O God, we bear the imprint of your face

O God, we bear the imprint of your face. Shirley Erena Murray* (1931–2020).   This hymn was originally entitled ‘A Hymn about Racism’. It was written in 1981, when the New Zealand Anti-Apartheid Movement organized demonstrations against the proposed tour of the South African Rugby Team, New Zealand’s most formidable opponents (which made the protests more important in NZ). Shirley Murray’s husband, John Stewart Murray* (1929–2017), was a leader in these unsuccessful protests, resulting in public denunciation and an order banning him from entering the House of Parliament. Their son, David, was also arrested.   Murray approaches racism by highlighting the importance of Imago Dei (the Image of...