The Olive Branch - 2024

Welcome.  Richard Lawrence, Sharon Ross Ensor & Alistair McBride meet monthly in person at Olive cafe, Kirikiriroa, Hamilton, New Zealand, or via Zoom, taking turns to bring an article, paper or video to the discussion.  

Contact:  rich001@xtra.co.nz, Richard Lawrence

November, 2024

God and consciousness, Frances Young, 

Video interview introduction to the paper



An interview with Iain McGilchrist

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October, 2024

Brian McLaren, Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart, a Nomad podcast interview

Sharon introduces Brian McLaren and the podcast interview (2 mins)

Link to the podcast:

https://www.nomadpodcast.co.uk/brian-mclaren-wisdom-and-courage-for-a-world-falling-apart-n329/


September, 2024

Fuimaono, Eugene. (2024). “Not my God”–Challenging the Usage of ‘Te Atua’ as Māori Terminology for the God of Christianity. Religions. 15. 941. 10.3390/rel15080941. 

Video introduction to the paper -  Alistair McBride and Richard Lawrence

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August, 2024

We discussed the draft introduction to an unpublished paper by Rev. Dr Maurice Andrew, 'God with us in everyday life'. When it's published, we'll post it here.  

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July, 2024

A Life less Punishing - Matt Heath
Video interview introduction - Sharon Ross Ensor



https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018940920/matt-heath-learning-to-love-your-own-life


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June, 2024

'The Presumed Naiveté Of A Galilean Sage' - John Dennison
Three articles in one PDF
Video introduction - Alistair McBride


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May, 2024

Pyrotheology - articles and interviews - Irish writer, Peter Rollins

Richard introduces Peter Rollins in an interview with Sharon.  7 minutes

    7 minutes

   83 minutes

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April, 2024

Sharon briefly introduces 'Wayfaring Leadership' by Chellie Spiller, Professor of Management and Leadership School of Management and Marketing Operations at the University of Waikato, a TEDx talk, below:


Chellie Spiller, 'Wayfaring Leadership:  Wisdom for developing potential'  21-minute video.


https://huia.co.nz/products/wayfinding-leadership-ground-breaking-wisdom-for-developing-leaders


https://www.perlego.com/book/3891652/wayfinding-leadership-groundbreaking-wisdom-for-developing-leaders-pdf

https://chelliespiller.com/


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March, 2024

A discussion of two pieces by Michael Grimshaw, 26 March, 2024

Video:  Alistair McBride introduces Michael Grimshaw and the two pieces from plainsight.nz in a conversation with Richard Lawrence.

plainsight.nz-Making sense of the Treaty The new civil religion of Aotearoa New Zealand?

plainsight.nz-Societies have always been divided:its the degree of division that counts




https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/01/13/dame-anne-salmond-how-to-split-a-society/

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February, 2024


The poem, 'Dover Beach' by Matthew Arnold, source of the phrase 'the Sea of Faith'.

A reading of 'Dover Beach' by Ben W. Smith

The poem & summary and analysis

Article, Jan Klaver, Charles Lyell's Churches and the Erosion of Faith in Matthew Arnold's 'Dover Beach' (2014)

The Sea of Faith network website, New Zealand  

https://sofia.org.nz/


SOFiA is an association of people who have a common interest in exploring religious thought and expression from a non-dogmatic human-oriented standpoint.  SOFiA itself has no creed. It draws its members from all faiths and also those with no attachment to religious institutions.


We follow similar organisations in the UK (Sea of Faith) and Australia in taking our name from the 1984 BBC TV series and book by the British religious academic, Don Cupitt.  The TV series both traces the decline of traditional Christian influence in the West in the past 250 years and invites the viewer to consider what might replace it.

In New Zealand, SOFiA provides a forum for the continued exploration (from the website)

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