This book examines encounters between the Christian church and Maori. Christian faith among Maori changed from Maori receiving the missionary endeavours of Pakeha settlers, to the development of indigenous expressions of Christian faith, partnerships between Maori and Pakeha in the mainline churches, and the emergence of Destiny Church. The book looks at the growth, development and adaptation of Christian faith among Maori people and considers how that development has helped shape New Zealand identity and society. It explores questions of theology, historical development, socio-cultural influence and change, and the outcomes of Pakeha interactions with Maori.

"This book examines encounters between the Christian church and Māori. Christian faith among Māori changed from the missionary endeavours of Pākehā settlers, to the development of indigenous expressions of Christian faith, to partnerships between Māori and Pākehā in the mainline churches, and the emergence of Destiny Church. The book looks at the growth, development and adaptation of Christian faith among Māori people, and considers how that development has helped shape New Zealand identity and society. It explores questions of theology, historical development, socio-cultural influence and change, and the outcomes of Pākehā interactions with Māori."--Publisher information.

In the period from 1820 to 1920, more than 60 prophets arose in New Zealand leading distinctive movements in response to the message brought by Christian missionaries. Although many served as vehicles for social protest, these movements were primarily attempts to affirm spiritual and racial identity in the face of rapid cultural change.Mana From Heaven records the evolution of Maori spirituality from early contact, particularly considering the influence of the translated scriptures, and showing how and why the movements differed in distinct periods.Regarded as the definitive work in its field, the book analyses the principal influences in Maori religious movements during the first century of European settlement and gives vivid portrayals of the dozens of individuals who shaped the responses to the new beliefs. 'A fascinating publication recording a kaleidoscope of Maori responses to the missionary' - Otago Daily Times'An important book by a remarkable woman' - Dominion Sunday-Times'Its comprehensiveness is unlikely to be surpassed' - New Zealand Journal of History

In The Spirit, Indigenous Peoples and Social Change Michael Frost explores a pentecostal theology of social engagement in relation to Māori in New Zealand, with implications for pentecostalism and indigenous peoples in the West.

The seminal work on the interaction of New Zealand's indigenous population with the Old Testament message brought by missionaries in the 19th century

‘Mana’, a term denoting spiritual power, is found in many Pacific Islands languages. In recent decades, the term has been taken up in New Age movements and online fantasy gaming. In this book, 16 contributors examine mana through ethnographic, linguistic, and historical lenses to understand its transformations in past and present. The authors consider a range of contexts including Indigenous sovereignty movements, Christian missions and Bible translations, the commodification of cultural heritage, and the dynamics of diaspora. Their investigations move across diverse island groups—Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Hawai‘i, and French Polynesia—and into Australia, North America and even cyberspace. A key insight that the volume develops is that mana can be analysed most productively by paying close attention to its ethical and aesthetic dimensions. Since the late nineteenth century, mana has been an object of intense scholarly interest. Writers in many fields including anthropology, linguistics, history, religion, philosophy, and missiology have long debated how the term should best be understood. The authors in this volume review mana’s complex intellectual history but also describe the remarkable transformations going on in the present day as scholars, activists, church leaders, artists, and entrepreneurs take up mana in new ways.