Religious outlook

The numerical decline in church membership is real (‘‘The God dilemma’’, December 31). The Catholic Bishop of Auckland, Patrick Dunn, recently described the phenomenon of declining church attendance as ‘‘Kiwi drift’’.

However, one possible explanation which is seldom referenced is that Kiwis are leaving the church but not the faith.

Paradoxically, while there is a shift of the cultural conscience of the West away from their Christian roots, Christianity is growing in the southern hemisphere – Africa, South America and Asia. Effectively, what is previously known as the Christendom has been decentred into a new momentum in the south.

On a closer look, declining church membership and influence is self-inflicted. If the 300-odd online commenters on this article are correct, there are issues and concerns which the church hierarchy need to address urgently to have any hope of arresting, let alone reversing, the decline.

Is the Reformation over? Certainly not!

David Pang, Auckland