The Saturday issue of Cook Islands News offers a timely capsule of the state of Christianity in the Cook Islands.

Front page and inside feature articles on the 200-year celebration of the arrival of Christianity, all well and good.

Now, turn to page 17 and the advertisement for latest movie, “Fast X” and just below that advertisement for “Jesus is Lord” Apostolic Sunday programme.

Here is a movie that is non-stop extreme violence, murder, torture, and placed ‘above’ the church notice. And is the sad truth that Christianity is, by and large, a failure in a society where such graphic violence is offered openly and without condemnation?

How many oro metua warned their congregations on Sunday to reject such anti-Christian violence?  How many good Christians have so far feasted on the message in this movie?

How much local violence is fuelled by such rubbish?

Are we celebrating 200 years of progress or 200 years of having failed, miserably, to follow the example of Christ?

(Name and address supplied)