George Armstrong’s Rebirth as Priestly Activist: Public Liturgy in the Vietnam War Era

Rev Dr George Armstrong was one of the Anglican Church’s most controversial and public pākehā activists in late twentieth century New Zealand. Being at the forefront of demonstrations against nuclear warships, the apartheid era Springbok Rugby Tour, and racism against Māori, Armstrong redefined his priestly role and the place of liturgy through his resistance efforts. Building on archival research and oral histories, this paper will explore the transformation of George Armstrong from parish priest to priestly activist during the Vietnam War era. Particular attention will be given to the resources and networks, both domestically and internationally, that gave rise to Armstrong’s political theology. Included here was his exposure to early liberation theology while at Princeton Seminary, anti-racism training with the American National Council of Churches, and non-violent resistance with North American Quakers. What is distinctive about Armstrong’s often eclectic theology is his ability to contextualise and adapt North American influences for his South Pacific, settler-colonial home country. This paper will show how this was expressed in the forms of public liturgy employed by Armstrong, and especially how he drew on alliances with Māori Anglicans. Finally, this paper will consider ‘priestly activism’ as a calling today and what this might imply for the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Polynesia.