I recently returned from New Zealand, which reminded me a bit of my home state of Oregon in the coastal areas. It is an amazingly beautiful country! We were fortunate to have a near full moon while we visited, affording us an upside-down perspective of the moon-view we are used to seeing in the Northern Hemisphere…very cool! Roger and I were able to do a few site-seeing activities including blackwater rafting (tubing through caves), a short two-night stay on Waihi Beach, and a trip to the movie set for Hobbiton from “The Lord of the Rings.” Most of our time, however, involved ministry opportunities.

Though a quick Google search on “what percentage of New Zealand is religious” will find a fairly high percentage for Christianity (50-57%), the story on the ground is much different. The percentage of those identifying with Christianity has been rapidly dropping since the 1990’s with the further percentage of practicing Christians considered much lower (in accordance with a recent study backed by the Wilberforce Foundation).The Kiwis are much further along in becoming post-Christian than the United States. They are also further along in rejecting Christian-based values and ethics. Many of the apologetics topics covered directly related to the shifting culture: transgenderism, homosexuality, pornography, apathy, tolerance, and more.