Early life and family
Geering was born in Rangiora on 26 February 1918, the son of Alice ( Johnston) and George Frederick Thomas Geering. He was brought up inI was a pacifist anyway by this stage. I took my Christian convictions so seriously that I couldn’t reconcile them with being a soldier.On 22 May 1943, Geering married Nancy Marie McKenzie at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Timaru. The couple had two children before Nancy Geering died from tuberculosis in Dunedin on 4 October 1949. On 20 November 1951, Geering married Elaine Morrison Parker, a speech therapist, and they went on to have one child. Elaine Geering died in 2001. Geering married Shirley Evelyn Adams in 2004. She died at the age of 95 in 2021.
Career
Geering was ordained as a minister of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand in 1943 and practised as a minister in Kurow; Opoho, Dunedin (1945–1950); and St James, Wellington (1950–1956) before turning to theological teaching. He was the honorary associate minister of St John's Church in Wellington from 1971 to 1983. He was named honorary assistant at St Andrew's in Wellington in 1989. Geering remains on the register (Fasti) of New Zealand Presbyterian ministers. Geering has held the positions of professor of Old Testament studies at Presbyterian Church Hall, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (1956–1960), professor of Old Testament studies at Theological Hall, Dunedin (1960–1963), and principal of Theological Hall, Dunedin (1963–1971). In 1971, Geering became the foundation professor of religious studies at Victoria University of Wellington and held this position until his retirement in 1984 when he was appointed professor emeritus. In 1983, he became a lecturer at the St Andrew's Trust for the Study of Religion and Society. Geering is a member of the Jesus Seminar and a participant in the Living the Questions programme, an alternative to the evangelical Alpha course, which he calls “dangerous indoctrination” growing among mainstream churches. He is also a member of the Sea of Faith Network (New Zealand), and St Andrew's On The Terrace, as well as principal lecturer at St Andrew's Trust for the Study of Religion and Society.Heresy charges
In 1967, Geering gained a high-profile when he was charged with "doctrinal error" and "disturbing the peace and unity of the (Presbyterian) church". The case was brought before the 1967 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand, and dismissed without being much discussed. The charges were brought by a group of conservative laymen and a conservative minister. During his church trial, he claimed that the remains of Jesus lay somewhere in Palestine and that the resurrection had been wrongfully interpreted by churches as a resuscitation of the body of Jesus. He also rejects the belief held by all monotheistic faiths that God is a supernatural being who created and continues to look over the world.Later life
Geering's second wife, Elaine, died in Cromwell on 19 August 2001. In 2004, Geering married Shirley Evelyn White (née Adams). On 26 February 2018, Geering celebrated his 100th birthday, emulating his father who also reached 100 years of age. Shirley, Lady Geering, died in Petone on 1 October 2021. In 2021, Geering joined the group Intergenerational Climate Ambassadors, established in 2020 by scientist Jim Salinger and Sophie Handford, a Kāpiti Coast district councillor. At the time, Geering said:"Fundamentalist Christianity would regard things to be in the hands of a God who controls. That idea of God has just vanished really. We now know that we are in the hands of natural forces in the world, and because of what humans have done to the earth, they have produced a situation where the temperature's going up all the time – and it will reach a limit which we can't survive."
Honours and awards
In 1976, Geering was conferred an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree by the University of Otago. In the 1988 New Year Honours, Geering was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and in the 2001 New Year Honours he was made a Principal Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to religious studies. In the 2007 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Member of the Order of New Zealand. InSelected publications
* ''Portholes to the Past: Reflections on the Early 20th Century'' (2016). Wellington, NZ: Steele Roberts Aotearoa, * ''On Me Bike: Cycling Round New Zealand 80 Years Ago'' (2015). Wellington, NZ: Steele Roberts Aotearoa, * ''Reimagining God: The Faith Journey of a Modern Heretic'' (2014). Salem, Oregan: Polebridge Press, * ''From the Big Bang to God: Our Awe-Inspiring Journey of Evolution'' (2013). Wellington, NZ: Steele Roberts Aotearoa, Salem, Oregan: Polebridge Press, . Ebook * ''Such Is Life!: A Close Encounter With Ecclesiastes'' (2010). Wellington, NZ: Steele Roberts Aotearoa, * ''Coming Back to Earth: From Gods to God to Gaia'' (2009). Salem, Oregan: Polebridge Press, * ''In Praise of the Secular'' (2007). St Andrews, * ''Is Christianity Going Anywhere?'' (2004). St Andrews, * ''Wrestling with God: The Story of My Life'' (2006). * ''The Greening of Christianity'' (2005) * ''Christianity Without God'' (2002). Salem, Oregan: Polebridge Press, * ''Christian Faith at the Crossroads'' (revised 2001). Salem, Oregan: Polebridge Press, * ''The World to Come: From Christian Past to Global Future'' (1999). Salem, Oregan: Polebridge Press, * ''Tomorrow's God: How We Create our Worlds'' (1996). Salem, Oregan: Polebridge Press reprint 2000, * ''In the World Today'' (1988) * ''The World of Relation: An Introduction to Martin Buber's I and Thou'' (1983) * ''Faith's New Age: A Perspective on Contemporary Religious Change'' (1980) * ''Resurrection – A Symbol of Hope'' (1971) * ''God in the New World'' (1968)Notes
References
* * * * * * * * * Veitch, James (1990) ''Faith in an age of turmoil: essays in honour of Lloyd Geering'', Oriental University Press, *External links