If you’ve read Canta #18 you’re probably a little annoyed to hear in the editorial that Canta won’t be publishing a response from Scott Mackay to the anonymous article entitled ‘Come to the Dark side!  We have Pre Marital Sex! and Led Zeppelin!’.

Yet, despite the apparent unquestioning channelling of Richard Dawkins (a number of atheists are wanting to keep their distance from Dawkins), the writer is absolutely correct in attacking Christianity at the point of history.  Christianity is not a philosophy – it stands or falls on the facts of history.

So I’m wanting to say this week that history matters…and perhaps introduce you to someone you may not have met, but should have.

You may be aware of our most famous graduate – the Nobel prizing winning Ernest Rutherford – famous for ‘splitting the atom’.  You may not however, have heard of one who should also be numbered amongst the greats, a classicist named Edwin Judge.  Both were / are keen Christians.

Emeritus Professor Edwin Judge with Chancellor the Hon Justice Kim Santow at the conferring of the degree of Doctor of Letters (honoris causa), 12 May 2006 (Memento Photography)

Edwin Judge is a leading figure in ancient history studies in Australia and New Zealand having studied at Canterbury and Cambridge and taught at Sydney and Macquarie Universities.  Read his citation on receiving his honorary Doctor of Letters here.

It’s worth listening to someone who has spent their life looking at the primary sources.  What does he say on the historicity of the gospel accounts?

Glad you asked!

“An ancient historian has no problem seeing the phenomenon of Jesus as an historical one. His many surprising aspects only help anchor him in history. Myth or legend would have created a much more predictable figure. The writings that sprang up about Jesus also reveal to us a movement of though and an experience of life so unusual that something more substantial than the imagination is needed to explain it.” (as quoted in P. Barnett, The Truth about Jesus, Aquila, Sydney, 1994)

Let me introduce you – here.

See you Sunday,

Nick

Anyone who has ever had an assignment or important task to do will know the procrastinative power of YouTube. So don’t even bother trying to make plans for Saturday 15th August because there will be a whole montage of your favourite YouTube clips ready to distract. Just come to the UC Maori Centre, 129 Ilam Rd at 8.00pm for a great night getting to know others from church and the friends/workmates/classmates you have brought along.

We need your help! What are your favourite YouTube clips? Whether funny, cute, poignant or just plain absurd send them in and the YouTubeMaster will work his magic stringing them together into a film. He’ll do his best but depending on time constraints and content, the YouTubeMaster reserves the right to include or exclude any material. We don’t need anything dodgy, cruel or offensive.

We are going to raise some funds for Lee Stanton in Kenya so will ask for a donation at the door which will get you a movie ticket for the show (think cheap cinema prices). Look forward to seeing you there but first:

Broadcast Yourself (ie. suggest some YouTube clips) here

Luke Sinclair

- for the event team

We had a hoot at the Campus Church Ceilidh recently…wow!

It was amazing to see who and how many people decked themselves out in ‘traditional’ Scottish attire – whether it was an old girl’s school uniform, or the real McCoy! Perhaps that’s why the lights were dimmed?

George ‘the Ceilidh man’ led the group through multiple dances, from figure-of-eights and swinging partners to waltzing around the perimeter of the hall. It was encouraging to see everyone get so involved, even if it did mean a large chug of water in between dances!

I think part of the fun was learning the moves and remembering them well enough to dance in time with the music – rather entertaining I must say

Looking forward to the next occasion to dress up!

Great when Jesus makes it to the front  of Canta isn’t it?!

One of the great legacies of the Christian tradition is the protection of freedom of speech.  Even when people abuse that freedom to promote their idols and defend their ‘leave God out of it’ lifestyles, it’s a freedom worth enjoying.

Ironically, the greatest attack on authentic Christianity on campus comes not from the outspoken atheist or the decadent activist.  It’s the conquering power of Meh!

Meh! is the apathetic and perhaps postmodern response to the message of Christianity.

Does God exist?  meh!

Was Jesus real or unreal?  meh!

Kiwis tend to think that they’ve tried Christianity and found it wanting.  They’re pretty sure that it’s wrong – just not too clear on the specifics when it comes to why.  But – whatever -  no need to worry about all those Christian claims.

Perhaps it was a historical hoax?  Wasn’t that what the Da Vinci Code said?  I won’t check for myself – there’s sure to be lots of opinions.

Who knows?  Who can know?  meh…

Each age and culture has its idols, but the great danger of ours is to think that you can’t know anything, and so (ironically) you can believe just about anything you like.

Being attacked is not much fun – but there’s always one thing worse – being ignored.  Christians need to get over the worry of being attacked for the claims of Jesus and start worrying when they don’t even register.

Nick