Contentious Presbyterianism Forum
10 am to 3 pm, Saturday 29 August
Frank Nichol Room, Knox College, Dunedin, and on Zoom
Jim Veitch and Niki Francis are keynote speakers, with the Dunedin launch of Jim’s book, Lloyd Geering: Prophet or Heretic? Martin George Holmes, Mike Grimshaw, and Terry Pouono will also be speaking, and Alofa Lale and Yvonne Wilkie will be contributing to the panel discussion. Jay Robinson will emcee.
A plattered lunch will be provided, catering to a variety of diets including gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan. Morning tea starts from 9:15.
A $10 koha on the day is suggested. Livestreaming will be available for each of the day’s sessions, so you may join us in person or online.
This Forum is organised and presented by Presbyterian Research Network (PRN), and it is cosponsored and hosted by Presbyterian Research Centre (PRC).
To get Zoom links for the sessions, please contact: jay.robinson@prcknox.org.nz
Schedule:
9:15 Registration and morning tea
10:00 Welcome and Martin George Holmes speaking
10:45 Mike Grimshaw speaking
11:25 break
11:30 Terry Pouono speaking
12:10 lunch, book sales table, PRC display table, and mingling
1:00 book launch, with Jim Veitch and Niki Francis
1:40 break
1:45 Response Panel – Martin George Holmes, Mike Grimshaw, Alofa Lale, and Yvonne Wilkie
3:00 Closing
Speakers:
Martin George Holmes is a historian with a PhD from the University of Otago. Talk: “On the Back Foot: Conservative Presbyterians Confront their Progressive Counterparts in New Zealand History.” Abstract: "This presentation explores conservative-progressive conflict in New Zealand Presbyterian history. It explains why the theologies of each group, despite their diversity, have inevitably clashed. It argues that progressives got the upper hand not only because their theology seemed more tailored to modern concerns, but because conservatives have often been hamstrung by institutional weakness and inarticulate leaders. Special emphasis is given to controversies in the late 1800s and early 1900s."
Mike Grimshaw is an Associate Professor at the University of Canterbury, in Sociology. Talk: “Via Lloyd…or via Lex & Arthur? Radical Presbyterianism and the theological and political road not travelled.” Abstract: “In the 1940s no one would have picked Lloyd Geering to have become the most (in)famous and radical Presbyterian thinker in New Zealand. The smart money would have been on Lex Miller and possibly his protege, Arthur Prior. Miller and Prior were at the forefront of the Barthian political theology turn in Knox Theological Hall and student Presbyterianism in the 1930s, with both of them also being very strong men of the left, Prior a socialist and Miller described by George McLeod of Iona as 'Karl Barth in the morning and Karl Marx in the afternoon’. Lloyd Geering was however far less theological and philosophical (self-described as uninterested in 'abstract’ thought) and far more politically mainstream. And yet it is Geering who became and remained the face and voice of radical Presbyterianism in New Zealand. What happened and why? Is it actually the story of the failure of radical Presbyterianism as a political theology in New Zealand?”
Terry Pouono is Pacific Lecturer in Theology, at the University of Otago, in the Theology Programme. Title: “Pasifika relational spaces through the vā; understanding religious conservatism in Pacific communities.” Abstract: “Pasifika churches are generally conservative in their theology. With the integration of the Christian gospel into Pacific cultures since the 19th century, the churches have maintained puritan-type beliefs passed down by Western missionaries, which align with respect for sacred spaces underpinned by indigenous epistemologies and belief systems. A common concept for understanding cosmological relations in Samoan and Tongan culture is the vā, or wa in Fijian. The vā, or wa, defines the sacred spaces that must be respected to receive blessings and maintain social cohesion. My presentation will explore the concepts of teu le vā in Samoan and tauhi vā in Tongan cultural beliefs, which, in my view, essentially mean preserving harmony in relationships. This encompasses our relations with God and one another. In this paper, I contend that these belief systems contribute to conservatism in Pacific churches. I will also explore the implications for Pacific communities in the Presbyterian church today.”
Jim Veitch is a retired Associate Professor in Religious Studies and of Strategic Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. He is the author of Lloyd Geering, Heretic or Prophet? (Melbourne: Coventry Press, 2025). Publisher’s description: ”This is the story of the Reverend Professor Sir Lloyd Geering, biblical scholar and minister within the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand, who was formally tried for heresy in 1967. It recalls the events, the personalities, the locations, the deep divisions, the historical situation of the churches in New Zealand, the controversies, the reporting of the trial in the secular press, the concerns of other churches, the outcome of a series of compromises that led ultimately to the trial being abandoned. Meticulously researched and documented, the book reflects the growing awareness in the churches of the effects of contemporary biblical scholarship on well-established ways of interpreting and affirming traditional creeds and statements of faith. It is a welcome reminder that the issues raised by the trial of Lloyd Geering have not gone away – they are as significant as ever for the faith and lives of contemporary Christians.”
Niki Francis is a Wellington-based historian with a PhD from the Australian National University. She is the author of ‘My own sort of heaven’: a life of Rosalie Gascoigne (Canberra: ANU Press, 2024). She has worked for human rights and conservation NGOs, as parish minister, hospice chaplain and historian. She worked extensively with Jim Veitch on today’s book being launched.
Alofa Lale is an Associate Minister at First Church of Otago in Dunedin.
Yvonne Wilkie is a researcher in Presbyterian Church history, having retired from being the Archivist for PCANZ for twenty years. She is the author of Weaving vision, heritage and hope: 150 years of the Presbyterian Synod of Otago and Southland, 1866-2016 (Dunedin: Synod of Otago and Southland, 2016).