As Easter services get underway across New Zealand this weekend, many Christians are expressing their dismay at the recent use of the Bible for warmongering speeches by the US government.
Thousands of church services are currently being held across the country for Easter, as those of the faith mark the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
One of those services was held at St Peter’s in Christchurch on Wednesday, where associate priest Reverend Peg Riley spoke of Jesus as a "loving" and "humble" leader.
But at the same time, a world away in the US, members of the Trump administration have been using Christian ideals to justify their air strikes in Iran.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth even quoted directly from the Bible during a recent press conference.
"I'll close with Scripture drawing strength from Psalm 144," he said from the podium, before reading a verse aloud.
"Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle."
Hegseth went on to invoke violent war imagery soon afterwards, saying "may the Lord grant unyielding strength and refuge to our warriors, unbreakable protection to them and our homeland, and total victory over those who seek to harm them".
Many other examples have been seen including a prayer meeting held for Donald Trump, where pastors gathered to put their hands on the US President in the Oval Office, and prayed for "grace and protection for our troops".
That kind of messaging has horrified many Christians including Pope Leo XIV, the head of the Catholic Church.
In recent address, given in Latin, he was quoted as saying that God "always rejects violence".
"He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: 'Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood'," he said.
Several New Zealand church leaders and scholars are condemning the Trump administration’s use of scripture to frame military action, calling it a betrayal of Christianity’s message of peace and humility. (Source: 1News)
The use of this kind of biblical messaging has also caught the attention of one of New Zealand’s leading experts in this area, religious historian Peter Lineham, who has taken note of the strong ideology expressed by Hegseth in particular.
He said it reminded him of the Crusades, a series of religious wars fought in the Middle Ages.
"There's the staunchest attitude that God anoints nations to play a role for God in the present day," he said.
"Those sorts of theologies have to be held at the bar of the Bible if you like, placed under scrutiny and seen for what they are - as a deliberate twisting of the Bible’s meaning, in order to produce a result that satisfies his crusading zeal."
The Trump administration has, however, pushed back on that kind of criticism.
When asked about the Pope’s comments, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt argued the US was founded on "Judeo-Christian values".
"I don't think there's anything wrong with our military leaders or with the president calling on the American people to pray for our service members," she said.
"In fact, I think it's a very noble thing to do."
Christchurch priest one of many Kiwi Christians 'appalled'
The thought of the bible being used for war almost brought Reverend Riley to tears on Wednesday night, before a special service she was leading in Christchurch.
She is one of many New Zealand Christians denouncing the Trump administration’s use of the bible.
Asked how Hegseth’s comments made her feel, she became teary-eyed.
"He's taking it out of the context of where it was and when it was," she said.
"That kind of misuse and misinterpretation of biblical scriptures is appalling."
The priest was preparing to run a Tenebrae service, held in total darkness to represent the suffering of Jesus at his crucifixion.
She explained that, to her, the story of Easter was the "opposite of war".
"A man so innocent who never did anything wrong, who's wrongly accused, who's beaten, tortured, made to carry his own torture to the place where he is then nailed to the cross," she said.
"He's humble and he's loving and he's gentle."
Christians believe that Jesus was crucified to atone for the sins of the world, with forgiveness available to all.
As the Tenebrae service continued on Wednesday, worshippers could be seen sitting together in the light of seven candles, which were progressively blown out.
The darkness is meant to be symbolic, representing the world without God.
A good example of that darkness, Reverend Riley argued, was the way the Trump administration had used the bible.
"That is very much the darkness in the world, that manipulates people's faith and their understanding of God to make it sound like God is behind war and hatred and division," she said.
That was echoed by the prayer pastor of Urban Oasis C3 Church, Philippa Becker, who has put on an exhibition to tell the story of Easter.
Standing in front of a painting of Jesus suffering on the cross, she said this week was about "absolutely indescribable love".
She was moved to tears more than once, talking about what Jesus had endured.
Far from the conflict, Christians here are pushing on – and doing what they can to change the Trump administration's narrative.
Reverend Riley said she was starting small, by showing love to her "neighbours".
"I can't go and change the minds of leaders in the world, but I could protest," she said.
"I can be kind and loving to others around me."
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