Geering and God: 1965-71 - The Heresy Trial that Divided New Zealand

by Lloyd Geering, Allan Davidson (Foreword)

'Throughout his long life Lloyd Geering has wrestled with ‘God’, the deepest fundamental questions of human identity and making sense of living in this world in relationship with others. His great legacy is in provoking people to think about these questions for themselves, for the wellbeing of society and for the world.' Allan K. Davidson, Foreword The events surrounding the ‘trial’ of Professor Lloyd Geering for ‘heresy’ in the late 1960s were unprecedented in New Zealand history. In the late 1960s Lloyd Geering became a public figure among New Zealanders when he was charged with ‘doctrinal error’ – generally referred to as ‘heresy’ – and ‘disturbing the peace and unity of the [Presbyterian] church’. Led by a group of conservative laymen, the charges were brought before the church’s General Assembly in Christchurch in 1967 but were eventually dismissed. These dramatic events and those that followed through to 1971 are described in Lloyd Geering’s own words in this BWB Text, sourced from his autobiography 'Wrestling With God'. BWB Texts offer a new form of reading for New Zealanders. Commissioned as short digital-only works, BWB Texts unlock diverse stories, insights and analysis from the best of our past, present and future New Zealand writing.

52 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 17, 2013

About the author

Sir Lloyd George Geering ONZ GNZM CBE is a New Zealand theologian who faced charges of heresy in 1967 for his controversial views. He considers Christian and Muslim fundamentalism to be "social evils". Geering is Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. He turned 100 in February 2018.

Reviews

[Cameron Coombe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a long time before my time, this was the first I had read by or about Geering, though his name has come up in conversation now and then. This is a short introduction to the controversy around Geering's theology of the resurrection in the mid-sixties and early seventies, one that didn't see the resurrection as a literal, bodily event, but more as a symbol for the way that Jesus continued to live in the church. Though similar claims had been made before in NZ, Geering points to a time of rising evangelical and even fundamentalist streams in the NZ churches (here, esp. the Presbyterian church), which resulted in a very divided reception of his ideas. This is a succinct, first-hand account of an important part of NZ church history. It has stimulated my interest in reading more by and about Geering. I would only wish that it was indexed, for easy reference to key figures and publications from this period.

[Doug Newdick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lloyd Geering was a "personality" in NZ when I was at university, and I wasn't entirely sure why. I knew he was a famous academic in religious studies but I didn't know anything more than that. This short book (extracted from his autobiography) talks about a significant event in NZ history: his "trial" for heresy by the Presbyterian church in the 1960s.What is interesting about this book is the intellectual honesty of Geering: a committed christian he realises that much of what is traditionally taken to be christian belief is untenable in the 20th century (when he was writing). Maybe this was unremarkable in theological seminaries, but it still seems radical re-presented here. Geering's humanity shines through in this short work as well, and he seems like a decent bloke. If you are interested in theology or NZ history this is well worth a read.

[Elliot Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable recount of events. Geering brings a lightness to the story that makes it a hard book to put down, and the detail he's able to bring is fascinating. I whole-heartedly hope he enjoys the title of heretic, as I consider myself one also and wear that label proudly.