Is Brian Tamaki destined to be New Zealand's first Pope?

I received a rather scathing letter in the post this week that was highly critical of my column last weekend, particularly my references to the venerable Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki.
And while I welcomed this woman's right to an opinion, I also defend my right to one (after all this does appear on the Opinion Page).
And despite her comments, my opinion remains the same - that this is a dangerous man spreading dangerous messages in our community.
I am a great believer in family and family values but I'll never agree with a man who wants to ridicule and exclude sectors of society because they don't fit in with his beliefs. And let's not even get into the tithe arrangement!
And joke of the week - Bishop Brian Tamaki. Who could possibily take seriously a man who gives himself such a title.
What next ... Pope Brian!
Down through the centuries there have been plenty of Brian Tamakis come and go and I have no doubt there'll be more in the future.
But there are plenty more people out in our community who have far greater hearts and minds, who work for the greater good of everyone and who don't exclude those they don't approve of.
My wife and I were fortunate enough to be married by a wonderful Tauranga Anglican minster 11 years ago and the example he sets and the message he preaches is the example I want my children to grow up with.
I certainly don't want them falling under a Tamaki spell like thousands already have.
What's that saying: More style than substance!
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OVER the past couple of weeks we have seen a huge increase in the amount of Letters to the Editor and that's great news.
Letters are very well read in our paper and I'm often telling readers that we publish as many as we can every day. But some days there just aren't too many opinions around.
Not now, however, as letters are pouring in by email and on paper.
I believe that letters are the lifeblood of a newspaper and if the flow is strong, the patient is fit and healthy. Obviously, if important issues dominate the news, letters will follow.
At the moment we are receiving a lot of correspondence related to submissions on tolling the second harbour bridge.
This is one of the hottest topics we've had here for some time.
The other hot one is council salaries and in particular the recent increases they voted themselves.
That council decision is certainly not going down too well with readers.
What I'm also enjoying is seeing names appear on letters that I have never seen before.
We all know there are our regulars who offer us their thoughts but I'd hate to see our columns dominated by the same few, so the new blood is most welcome.
So please keep them coming and we'll get them in the paper just as quick as we can.
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I HAD a rather strange experience a few weeks back when a car I did not recognise followed me down my street and then into my driveway.
In this job you can never be too sure who might be wanting to speak to you or yell at you, so you can get a bit wary.
Emerging from the strange car parked in my driveway was a friend I hadn't seen for a couple of years.
My wife and I got to know him and his wife around the birth of our first child and over the years we collectively watched our children grow.
But as happens with busy lives, the time passes and before you know it a year has passed.
Anyway, he jumped out of his car and told me that he had made a New Year's resolution to take a moment to catch up with people when the opportunity presented itself and not let work and family rule his life.
So when he saw me driving along, he thought he'd pop by for a minute, say 'Hi', have a quick chat and then finish the job he was on.
I must say I was quite impressed by his logic and his mission.