event (how are you going with bacon, tattoos, shellfish, wearing mixed fabric, stoning your daughter if she isn’t a virgin – you get the picture). Sodom and Gomorrah isn’t even about sex – Isiah tells us clearly that their sin was inhospitality – not caring for the poor etc.”

THOUGHT SPACE: RICK WARREN HAS SAID: “OUR CULTURE HAS ACCEPTED TWO HUGE LIES. THE FIRST IS THAT IF YOU DISAGREE WITH SOMEONE’S LIFESTYLE, YOU MUST FEAR OR HATE THEM. THE SECOND IS THAT TO LOVE SOMEONE MEANS YOU AGREE WITH EVERYTHING THEY BELIEVE OR DO. BOTH ARE NONSENSE. YOU DON’T HAVE TO COMPROMISE CONVICTIONS TO BE COMPASSIONATE.” “I HAVE LEARNED NOW THAT WHILE THOSE WHO SPEAK ABOUT ONE’S MISERIES USUALLY HURT, THOSE WHO KEEP SILENCE HURT MORE.” - C.S. LEWIS

“So yes, none of the old laws apply, not even the 10 commandments, simply because love is far superior to any law.”

STAYING RELEVANT AND FURTHERING DISCUSSION Hillsong’s Brian Houston came under critique after answers at a press conference, in late 2014, suggested Hillsong supported gay marriage. Houston however rebuked the suggestion in a later-released media statement, saying he encouraged people not to assume a media headline accurately represented what he said. “I challenge people to read what I actually said, rather than what was reported that I said.” His answer to the New York Times at the press conference, which was transcribed in full, by Eternity, states: “To us, I think it is very easy to reduce what you think on homosexuality to just a public statement. That would keep a lot of people happy. But we feel, at this point it is an ongoing conversation - that the real issues in people’s lives are too important for us to reduce it down to a yes or no answer in a media outlet. So we are on the journey with it, aren’t we?” “With the church, the message is

sacred but the methods have to change, for the church to stay relevant. And it’s challenging for the church to stay relevant.” “The one big hot topic is… for the churches… now that homosexual marriage legalised, and churches for generations they hold a set of beliefs around what they believe that God, the Bible says. And all of a sudden, in many circles the church could look like a pariah [outcast] because for many people it is so irrelevant now on that subject.” In the statement on Hillsong’s website Houston responded, saying that nowhere in his answer did he “diminish biblical truth or suggest that I or Hillsong Church support-

what does LGBT MEAN anyway? Lesbian (women attracted to women). Gay (men attracted to men, though the term is widely used for both sexes attracted to the same gender). Bi-sexual (attracted to both males and females). Transgender (people who have either been born one gender but feel they are more of the opposite gender, or those who feel they are neither clearly male or female) drew Walker, responded to Houston’s comments, saying Hillsong thinks itself a contemporary and culturally relevant church.

“If they accept the Lord and have goodwill, who am I to judge them? They shouldn’t be marginalized. The tendency (to homosexuality) is not the problem ... they’re our brothers.” ed gay marriage”. “My personal view on the subject of homosexuality would line up with most traditionally held Christian views. I believe the writings of Paul are clear on this subject.” Firstthings.com blog writer An-

“But as Christians, we don’t get to define what “relevant” means in terms that are unquestioning of what our culture means by “relevant.” I submit that Hillsong is a church in retreat. A church in retreat doesn’t give

answers. It doesn’t storm the gates of Hell. It settles and makes peace where there is no peace (Ezekiel 13:10). A church in exile (and that’s how I’d describe the current place-

WHO AM I TO JUDGE?

ment of confessional evangelicalism) is one that is faithful amidst the culture, regardless of whether that culture looks more like America or more like Babylon. It knows that it may lose the culture, but that it cannot lose the Gospel. So be it.” Robinson is of similar opinion, questioning whether the church has changed a few of its beliefs and practices before. “The answer is yes, even when the church originally thought the answer was ‘no’.” 1st century: can non-Jews become Christians members? 3rd-4th century: can God’s oneness be re-defined as Threeness as well? 16th century (Reformation): can the one church, centred on Rome and ruled by the Pope, be divided? 19th century: can God-guided evolution be accepted? 20th century: can divorced people become ministers in the church? 20th century: can women be ordained? Robinson says there are many other things about which the church can’t and won’t change its mind. But is the complete acceptance of gay Christians one of them? The General Synod that governs the Anglican Church in New Zealand and the Pacific recently stated that “We uphold [the] traditional doctrine of marriage.” But, as Robinson points out, it did not rule out ‘blessing,’ marrying and even ordaining gays – and called for deeper discussion.

inauguration in March 2013, has made a number of comments on the Church and homosexuality and has also called for further discussion. In a July 2013 interview with CNN, Pope Francis said when he meets

the issue, including at the recent Synod. Pope Francis, who has issued a The Independent reported follownumber of controversial state- ing the recent Catholic Synod in ments and viewpoints since his December, Pope Francis had again spoken out about homosexuals, saying the Catholic Church must “Christians are often tempted to help parents to stand by their gay be non-loving and non-forgiving. children, though at the same time But it is love that fulfills the Law, he maintained that gay marriage was still not on the Church’s agennot condemning.” da.

CONTROVERSY AND PRESENT

PAST

Views opposing or supporting gay people, relationships and marriage, have swung dramatically both

THOUGHT SPACE: BRIAN HOUSTON HAS SAID “TO US, I THINK IT IS VERY EASY TO REDUCE WHAT YOU THINK ON HOMOSEXUALITY TO JUST A PUBLIC STATEMENT. THAT WOULD KEEP A LOT OF PEOPLE HAPPY. BUT WE FEEL, AT THIS POINT IT IS AN ONGOING CONVERSATION.” a gay person, he has to distinguish between their being gay and being part of a lobby. “If they accept the Lord and have goodwill, who am I to judge them? They shouldn’t be marginalized.

ways, with much public controversy. Controversial “ex-gay” ministries including Exodus International and Love Won Out have caused heated debate over the years they

“And if we look at the balance of the Bible’s teaching, we can’t help noticing that heterosexual sin is far more prominent and just and severely condemned.” The tendency (to homosexuality) is not the problem ... they’re our brothers.” The problem, he said, was lobbies that work against the interest of the church. Under Francis’ direction, the Roman Catholic Church has proceeded to have more discussions about

have run. Majoram, who also used to participate in and run similar “reparative” courses for over 15 years, says it never made a positive impact on him. “Over all that time, despite my most passionate efforts, I didn’t become one tiny bit “straighter”. I learned

THOUGHT SPACE: BOB ROBINSON SAYS as well as the

Bible, two books that he found to be helpful were Alex Tylee’s Walking with Gay Friends and Love is an Orientation by Andrew Marin.

how to hide it better, and lie more effectively, and repress things deeper, but it only served to increase the shame and reinforcing the cognitive dissonance that caused a life of depression and suicidality.” Love Won Out, a conference run by Focus on the Family, was set-up in 1998 to help people “who struggle with unwanted same-sex attractions”, believing that same-sex at-

president Alan Chambers. In an NY Daily News article, Chambers (who has struggled with his own same-sex attractions) apologised for all the harm and pain the ministry caused over the 37 years it ran for. “For quite some time we’ve been imprisoned in a worldview that’s neither honoring toward our fellow human beings, nor biblical.”

“For quite some time we’ve been imprisoned in a worldview that’s neither honoring toward our fellow human beings, nor biblical.” traction could be overcome. The conference was later passed over to Exodus International, a ministry that promoted “freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ”. In late 2013 Exodus International shut down, the announcement accompanied by an apology from

In an interview with ChristianityToday, Chambers also stated “from a Judeo-Christian perspective, gay, straight or otherwise, we’re all prodigal sons and daughters”. “Exodus International is the prodigal’s older brother, trying to impose its will on God’s promises, and make judgments on who’s worthy of His Kingdom. God is calling us to be the Father – to welcome everyone, to love unhindered.” Dr Robinson also asks how loving others comes into the discussion. He says Romans 13 gets the balance right: “Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves his neighbour has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet,” (and if there is any other commandment) are summed up in this, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself ’. Love does no wrong to a neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” “Jesus in Matthew 6: “Do not condemn, or you will be condemned.” But this does not mean there are no rules. Even though love is the fulfillment of the law, Romans 13 goes on: We must lay aside the works of darkness, and put on the weapons of light. Let us live decently as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in discord and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to arouse its desires.” “Christians are often tempted to be non-loving and non-forgiving. But it is love that fulfills the Law, not condemning.”

“I am profoundly sorry that many have walked away from their faith and that some have chosen to end BY GRETA YEOMAN their lives. For the rest of my life (ALIVE EDITOR) I will proclaim nothing but the SUPPORTED BY NICOLA whole truth of the Gospel, one of grace, mercy and open invitation to FROUD AND EVONNE KEY. all to enter into an inseverable relaARTWORK BY EVONNE. tionship with almighty God.”

REMEMBERING

CHRISTCHURCH FOUR YEARS ON

FEBRUARY 22

Christchurch will soon commemorate the fourth anniversary of the February 22, 2011 earthquake that took the lives of 185 people and changed the landscape of the city so drastically. ALIVE Editor Greta Yeoman has documented the city’s changes through a collection of documentaries, also taking photos along the way. Here she has collated a series of photographs documenting the change over the last year in Christchurch, from December 2013 to December 2014. In the words of Chris Tomlin’s ‘God of This City’: “For greater things are yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city.”

l-r: graffitti on a damaged building in avonside, flowers in road cones, art in cathedral sq, shag rock (now nicknamed â&#x20AC;&#x153;shag pileâ&#x20AC;?) and road cones in avonside.

top: damaged house on the cliffs at sumner bottom: construction views diggers and cranes in sumner opposite page: containers holding up a facade on manchester st.

l-r: facade on high st, demolition site, new regent st re-opened, demolition, flowers along the avon river, lyttelton port.

l-r: flowers in high st, reflections of damaged buildings, christchurch central city from the air, the cardboard catherdral, The innards of the old christhcurch city council building.

l-r: stranges lane under construction (march 2014), concrete and steel from the old city council building, a house awaits demolition, the concrete-munching cranes.

e k i l s i d i y h

V A S

r o t i d ee v i l a by

m r e t the

D E V n a m o e y a t e gr

Thesaurus.com offers alternatives to “saved” as rescued, salvaged and cured. I feel mightily uncomfortable about the word, especially in Christian contexts. It’s the idea of being freed by coming to faith in God that I understand, but the idea that people are “saved” from going to Hell by becoming Christians or “saved” from their “sinful ways” just disturbs me. I often see Christianity from an outsiders perspective, not so taking the if-an-alien-walked-in-here-nowwhat-would-they-think approach but more so if a normal person walked in here what would they think. Maybe it’s an Anglican thing, reciting words in sync and all that jazz. Or may it’s just a “them and us” mentality. It’s easy enough to say “I don’t care what anyone thinks of me” in terms of Christian spirituality but when so many people see the faith as cult-like, it gets a bit worrying. And when Brian Houston says 250 people got “saved” in one service it’s even more concerning. I understand sharing your faith is important. But excluding people by making them feel wrong or different because of different beliefs will never draw people in. I once had some friends who talked about rescuing the sick. The only thing was, the sick were not actually “sick”, they were just non-Christians. Another friend who isn’t a Christian happened to overhear the conversation and later asked me about it. I felt very uncomfortable about the fact that my friends considered her to be sick because she didn’t believe in God. I much prefer that 250 people “became Christians” over “were saved”. There are some things that make me uncomfortable about Christianity. Being saved is one of them.

THE BIBLE OPINION PIECE BY MATT JOILS

“Messed up things happen. Nothing embarrassing is left out. And that resonates with me. That’s life. That’s reality. The world is a messy place filled with unglamorous people.” The Bible. Are you familiar with it? Really? I’m blessed to be challenged to read it and engage with it heaps from a young age (4 chapters a day at age 13). I took up that challenge for a while, but have since cut back to 2 chapters a day. And it doesn’t get old! There’s so much in there that I keep forgetting and always rediscovering things to be offended by or confused about, or to relate to and admire. One such story to shock your socks is the story of Ehud in Judges... or the book of Judges in general. It’s like historical Game of Thrones up in there. I think the thing that really strikes a chord with me about this collection of ancient documents- histories, legislation, prophecies, poems, biographies and personal correspondenceis that it’s real. It’s earthy. It tells it like it is. Fiction nowadays is often about escapism, about dreams of sex and power and glamour- about how we wish life was. An older example is the James Bond series. Not so with The Good Book. We have ‘heroes’ who are weak and scared, or doing the wrong thing. Then we have God who chooses to become one of us and hang out with poor people in a backwa-

ter part of the Roman empire. And instead of bringing Glory to his nation, he dies on the cross. We have sickness, death, war, defeat, persecution, selfishness and squabbles. Messed up things happen. Nothing embarrassing is left out. And that resonates with me. That’s life. That’s reality. The world is a messy place filled with unglamorous people. And just as we might be dissatisfied with that, the writers of the bible from different points in history and different intentions testify that this isn’t right, and point to a Solution. A Sure fire fix that brings us out of this cheap and tawdry situation. We have Hope. Glory isn’t ours to earn or grab. We can’t cover up our nasty baseness with the nicest of table manners or the largest of cheques. But God is good to us. He steps alongside us and reminds us of the dignity we were always meant to have. He lovingly offers restoration to true humanity, as God’s own children. He wipes off the gunk of sin and rebellion and fixes everything- eventually. So read the bible! Not as some mystical magic 8 ball or a dull list of rules and restrictions, but as an anthology of humanity grappling with the problem of separation with God and the great joy of God’s forgiveness. I promise you won’t regret it.

My Two Cents worth of Writing Tips.

Writing tips have never been my favourite thing on the internet. Quite far from it, in fact. I find many of them useful, of course, but one of the things I have found about writing, is that nobody can actually tell someone else how to write. Because everybody writes differently and everybody has a very explicit individual writing voice. Of course there is the other side of this where people write on a thematic topic that is popular and thus it is successful. And maybe that is what they wanted to write, or maybe they just liked the idea and spurted out the fifteenth Twilight Ripoff. I can’t vouch for them, only that it seems like that sometimes. But in terms of how to write, often what one writer, well known or no, says, will not work for you. And that’s ok. Because if we all wrote the same, and all conformed to one or even several sets of rules, then a. our writing would be contradictory and chaotic and b. boring. So here are a few things I have noticed as a reader and writer. You don’t have to listen, and remember, do what works for you and your story and your characters. If you don’t want to write the end first or the start first or the middle last then you don’t have. Some people have said that Backstories are not important. I, however, disagree. A person’s past may not define their future, but experienc-

es and past happenings to shape them emotionally and subconsciously, and thus affect their actions, reactions and motivations. In a way it depends on your plot and your characters. But in order to have character motivation, you have to have character history, and character history is just another way of saying backstory. The events of our past, particularly our childhood, shape our actions of the present, often without us consciously knowing it, but they are there. If a character of yours has a violent reaction to something, or is bitter, untrusting, shy, reserved or just plain cruel, and you don’t know why, there is a good chance the reason could come out in the backstory. Your backstory doesn’t have to take over your main storyline, but a character that has roots and has a past is a realistic character, one we can relate with, even if their past differs wildly from ours. They came from somewhere, and that is what is important. Something that often irritates me in novels or films, is characters unrealistically being able to do something. Let me explain. Unless you have a reason and an explanation for it, a women cannot pull a 50 or 70 lb bow. That’s not sexist, it’s a biological fact. If you have a reason, an explanation

for it then fine- maybe she’s an elf, maybe the women on this planet are biologically born and designed with 20% more muscle, maybe she’s got giant blood in her, or is a trans or whatever. Doesn’t really matter. But if you don’t have an explanation, then that’s just shoddy writing and makes you look ignorant because you haven’t done your research. You can get away with a lot in fantasy

Yes, it’s a lot of work, but it’s possible. Yes, it might take most of your life, or at least a good few years… but I say it’s worth it. I think it’s worth it any way. One of the hardest things about being a writer is having one person say one tip, and you go oh yeah that works, that’s great, and then you strive sooo hard to do

A person’s past may not define their future, but experiences and past happenings to shape them emotionally and subconsciously, and thus affect their actions, reactions and motivations setting, and you will hear the argument, ‘it’s fiction it doesn’t have to be realistic or believable’… No it doesn’t have to conform to this world’s limitations, but any world has limitations, and even if it doesn’t you have to explain why or … to immerse a reader is to make what you’re writing believable… to have thought about the necessary facts, like if the body or the water hit first and how much weight your average women could draw if she’d been shooting since she was three, else it’s not the fictional world. And fictional world is just a world that is not this one. Therefore it has a cultural, historical, and biological identity- it has reasons for things, even things unknown, it has constraints and ecosystems. Make them and make them believable so your reader enjoys the experience.

that, because you think it works, and THEN you come across another tip that says the previous tip is not how you do it at all!!! MAKE UP YOUR MIND PEOPLE OR I WILL JUST LISTEN TO NONE OF YOU

EVONNE KEY (ARROWTOWN) My name is Evonne Key. I am a fruit freak, a name nerd, a wordsmith, a languagenut, a fangirl and sometimes an introvert. I have Obsessive Compulsive Daydreming Doodling Disorder and I can’t sit still to save myself unless it’s to play sleeping lions. I am writing a book which I can’t explain in one sentence very easily.

175 years of auckland

Auckland just this last weekend celebrated its 175th birthday, and in response, all sorts of multimedia presentations, wee stalls and food markets lined our viaduct and a massive showcase of fireworks graced the sky on Sunday night. The central city was alive with pedestrians, roads closed in favour of a large building sized timeline of Auckland’s history, and the Cloud, buzzing with a mini market. Silo Park was simultaneously hosting NICOLA FROUD (AUCKLAND) Laneway Festival, so the music was audible all over, and a sneaky peek Hey all, Nicola here! through the fence confirmed for us the crowds within the fence line. WynFeeling a bit stoked to have a yard Quarter propelled a steady stream of foot traffic down the waterfront, contribution toward such a cool and provided a welcome atmosphere. Swimmers took a dip in the shadow project; I’ve been set apart as the of the foot bridge, which really said something about the temperature of one Aucklander in the team so far. the day, and boats lazily waltzed under the bridge that was making way for I’ve lived in the big smoke all my them, directing their path into the dock. Bicycles with passengers pedlife, and it’s fabulous – $12 hourly carparks and all – but give alled here and there, squirming between the people with their little bells, me mountains any day! and Auckland’s container library looked like it had seen a good many I’m a first-year student at Auckvisitors pop in to trade in old reading material for new. The ice-cream land Uni and it seems that I spend shop had greeted many hot bodies by the time we made our way there the rest of my time on public for dessert, what with all the cookies in supply eaten up. It was a special transport, but I also manage to thing to see my city so vibrant and to see the people that we are comprised squeeze in youth, music, reading, of, - with faces -, as opposed to the typical floodgate-rush of honking cars babysitting and rock-climbing, and stressed bodies impatiently tapping fingers on the wheel. What with thank goodness. Nicola is also the Auckland’s general preference for cars over public transport, it made for a deputy editor of ALIVE. lighter vibe to see everybody relaxing and doing summery things.

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” - cs lewis

summer in wellington Summer has finally arrived here in Wellington, and no one is letting the wind spoil that. The waterfront is buzzing with holidaymakers, kids are enjoying the last of the school holidays at Oriental Bay, and Lambton Quay is bustling with tourists who come over on cruise ships during the week. One of the greatest parts of summer in Wellington are the outdoor concerts, put on by Meridian Gardens Magic at the Soundshell in the Botanic Gardens. The free concerts present both local musicians and rising stars of various genres, attracting between 500 and 2500 people each night. Enjoying an evening picnic with friends never felt so good! This has been my first Summer in Wellington, and I have to say, so far so good. I love it here! Though I work far more than I should wish, it’s so great just being able to pop out for an evening stroll along the waterfront, a run up Mount Vic, or a coffee in the garden at Southern Cross. There is always something new to do, or somewhere new to visit here in the city. Here’s hoping the sun stays around! ANNA GREENWOOD (WELLINGTON) Hey! I’m Anna, and I’m a second-year student at Victoria University of Wellington, majoring in International Relations. I attend Arise Church here in Wellington, I am passionate about people, and I’m blessed with an incredible family and beautiful friends. I love to spend time with the people I love, read, play netball, ride horses, travel, and get out in God’s creation. I believe that God has called us to something special, and I can’t wait to see what God is going to do through the young people of this nation.

TIPS FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS FROM by asheligh manning and nicola froud Moving into studying at university or polytech can be quite a daunting prospect, so we got contributing writer Ashleigh Manning and Deputy Editor Nicola Froud (who are both Uni students, in Wellington and Auckland, respectively) to compile some tips for students as the study year soon kicks off. Best of luck for the coming year! If possible, do work for at-least a year before studying. ANY extra money you can save, will help you in the long run. Studying isn’t cheap. When picking a hostel, think about the money, rather than the distance to your place of study. The cheaper it is, the better. If unable to find a cheap hostel, consider flatting. When buying groceries, don’t be afraid to buy the cheap brands some of the cheap brands taste just as good as the expensive brands. -A year or two beforehand, start

PREVIOUS fIRST-YEARS

buying bits and bobs for when you go off to study. The more you buy over a period of time, the less you need when you move - plus it’ll be cheaper when you buy the ‘larger’ items when you get there. Buy a large number of storage containers/boxes - most hostels provide storage, but it’s not often enough. It will be handy to have and if it’s not needed, you can always leave it at home. If you move into a hostel and don’t know anyone, do not be afraid to introduce yourself to people. If you don’t, you won’t meet anyone. In a hostel, the RA’s are your support network. They are there to help you and be a friend to you. Make sure you get to know them well - it will be a huge help, especially when you feel homesick. If you don’t create a study group in the first couple of weeks of class, it will never leave the ground. Be definite of times and days that

work best – you will still lose some people who cannot make certain times, but the quicker it is clarified, the easier it is for everyone to commit. Do not believe the lie that living at home is uncool. The financial aid is one thing, and the emotional aid of parents is quite another. Do find somebody, anybody, with whom to attend as many O week events as you can; it is the most alive time of the uni year. Do join a club, no matter how many people have told you the same, and treat it as a concrete piece of your week in order to commit and find the other people who regularly attend. Do talk to people on the bus; they are more often than not uni students in similar shoes to you, and with interesting majors that you never knew existed. Do familiarise yourself with the faces that catch your same bus route, and even talk to them – they not only attend the same uni as you, but live in the same area as

“do not believe the lie that living at home is uncool. the financial aid is one thing, and the emotional aid of parents is quite another.”

you, and will be good foundations for local friendships.

accountable to do the same.

Do make tabs on your own efforts to meet up with high-school friends. You can have the best intentions and yet go the whole year without getting around to making plans to catch up.

Do enjoy music and solitude during your daily public transport commutes, but occasionally unplug when somebody takes the seat next to you, in case a great conversation (that never otherwise would have happened) is to be born.

Do remember that regardless of how often you talk to your highschool friends, the important ones will still miss you, and you them, and nothing, in that respect, will have changed.

Don’t check out other bus passengers in the reflection of the bus window unless you are sure they are not doing the same !! Avoid awkward eye contact; maintain dignity.

Do thank the bus driver! It holds the person getting off behind you

Don’t discover what fun it is to skive a lecture. Once you do, you

lose all justification for going in the first place. Do figure out what your timetable may look like as early as possible, and swap yours with others so that you may find common gaps where you can meet up with friends. Do have one class that is a little easier than the rest, a little less stressful than the rest. Relaxation is relative! Do hunt down a Christian group at uni, and choose the best one of many for you.

STREAMING NOW..... FEATURED VIDEO After a year of musical hibernation due to sickness, Dunedin songwriter and Youtuber Talia Caradus released a new video of a new original song, The Way You Made Me Feel. Talia was recently under Parachute’s Artist Development Scheme and has released an album (The Shelter, 2011) and an EP (Talia, 2010), both available through bandcamp.com.

in our ears

The Road Home Paper Cranes the debut album from auckland-based folk band the paper cranes is due for release march 20. Following up ther 2012 ep, oh love, the new record, the road home, tells of journeys starting one way and ending anoyher. the band says “The Road Home is about travelling and everything that adventure brings: excitement and alienation, homesickness and new friendships, getting lost and re-finding yourself. And how you feel when you make your way home.”

Grace Through The Wandering Aaron Gillespie Aaron Gillespie, formerly of underoath and the almost, will release his second worship album on February 3rd. Gillespie, who fronted parachute band at the final parachute music festival in 2014 has previously said ““I have this desire to see our generation worshipping God. But a lot of the people I get to meet through music—kids with tattoos and swoop over haircuts—don’t think of worship as ‘cool.’ I want them to find a home and a vocabulary to experience this kind of music.”

This Is Living Hillsong Young & Free

Invader Vol II Rapture Ruckus

the new release from hillsong’s young and free branch of music ministry sees the band with a 5-track ep. Young & Free is a movement of young people who are passionate about bringing the message of Jesus, and the spirit of freedom that comes only from knowing Him, to their world. on their website youth pastor laura toggs says “It’s about remembering the moment we found Jesus, and reflecting on all that He means for us NOW”. the album was released January 13th.

Rapture Ruckus released their highly anticipated new record three days early to crowds at cloud festival. the official release of the new ep, which follows up their 2014 ep, invader volume 1, was January 27th. the ep (5 tracks plus 3 remixs) is available on itunes and in hard copy. the band, who made their debut at Parachute Music festival now reside in america but came home over summer to headline a successful cloud festival slot.

through our eyes

The Interview Release: 19th February

Insurgent 19th March 2015

one of the most anticipated films of 2014 will finally make it’s nz cinema debut in early 2015. gathering publicity after it;s withdrawl from the big screen in the wake of the sony hacking scandal, the film features Seth Rogan and josh franco in this comedy. playing characters who are hosts of a tv show, they are surprised to realise north korean president kim jong un is a fan of the show. after setting up an interview with the dictator, they are recuited by the cia to turn the interview into an assasination plot.

Following up the hit movie divergent, insurgent is the next installment of the life of beatrice prior who must continue to fight for against a powerful alliance that threatens to tear her society apart. featuring Shailene Woodley as beatrice “tris” prior, the lead actor of The Fault in Our stars, the film also sees the return of Theo James as four and famous faces of naomi watts and kate winslet . the film’s tagline reads “One Choice Can Destroy You”.

Backstreet Boys: Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of Release: 28 March described as “an honest film portrayal” of one of the biggest bands of the 1990’s, the film travels from the founding of one of the biggest boy band’s on the planet, to releasing their 2013 album. it also apparently coincides with a 20th anniversary and reunion.

FEATURED APP On the iTunes store description for PrayerMate, the app “helps you be faithful in prayer for the people and causes you care about. Every day, PrayerMate will select a person or topic that you’ve entered from each of your main categories (perhaps “My family” or “My small group at church”.)... Now when you say to someone “I’ll pray for you!” you can make sure you follow it up.” The app is free for iPhone and Android

FROM ONLINE.... Cloud Festival you have been mighty good to us. Thanks for singing and dancing. We love you Kiwis xx - The Soorleys (Facebook) Don’t give up on the things God has placed in your heart. Keep pushing & praying he will direct you. - @prayinfaith (Twitter) “If #Christianity was something we were making up, of course we could make it easier. But it isn’t.” ~ #CSLewis - @CSLewisDaily (Twitter)

featured social media The Soorleys are one of Australia’s coolest family folk bands, and they’re also pretty cool on Instagram too. Follow the band at @thesoorleys to see all their family and folk band fun. There’s also rumours floating of a second EP so this may be the place to find all the updates, if you want to keep an eye on this family band and new releases.

source: pinterest.com

Interested in writing for ALIVE? Contact Greta at alivemagazinenz@gmail.com

the

DO’S & DONT’S the

(HERE’S SOME HUMOUR)

OF INTERNET FRIENDS :) BY EVONNE KEY Don’t make jokes about paedophiles and serial killers, especially when you’re not one. Don’t invite yourself over without asking. Always ask the parents’ permission. Don’t rant to them about matters of the heart and the government, without prior warning. If they’re international- DO make sure you educate them on the local lingo, and slang. Convert them at all costs. DO Send them spam postcards from your travels to make them jealous. Also, local foodstuffs, like chocolate, are a good ice breaker. DO Organise a meet up. Cancel because you are sick DO Always trust what they say to be true. They wouldn’t lie. They’re you’re friends. If there is a group of you, DO make sure you make plans for 2016, to meet each other. In Finland. Because Finland is cool. Or Switzerland, because it’s neutral and we don’t want politics to get involved. DO Keep a baseball bat under your bed. Just in case. But don’t tell them that. Because it might lead to extreme consequences. DO And above all, make sure you introduce your internet friends to one another so you can start a magazine together.

of getting involved in your local music scene BY GRETA YEOMAN Don’t be surprised if you stalk musicians online that they’ll know who you are. They often stalk you back. Oops. Do sing along to their songs. At the front of the crowd. And know every word. Do feel comfortable to be able to go to gigs by yourself. Become a master of it so people expect you to turn up solo, rather than feeling sorry for you. Do make friends with fellow fans. They are often a cool bunch and you have someone you can sing along with. (And in the end it solves the above problem that you can enjoy the gig whether you have friends in the crowd or just onstage). And gig buddies are awesome. Don’t thrash their music around your family. Otherwise they likely give your friends weird nicknames based on the lyrics and ask what they were smoking when they wrote a particular song. Do become friends with other people in the music scene, besides just the musicians. Soundies, bar staff and other people connected to the band are often really cool people. Don’t borrow their song lyrics for your own songs. That’s plagiarism, even with little-known acts. Don’t worry about travelling long distances for gigs. Commitment means a lot. Even if your friends think you’re crazy. I often travel a 3-hour round trip for 1-2 hours worth of music. (But the Wunderbar is the best bar around, so yeah). Do realise that your local music scene likely holds as much, or more, talent than the artists with multi-million-dollar world tours. Don’t be ashamed of liking local acts. Your friends may not know who they are, but once you convince them of said-band’s awesomeness, you’ll have a new gig buddy and friends to share new music with.

OF sitting your licence BY nicola froud Do talk to your testing officer about the children he has that are about your age; agree with him/her at all costs, no matter the topic. Do keep driving in the event of your driving instructor falling asleep in the passenger seat. Do check your lights and battery are working before the test. Do check your left during a parallel park in order to show that you know there may, in fact, be a cat sitting in the kerb. Do not initiate a drift, even once safely in the AA carpark. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do anything you may regret until the engine has stopped! Do not initiate conversation. Speak only when spoken to. Do not make faces for the video camera filming your driving test. Do not make faces for the suction cup rear view mirror that is adhered to the windscreen to watch you. Do not repeat the same error three times. If the instruction has been repeated one too many times, beware(!). Do not take your cat in the car if you have a testing officer who may choose to fail you on the grounds that his/her seat has cat hairs upon it.

next issue out april 2015. in the meantime keep an eye out on www.alivenz.wordpress.com for new stories and updates