{{Short description|New Zealand Anglican bishop}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}} {{Infobox Christian leader | type = Bishop | honorific-prefix = The Right Reverend | name = John Bluck | honorific-suffix = | title = Bishop Emeritus of Waiapu | image = John Bluck.jpg | caption = John William Bluck | archdiocese = | diocese = Anglican Diocese of Waiapu | see = | term = 2002–2008 | predecessor = Murray Mills | successor = David Rice | other_post = Dean of ChristChurch Cathedral (1990–2002) <!---------- Orders ----------> | ordination = 1971 (as priest) <br /> 17 August 2002 (as bishop) | ordained_by = Bishop Paul Reeves | consecration = | consecrated_by = | cardinal = | rank = <!---------- Personal details ----------> | birth_name = John William Bluck | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1943|07|22|df=yes}} | birth_place = Napier, New Zealand | death_date = | death_place = | buried = | nationality = New Zealander | religion = Anglican | residence = | parents = | spouse = | children = | motto = | occupation = Anglican bishop | profession = Cleric, author | alma_mater = University of Canterbury | signature = }} '''John William Bluck''' (born 22 July 1943) is a New Zealand author and an Anglican clergyman who served as the 14th Anglican Bishop of Waiapu from 2002 until 2008.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tekauri.com/synod/view.asp?doc=11|title=Anglican Diocese of Waiapu|access-date=12 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215215137/https://www.tekauri.com/synod/view.asp?doc=11|archive-date=15 December 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> From 1990 to 2002 he was the eleventh Dean of ChristChurch Cathedral; until he was ordained to the episcopate on 17 August 2002.<ref name="lec19">[http://anglican.org.nz/content/download/50400/254201/file/2019%20Lectionary%20.pdf ACANZP Lectionary, 2019] (p. 146)</ref>
== Early life and education == Bluck was born in Napier in 1943, the eldest son of Edgar and Alice Bluck.<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.anglicantaonga.org.nz/Features/John-Bluck |title=Anglican Taonga |url-status=dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100924220406/http://anglicantaonga.org.nz/Features/John-Bluck |archive-date=24 September 2010 |access-date=12 January 2010}}</ref> Bluck spent his childhood in Nūhaka. He is a maternal nephew of two other New Zealand Anglican Bishops, Edward Norman and Peter Mann, bishops of Wellington and Dunedin, respectively. He boarded at Napier Boys’ High School, and at the age of 18 studied English literature and theology at the University of Canterbury. Bluck was offered a place at the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, Massachusetts but finished most of his studies at Harvard Divinity School. While studying in the United States, Bluck was a reporter for ''The Pilot'', Boston's Catholic Newspaper.
== Ordained ministry == Bluck was ordained as a priest in 1971<ref name=":0">Crockford's Clerical Directory London, Church House 1975 {{ISBN|0-19-200008-X}}</ref> by Bishop Paul Reeves and began his ministry at Holy Trinity, Gisborne.<ref>Who's Who 2008: London, A & C Black, 2008 {{ISBN|978-0-7136-8555-8}}</ref> He soon moved to Wellington to tutor journalism at Wellington Polytechnic, as well as being the institution's chaplain.<ref name=":1" /> Bluck soon moved to Auckland and was editor of ''The New Zealand Methodist''.
Later he was Director of Communications at the World Council of Churches then Professor of Pastoral Theology and Communication at Knox Theological Seminary.
In 1990, Bluck was invited to be the Dean of ChristChurch Cathedral by Bishop David Coles, which he accepted. Bluck held this position until 2002 where he became the 14th Anglican Bishop of Waiapu.
Bluck resigned his See in 2008.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503462&objectid=10929141|title=Bishop could lead diocese on his own|date=5 September 2005|via=www.nzherald.co.nz}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news-old/central-north-island/352272/Bishop-and-the-turbulent-priest|title=Bishop and the turbulent priest|website=Stuff|date=31 January 2009 }}</ref>
== Retired life == Bluck is now an author.<ref>Amongst others he wrote Everyday Ecumenism, 1987; Christian Communication Reconsidered, 1989; Canberra Takeaways, 1991; Long, White and Cloudy, 1998; Waking Up in Strange Places, 1999; Killing Us Softly, 2001; The Giveaway God, 2001 > British Library web site accessed 21:38 GMT 12 January 2010.</ref> He creates podcasts for Radio New Zealand<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |url= https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/john-bluck-writes |title=John Bluck writes |website=RNZ |language=en-nz |access-date=21 January 2020}}</ref> and writes articles and opinion pieces for them and other New Zealand media companies.
== Publications ==
=== Authorship ===
* ''Taranaki's Cathedral'' (13 January 2010)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Taranaki's Cathedral by John Bluck - {{text|ISBN}}: 9780473188092|url=https://www.wheelers.co.nz/books/9780473188092-taranakis-cathedral/?author=Bluck,+John|access-date=2020-08-18|website=www.wheelers.co.nz}}</ref> * ''Wai Karekare = Turbulent Waters: The Anglican Bicultural Journey, 1814 - 2014'' (1 January 2012)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Wai Karekare = Turbulent Waters : The Anglican Bicultural Journey, 1814 - 2014 by John Bluck - {{text|ISBN}}: 9780908675012|url=https://www.wheelers.co.nz/books/9780908675012-wai-karekare-turbulent-waters-the-anglican-bicultural-journey-1814-2014/?author=Bluck,+John|access-date=2020-08-18|website=www.wheelers.co.nz}}</ref> * ''Seeking the Centre'' (1 January 2019)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Seeking the Centre by John Bluck - {{text|ISBN}}: 9780473475031 (NZ / SP Author Self Published)|url=https://www.wheelers.co.nz/books/9780473475031-seeking-the-centre/?author=Bluck,+John|access-date=2020-08-18|website=www.wheelers.co.nz}}</ref> * ''Becoming Pākehā.'' (Auckland: HarperCollins, 2022).
=== Forewords ===
* ''Honest to Goodness'' (12 March 2019)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Honest To Goodness by Martin Prozesky - {{text|ISBN}}: 9781532665370 (Resource Publications (CA))|url=https://www.wheelers.co.nz/books/9781532665370-honest-to-goodness/?author=Bluck,+John|access-date=2020-08-18|website=www.wheelers.co.nz}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/john-bluck-writes ''John Bluck writes'', RNZ]
{{Portal|Christianity}}
{{S-start}} {{S-rel|ac}} {{Succession box|title=Bishop of Waiapu |before=Murray Mills |after=David Rice |years=2002–2008}} {{End}}
{{Bishops of Waiapu}} {{Deans of Christchurch}} {{Province of New Zealand}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bluck, John}} Category:1943 births Category:People from Napier, New Zealand Category:University of Canterbury alumni Category:Deans of Christchurch Category:Anglican bishops of Waiapu Category:21st-century Anglican bishops in New Zealand Category:Living people Category:People educated at Napier Boys' High School