A Question of Faith - Print.

A Question of Faith
A History of the New Zealand Christian Pacifist Society

By David Grant

A compelling and richly illustrated chronicle of unwavering Christian pacifism in New Zealand – from the Society’s founding to its enduring legacy of conscience, courage, and community.

This book will help you:

• Gain in-depth insight into New Zealand’s most assertive Christian pacifist movement in the mid-20th century.
• Understand the ethical convictions and spiritual courage of activists who opposed war at all costs.
• Appreciate the Society's evolution from resistance and imprisonment to informational outreach and peace advocacy.
• Connect with the biographies and stories of remarkable figures like Ormond Burton, A.C. Barrington, and Basil Dowling.
• Explore the Society’s relationships with broader peace movements and conscientious objectors throughout NZ history.
• Engage visually with history through 30 striking, previously unpublished photographs.
• Use the book as a valuable resource for religious historians, peace scholars, and faith-based educators.

Features

• Concise 120-page recounting, enriched with archival photographs (many published for the first time)
• A map and a wealth of historical detail that brings the Society’s grassroots activism to life
• Highlights of pivotal moments, including street protests, arrests, conscientious objections, and community formation
• Charts the group’s post-war shift into information dissemination, magazine publishing, and support of other peace organizations
• Landscape format (A4), combining narrative clarity with visual appeal

120pp, 297 x 210mm (A4) landscape
Text includes many b/w photos.
Soft cover
Philip Garside Publishing Ltd (Print 2004, eBooks 2013)

[6 in stock 6 September 2025
We will not be reprinting this book]

Click for eBooks

Description

A Question of Faith offers a fascinating window into New Zealand's Christian Pacifist Society, a group unwaveringly committed to opposing all war – guided by their absolute interpretation of Jesus’s teachings.

Founded in March 1936 by Methodist minister Ormond Burton and A.C. Barrington, the Society catalyzed one of the country’s strongest Christian peace movements before and during World War II.

Through meticulous research and personal interviews conducted from the 1980s onward, David Grant brings to life the stories of ordinary individuals propelled by extraordinary conviction.

He captures iconic moments – like Presbyterian minister and poet Basil Dowling delivering public denunciations of war from Wellington’s Pigeon Park drinking fountain (2 June 1941), knowing he risked arrest – all encapsulated by his poignant reflection: “simply a question of faith.”

Grant also situates the Society within a broader peace movement context, tracing its relationship with other organizations, including earlier World War I pacifist groups.

After the war, the Society transitioned toward information-sharing, magazine production, and supporting other peace efforts rather than public protest.

Enhanced by 30 evocative photographs from Grant’s collection, this history blends narrative power with poignant visuals.

Written for both general and scholarly audiences, the book honors a legacy of faith-led activism and offers inspiration to all seeking to understand or engage with principled peace-making.

About the Author

David Grant is a distinguished New Zealand historian and author. He has penned twelve books on New Zealand’s history, with a thirteenth – a biography of Prime Minister Norman Kirk – due in 2014. He is also the author of Out in the Cold: Pacifists and Conscientious Objectors in New Zealand During World War Two (1986) and Field Punishment No 1: Archibald Baxter, Mark Briggs and New Zealand's Anti‑Militarist Tradition (2008)  –  firmly establishing him as a leading chronicler of pacifism in New Zealand.

Contents (Summary)

• Introduction and Historical Context of Christian Pacifism in NZ
• Founding of the Society (1936): Burton and Barrington’s Vision
• Activism During WWII: Street Protests, Objectors, Arrests, and the Riverside Community
• Profiles of Key Individuals (e.g., Basil Dowling)
• Networked Peace Movements: Partnerships with other NZ peace organizations
• Post-War Evolution: From Activism to Advocacy and Magazine Outreach
• Archival Photographs and Map Illustrations
• Bibliography and Acknowledgements