Long long time ago, Maori people and only Maori people lived in New Zealand. They lived in iwis (Tribes) and hapus (Clans) all over New Zealand. The Maori were like most people since the beginning of civilisation with a government, settlements, distribution of labour and their own culture except they were pretty isolated from the rest of the world.
Then the Europeans came in. There were whalers and sealers, colonisers trying to buy and sell land and, of course, the missionaries. New Zealand Historians tend to look at the missionaries as a misguided bunch with good intentions. After all, they established schools and tried to befriend the Maori.
Along with the Europeans, a lot of new things were introduced. For instance, the potato, which was a lot easier to grow than the kumara. And then muskets. Muskets could do a lot more damage than traditional Maori weapons.
This started an Arms Race. Maori tribes were now accumulating muskets. The strongest iwi was the one with most muskets. And thus began the Musket Wars. Maori iwi would go against each other and many were killed. They were exploited by some Europeans who gave them muskets and gunpowder in exchange for land. The missionaries refused to sell guns or powder which strained their relationship with Maori. Some missionaries were forced under the threat of death to repair damaged muskets. The cycle of violence was terrible. In the end there were around 20,000 deaths attributed to the Musket wars. Loved ones were lost for nothing. So much violence was seen. Maori and Europeans alike were scarred and psychologically damaged. Imagine the feelings of hurt, anger, betrayal.
And it was this hollowness that led to the Maori seeking Christ. Maybe they saw that strife and violence came as a result of sin and wanted a solution to it. Maybe they wanted to believe in a sovereign God who works out evil for good. Maybe they were moved by the missionaries who tried to mediate between the iwis and bring peace during the wars. At any rate, many were converted and baptised.
Now this isn't a post about the Musket Wars, or history, really. This is about my church. We heading towards a church split. It's frustrating to have people refuse to accept their wrongs. It's painful to look across the room and see someone who love and know that there is hostility between you. It's painful to know that someone you've looked up to has grave flaws and imperfections. There are so many who are feeling hurt, angry and betrayed . I'm hoping that the hurt feelings lead people to cling to God and that even in all this ugliness, God will work it out for His good.
Pictures from the Te Ara website which is a great source if you want to know about New Zealand history.
