Series: Fundamentalist Exchange

I was in 9th grade in Canada when Columbine occurred, and alongside that tragedy came a burst of energy in Christian youth culture that arrived to save us poor sinners and goths. It also meant an uptick in documentaries that examined this modern iteration of the youth counter-counter culture (leaving us to perpetually wonder what the kids of Jesus Camp are doing). I missed out on youth group hijinx, as the lure of Christian rock and rounds of chubby bunny was not that strong, and I was that sort of teenage atheist jerk that even my most devoted Sally Anne friends knew I was a lost cause.

If you listened to the February 8th episode of the Yeah…Nah Podcast, then this profile should not come as a surprise.

Geoff Botkin is a man with many titles, labels, and accolades you could attach to his name. With a significant portion of his career lost to the pre- and early-internet times, his various biographies have, strangely enough, become more vague and even benign with time compared to the increasingly conservative and right-wing projects he either develops or becomes involved in.

Due to circumstances outside of my control, the edition of the newsletter in which Part 1 was published had to be removed from MailChimp - there were issues with a different article in that edition. If you were unable to read/access Part 1, send us an email (at newsletter@skeptics.nz) and we'll either send you a copy or find an alternative format to share it.

Finally, we've reached the end of this series profiling major evangelical and fundamentalist Christians and their connection to New Zealand, whether they are home grown (like Nancy Campbell) or viewed New Zealand as an ideal place to extend their reach (like Gothard and Botkin). While I still stand by my claim that Nancy Campbell is one of, if not the most, influential New Zealand writer, Ray Comfort is without a doubt the most influential Kiwi connected Christian. Ever.

Ray Comfort's life seems quite blessed. His office in Regent Street survived a fire; footage confiscated from Comfort was not only returned but the police were happy to participate in a dramatic reshoot; and a job in America came the very same day he was fired from his pastoring job.