Lloyd Geering

Lloyd George Geering ONZ, PCNZM, CBE is a New Zealand theologian born in Rangiora, Canterbury, New Zealand, on February 26, 1918. He is Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.

Geering 'came in to the Christian tradition' in 1937.

He holds a D.D. from the University of Otago, a Masters Degree in Mathematics and was a minister in the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand and turned to theological teaching in 1956.

Geering is a controversial commentator on theological issues and considers Christian and Muslim fundamentalism to be social evils.

In 1967 Professor Geering gained a high profile when in 1967 he was charged with "doctrinal error and disturbing the peace and unity of the (Presbyterian) church". He was acquitted on both counts by the 1967 General Assembly of the PCANZ. The charges were brought by a group of conservative laymen and a conservative minister. During his "trial" he claimed that the remains of Jesus lay somewhere in Palestine, and that the resurrection had been wrongfully interpreted by churches as a resuscitation of the body of Jesus. He also rejects the notion that God is a supernatural being who created and continues to look over the world. ["The Last Western Heretic", produced in 2007 in New Zealand and Israel, aired on TV ONE, 12 January 2008 [http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0711/S00002.htm (Press release)] ]

He is a member of the Jesus Seminar and a participant in the program Living the Questions, an alternative to the Evangelical Alpha course; he is also a member of the Sea of Faith Network (New Zealand).

He was honored in 1988 as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire and in 2001 as Principal Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. In the 2007 New Year Honours List he was made a Member of the Order of New Zealand.

Geering is a patron of the Coalition for Open Government

Bibliography

* "Wrestling with God" (2006) ISBN 1-877242-36-5
* "The Greening of Christianity" (2005) ISBN 0-9583645-9-1
* "Christianity without God" (2002). Polebridge Press, ISBN 0-944344-92-5
* "Christian Faith at the Crossroads" (revised 2001). Polebridge Press, ISBN 0-944344-83-6
* "The World to Come: From Christian Past to Global Future" (1999). Polebridge Press, ISBN 0-944344-76-3
* "Tomorrow's God: How We Create our Worlds" (1996). Polebridge Press reprint 2000, ISBN 0-944344-81-X
* "In the World Today" (1988)
* "The World of Relation: An Introduction to Martin Buber's I and Thou" (1983)
* "Faith's New Age: A Perspective on Contemporary Religious Change" (1980)
* "Resurrection - A Symbol of Hope" (1971)
* "God in the New World" (1968)

ee also

*Heresy in the 20th century

Notes

External links

* [http://www.livingthequestions.com/contributors/index.php Introduction to contributors, including Lloyd Geering, at livingthequestions.com]
* [http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=41LNYusKhfs&feature=PlayList&p=BA1273B1BAB3B174&index=0&playnext=1 A documentary on Lloyd Geering: The Last Western Heretic]

Persondata
NAME=Geering, Lloyd George
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Theologian
DATE OF BIRTH=1918
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=
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