St Luke's in Remuera has put up an Easter-themed cartoon which aims to show how Trump's views contradict the messages of Jesus Christ.

St Luke's minister Glynn Cardy said Christ would have been considered a "loser" by the Trumps of his day.

"To the Trumps of his day, and to those who see winners as having money and power, the Jesus of the Bible was a loser who associated with those rejected by society. And he died broke," Cardy said.

"Jesus had an alternative vision of reality, however.

"He was a person who sided with minorities and those who were most vulnerable, and it was this that got him killed."

Trump's comments about Muslims, Mexicans and women were offensive to Christianity, Cardy said.

"For those of us at St Luke's, the cross is about politics. Jesus was killed - violently, publicly and shamefully - because he spoke truth to power and confronted the leaders of his day about their treatment of the outcasts."

Watch interview with Glyn Cardy.

Listen to interview on RNZ

In a freewheeling conversation with reporters on his flight back from his recent visit to Mexico, Pope Francis was asked about Trump and some of his statements, such as vowing to build a wall between the United States and Mexico if he becomes president.

The Pope said, "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian."

Francis said in answer to a specific question about Trump's views, "This is not in the gospel."

Asked if American Catholics should vote for someone with Trump's views, Francis said:

"I am not going to get involved in that. I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that. We must see if he said things in that way and in this I give the benefit of the doubt."

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• Image: stuff.co.nz

The 2011 census makes clear that Christian affiliation is diminishing, falling 7 per cent over the past decade to 61 per cent. The slack has been picked up by the "nones", those claiming "no religion", with almost 5 million of us, or 22.3 per cent, turning our backs on God (or, at least, on God's registered brands). That's up 7 per cent since 2001.

At the same time, we're getting older. The median age rose in the last decade from 35 to 37. That might not sound like much but it indicates a significant increase in the number of elderly people in our community. HammondCare, a leader in aged-care and dementia services, notes that by 2050, one in 20 Australians will be 85 or older. Coupled with this is an expected increase in the number of us with dementia, from 269,000 to a million. Read more

Sources

• John Dickson in The Sydney Morning Herald
• Image: Step Out

Dr John Dickson is an author and historian and the founding director of the Centre for Public Christianity.

In a speech to mark the 400th birthday of the King James Bible, Cameron declared Britain 'a Christian country' and said politicians and church leaders should not be afraid to say so.

The "passive intolerance" of immoral behaviour and the failure to stand up and defend the values in the Bible helped spark the riots and fueled terrorism, Cameron said.

"Whether you look at the riots last summer, the financial crash and the expenses scandal or the on-going terrorist threat from Islamist extremists around the world, one thing is clear - moral neutrality or passive tolerance just isn't going to cut it any more."

Addressing Church of England members at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, he added: "Put simply, for too long we have been unwilling to distinguish right from wrong.

‘Live and let live' has too often become ‘do what you please'."

Cameron admitted his own faith was racked by doubts. "I'm no religious authority whatsoever," he said.

"I am a committed Church of England Christian who'll stand up for the values and principles of my faith but who is full of doubts and, like many, constantly grappling with difficult questions."

Cameron listed the Christian values that British society treasures as "responsibility, hard work, charity, compassion, humility, self-sacrifice, love, pride in working for the common good and honouring the social obligations we have to one another, to our families and our communities".

"Yes, they are Christian values but they are also values to people of every faith and none."

The Mail reports the speech was a bold Christmas gamble. It was something Tony Blair wanted to do but was talked out of by his spin doctor, Alastar Campbell, who famously told him "We don't' do God."

Editor of The Tablet, Catherine Pepinster disagrees with Cameron, saying Britain is a long way from being truly Christian.

Christianity is "demanding, turns the world's values upside down."

"What Christianity is really about is putting the least first," Pepinster said.

"In a world riven with inequality, the belief that we are all equal before God requires that we speak up against to inequalities."

President of the National Secular Society, Terry Sanderson said, ""Mr Cameron's promotion of faith for other people when his own is so wishy-washy is typical of a politician who thinks religion is a useful means of social control."

Sources

• BBC
• The Mail
• The Express
• Image: Politics Home