Media Release
21 September, 2005
For Immediate Release
The New Believers: the Good and Bad News
Today's new believers are re-imagining God to embrace the self-help movement, the Westernisation of Buddhism and
environmentalism.
As part of the programme of the St Andrew's Trust for the Study of Religion and Society, best selling author and
broadcaster Dr Rachel Kohn will explore the background and the significance of the New Believers on Tuesday 27 September
at 6pm.
And while a mushrooming of new believers is exciting for some, the news is not all good. As religious extremism targets
the West, Dr Kohn asks if we can afford to ignore potentially dangerous directions arising from some individuals' search
for meaning.
"Religion has always been tested and always found wanting, which is why it has never stood still, but has been a hotbed
of controversy, innovation and striving" says Dr Kohn.
Dr Kohn's insights draw from a wide range of sources, traditional and unusual. She takes her audience on a journey into
Judaism, Christianity, western Buddhism, popular culture, ecological theology, Wicca and paganism, cults and spiritual
psychology as she explores the contemporary trends reshaping religion and spirituality.
Born in Canada, Kohn holds a PhD in Religious Studies and was awarded the prestigious Leverhulme Postdoctoral
Fellowship, which she took up at the University of Lancaster, England.
Dr Kohn now lives in Australia where she produces and presents two programmes, "The Spirit of Things" and "The Ark", for
ABC Radio National.
St Andrew's Trust for the Study of Religion and Society
The New Believers: Re-Imagining God Tuesday 27 September, 6pm
St Andrew's on The Terrace, 30 The Terrace, Wellington