Geering and God: 1965–71

Throughout his long life Lloyd Geering has wrestled with ‘God’, the deepest fundamental questions of human identity and making sense of living in this world in relationship with others. His great legacy is in provoking people to think about these questions for themselves, for the wellbeing of society and for the world. Allan K. Davidson, Foreword The events surrounding the ‘trial’ of Professor Lloyd Geering for ‘heresy’ in the late 1960s were unprecedented in New Zealand history. In the late 1960s Lloyd Geering became a public figure among New Zealanders when he was charged with ‘doctrinal error’ – generally referred to as ‘heresy’ – and ‘disturbing the peace and unity of the [Presbyterian] church’. Led by a group of conservative laymen, the charges were brought before the church’s General Assembly in Christchurch in 1967 but were eventually dismissed. These dramatic events and those that followed through to 1971 are described in Lloyd Geering’s own words in this BWB Text, sourced from his autobiography Wrestling With God.