Mark Keown

There is a lot of speculation about the future of SBW (Sonny Bill Williams). Some are saying he is going back to league to the Sydney Roosters. There is a thought he will go for a year, play the league World Cup, and return for the 2015 RWC. Others are saying he will stay with NZ rugby with a few extras, like some time in Japan, boxing, etc. There is even speculation that he will go to Aussie Rules. He is playing so brilliantly that I was hoping that he would stay in rugby; well until yesterday—you will realise why below. Well, I can put everyone out of their misery. I have just got back from a bus trip into Auckland where I happened to sit beside SBW’s, aunty’s, husband’s, employee’s, brother’s, father’s friend—he told me he has the inside word on SBW. Because of his closeness to SBW, I know it is true. Here is the goss. Apparently, SBW has been courted by all of the above and more. However, aside from the other attractive offers above, some of which SBW too seriously, it has ...

Also available on the Laidlaw College Blog. Note : To be read with tongues firmly in cheek… I think? So the annual Readers Digest poll is out and we now know who the most trusted Kiwis are. The poll of course was loaded, because my wife and mum weren’t listed on the voting papers, but still, it gives us some idea of how Kiwis view their world. Richie McCaw wins the vote, up from 55 the year before. That makes sense, he won us the Rugby World Cup with a gammy leg—he is someone we can leave our wallets with! Can’t understand why Graham Henry only got 15 th , he was robbed! And second is Alison Holst, fine cook and food writer. She is someone’s mum, with a nice smile, and a great cook to boot—she must be trustworthy. Personally, I think she fed the judges and won them over. Peter Leitch, aka, the Mad Butcher is third, followed by John Kirwan (JK), both who have given great service to the community, and they into sport too! JK was an All Black, he should have won! Actual...

All the news reports are saying that Queen Street is chaos in the early hours of the morning, particularly Saturday and Sunday. Young people are everywhere; drunk, drugged, fighting, being lewd, vomiting, urinating and worse. Things are more than a little out of control. The trouble is amplified by a kind of mob mentality. The other night, TV 3 also ran a program on 13 year old prostitutes in South Auckland. Clearly, Auckland is a city whose young people are increasingly unrestrained and something must be done. It is interesting to ponder this from the point of view of Paul’s letter to the Romans. In my view, Romans helps explains the problem and proposes a solution. First, Romans explains why this sort of thing is happening. Romans 1:18-32 speaks of the problem of idolatry, sin and debauchery of the Gentile world which Paul observes across the Roman world. The essential problem is not drunkenness, but idolatry—rejection of the one true God. This seems to be NZ’s essential pro...

Many Christians have long responded negatively to the word “religion” because Christianity is about relationship with God and should not be boiled down to a set of religious doctrines, institutional or liturgical practices. Reducing the Christian faith in this way has become problematic—no small part of the reason many westerners have rejected “religion.” I have another reason that I struggle with the word “religion.” Generalizing terribly, the word has become a negative term which is used in the non-religious western discourse to categorise those who believe in the divine, and, in many cases, conveniently write them off.   To be religious means a person is one of those naïve people who still believes in a God or gods, those old “myths,”   who ignore science, and believe in, what is the equivalent of a mythical “flying spaghetti monster.” For many, the religious are lumped together and directly or implicitly told to keep those “religious” views to themselves, w...

A piece also found on the Laidlaw College Blog , http://www.laidlaw.ac.nz/_blog/Our_Blog . Congratulations to all the Kiwis who received a Queen’s Birthday and Diamond Jubilee honour. In Romans 13:3, in the passage on the role of the State, urges the Romans to ‘do what is right and you will be praised .’ So it is great for a nation to honour its people for services rendered. I have a query about this list though. It is this—where are the people who have served within the world of the church? Or more broadly, where are the people who have served in the world of religion? As I peruse both the Queen’s Birthday and New Year’s lists for 2012, I see only one person who is honoured for services to religion—Mrs Millie Amiria Te Kaawa, who received an award ‘For services to Maori and the Presbyterian Church.’ Emma and I know Millie and she is a deserving recipient, a true leader at the Ohope Synod with a great deal of mana . In recent times I remember that Lloyd Gering was honour...