Tui Motu Interislands
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Tui Motu InterIslands April 1999 Price $4 all you fountains and springs bless the Lord TuiTui MotuMotu InterIslandsInterIslands 11 editorial Pandora’s Box Contents wo themes of nature come strongly farmer next door or, more ominously, 2-3 ...editorials Tthrough this Easter issue of Tui into the wild. And what about the bio- John Roberts Motu. One is the autumnal sequence of diversity of species which depend for 4 ...Vatican news dying as a presage of new life. Nature their food on the variety of plant species 5-7 ...A world under threat: the seems to be signing off – but with a decimated by those chemical sprays? mes- s a g e o f M i r i a m golden splendour which already carries MacGillis OP the promise of burgeoning life soon • Another development is so-called 8-9 ...A new dawn in E Timor to return. The other theme is water. ‘terminator’ technology, enabling seed 10-11 ...A beautiful dying Easter is the time when we celebrate companies to sell a product which ger- Mike Riddell ritually the moment of our rebirth as minates once only, so that the growers 12-13 ...Abundant giving: a prayer Christians. Water is a sign of abundant are forced to go back to the seed com- Joy Cowley life and abundant grace, flowing from panies each year. Good for the profits of 14-15 ...So what did happen on an abundantly loving God. This theme the companies and their share-holders. Easter morning? has special meaning when the rains Not so good for the growers. John Dunn do not come. The sudden breaking of • Most dangerous of all is what one easter magazine drought with the first autumn rains might call the Thalidomide factor. The 16-19 ...The waters of Rome has an almost magical greening effect: new bio-technology enables the research Judith Graham we are reminded how much our lives biochemist to tamper with the genetic 20-23 ...God and garlic soup depend on the basic elements and their code itself. Agriculturalists for thou- Nick Thompson regular supply. 24 ...It’s another story now sands of years have experimented with Jenny Collins It is the last Easter of the Second Millen- selctive breeding of animals and crops 25-26 ...In the light of the resurrection nium. While many people are already to produce the amazing variety of pro- Mary Betz preparing for a New Year’s Eve party ductive species now available. But their 27 ...Intruders in the home – the box methods were simply an accelerated ‘se- Paul Andrews SJ to end all parties, there is also an omi- lection’ process, mimicking what nature 28-29 ...Book reviews nous sense of looming crises. While the Kathleen Doherty, Y2K bug is a worry, it pales into insig- has been doing quite successfully for Jim Consedine, John Stone nificance beside the issue of Genetically millions of years. The new technology, 30 ...Crosscurrents Modified food. The complexities of this however, interferes with the integrity 31-32 ...Postscripts are beyond most of us; but there are at of the gene pool itself, with little heed Selwyn Dawson, John Honoré least three points raising serious ethical of possibly disastrous consequences to questions: the world’s ecosystem. Have we so soon Cover Photo:Terry Coles forgotten Thalidomide – or Mad Cow • It is possible now to take a gene for disease? When one pauses to contem- Independent Catholic Magazine Ltd resistance to a particular herbicide and plate the infinitely delicate biochemical P O Box 6404, Dunedin North introduce it into a food crop. When the balance which enables life processes to Phone: 03 477 1449 crop is sprayed with weed-killer, all the work, then the new technology is like Editor: Michael Hill, IC weeds are killed but the crop remains using a sledgehammer to tune a Concert Assistant Editor: Frances Skelton unaffected. Better yields, cheaper food, Grand Piano! Illustrator: Don Moorhead and higher profits for agrobusiness. Directors: Why not? Unfortunately things are not Sr Miriam MacGillis (see pages 5-7) Tom Cloher that simple, because the pollen of the calls upon New Zealand to declare Annie Gray genetically modified species can spread itself a Genetically Modified Free Elizabeth Mackie, OP anywhere – into the crops of the organic zone, showing again the sort of moral Margaret May ss Judith McGinley, OP Tui Motu welcomes discussion of spiritual, theological and social issues, Ann Neven, RSJ in the light of gospel values and in the interest of a more peaceful and just Paul Rankin, OP society. Divergence of opinion is expected and will normally be published, Patricia Stevenson, RSJ although that does not necessarily imply editorial commitment to the view- Printed by John McIndoe Ltd point expressed. 2 Tui Motu InterIslands A ‘Commotion Event’ t has become fashionable to knock the churches, either as him out of history by putting Idinosaurs headed for extinction or as just plain irrelevant. him to death. Newspaper journalists reminded me of this when I was seeking to get some information about the recent Harare Assembly of aster reminds us that his the World Council of Churches into the Wellington dailies. Ecause triumphs and is as I was told by one that his paper was not interested in the relevant and as challenging as churches unless there was some controversy or sensation afoot. ever. Celebrating Jesus’ resurr- ection must be about cele- Fortunately not everyone sees it that way. South African brating the victory of his cause. President Nelson Mandela cancelled engagements to attend It is one that will not go away, a session of the WCC assembly. He acknowledged the role of that still holds promise of the the churches in educating black youth of his generation and fullness of life with a challenge the forthrightness of the WCC in standing in solidarity with to all the forces of ‘death’ at work in our world today. the black liberation movements of Southern Africa, through grants from its Programme to Combat Racism fund. Following the Easter event the movement associated with Jesus’s cause became known as the Way. It had a loose, He also requested the churches to identify with the struggle fluid and relatively unstructured existence. When it was for democracy and human rights in Africa and to assist in institutionalised and became church, the maintenance of the confronting the issues of growth and development on the institution rather than the furtherance of the cause became continent. Mandela saw the churches as vital and relevant in the focus of attention and absorbed people’s energy. their identification with the cause of justice and well-being for the people of Africa. His plea was warm and personal: At the WCC Assembly Japanese theologian Kosuke Koyama “But for the churches,” he said, “I would not be standing reminded us of the significance of the cause. He spoke of the before you here today”. compassionate God who seeks to turn the world upside down by running from the centre to the periphery. Jesus modelled Yet much of institutional Christianity may have had its this in his ministry by spending most of his time with those day. While there are many who would cling to the creeds, at the periphery, and challenging those at the centre who orthodoxy and forms of the past, there are also many seeking held the power. The gospel, Koyama said, is the commotion a more relevant understanding of their faith. Frustrated by the event ushered in by Jesus Christ. The invitation to be part of churches’ reluctance to change, they have left the institution the Jesus commotion, to be at the periphery, challenging the in significant numbers. Some have joined a host of alternative centre and seeking to turn things upside down, comes once groups where there is greater freedom and safety to explore again to us this Easter. matters of theology, spirituality and values. Because it is fashionable to dismiss the significance of the We need to remember that Jesus never set out to establish a churches, its members may be forgiven for thinking they are church. Rather, he was passionately devoted to a cause (reign of little significance. But Easter – with its reminder that the or kingdom of God). In his lifetime it gave rise to just a small Jesus cause cannot be written off – is a powerful reminder movement of committed people which he never sought to that when we identify with that cause we are doing something institutionalise. Because his cause challenged the ecclesiastical significant. The institutional forms of the churches may be and political power holders of the day, they attempted to write increasingly irrelevant, but the Jesus cause is as valid as ever. ss John Roberts leadership that was demonstrated in the and enables this generation, for the first Rev John Roberts is a Wellington campaign against Nuclear weaponry. time, to see ourselves in proper context. Minister working in the enabling Unfortunately, under our present To become educated and enlightened ministry team at Ta Taha Maori leadership any such decisions will be to a new world-view, to see Creation Methodist Church. follow strict economic and political as one wonderful masterpiece of an He attended the WCC Assembly expediency, not ethics. Will it interfere Ever-loving Creator: that is the first and in Harare last November. His with profits – will it garner more votes? necessary step towards a humbler and a account of the Assembly was But Sr Miriam also offers us an Easter saner evaluation of our world, preserv- printed in the March issue of hope. Science itself opens our minds ing the earth uncontaminated for future Tui Motu.