IAN FATMAN
A PASTOR TOO FAT TO FIGHT SIN and too lazy to care
To understand the scandal of Pastor Ian Goodman’s inaction and Minister Simeon Brown’s apostasy, we must interrogate their presuppositions. Both claim to stand on God’s Word, which declares life as sacred (Psalm 139:13–16), condemns murder (Exodus 20:13), and demands justice (Proverbs 31:8–9). Abortion, they affirm, is murder—a sin that cries out to our Lord (Genesis 4:10). Yet Simeon, advocates for and leads a political party that kills 60,000 unborn children annually, while Ian, his pastor, has traded his shepherd’s staff for burger rings. Ian's body is representative of not only his physical, but also spiritual inaction. This blatant disobedience of what God commands creates titties for the pastor and smears the blood of the unborn on the hands of his congregation
This will sound piercing to a generation who have inherited the sins of their fathers, for there is much to repent of. Let’s begin with a thought experiment: Suppose I wanted to hire a contractor to renovate my house. The contractor comes, makes his measurements, and sends me his quote: new bathroom, new kitchen, fresh paint, no mice—oh, and he’ll murder my youngest daughter too. Should I accept the deal? Should I accept that blood-stained handshake?
That’s what a vote for National, Labour, NZ First, or any pro-abortion party is: a shiny kitchen with a side of slaughter. Christopher Luxon, leader of the National party, who considers himself a pro-life Christian, called abortion “tantamount to murder,” yet promised in 2023 to keep it legal and fully funded. Did you vote for National? Congrats, you got tougher crime laws—and a death penalty for the unborn. Better healthcare? Sure—plus state-sponsored child sacrifice. Voted for cutting red tape? Yep—and the babies too. Christians who voted for National have traded God’s righteousness for man’s expediency, staining their hands with the blood of the innocent (Psalm 106:38). Scripture warns that God hates “hands that shed innocent blood” (Proverbs 6:17), and no political gain can justify such sin. If you think abortion is New Zealand’s worst injustice, which it is, your vote was dumber than a sack of spanners. You got rid of Jacinda Ardern and opted for two "pro-life", "Christ-confessing Christians" to execute the babies instead.
One of those supposed "pro life christians" is New Zealand’s Health Minister, Simeon Brown. He is a National MP and a Reformed Baptist, an active member of South City Church. South City Church has no issue with him standing before our nation every year, campaigning for murder. The eldership and membership say nothing because they believe Simeon is righteously advocating for a party committed to funding the dismemberment of little image-bearers.
People who defend Simeon say things like, “Simeon’s got a plan,” or “He’s working from within,” as if he’s a special agent who must disgrace Christ for just a “little longer” before opening his Bible and obeying it. Nowhere in Scripture are we permitted, under any circumstance, to campaign for child sacrifice while biding time to do God’s work. We cannot say to God, “I need to kill just another 180,000 babies before I do what is right.” Scripture demolishes this point of view: Romans 3:8 tells us we are not to do evil that good may come, and 1 Thessalonians 5:22 commands us to “abstain from every form of evil.” Simeon is not just complicit in our nation’s sin; by advocating for the National Party, he’s shouting to the Church and nation, “Come on, let’s keep the bloodshed going!” This is antithetical to “loving thy neighbor.” It’s hating thy neighbor and loving thyself. Instead of living out Micah 6:8, Simeon has chosen to act unjustly and mercilessly, bringing shame to his witness and judgment on our nation.
Recently, I learned about Simeon’s past from a BJJ buddy who knew him in their homeschool days. Back then, Simeon was a “staunch Christian,” debating doctrine and God’s existence with reformer zeal. He was even part of the original church plant of South City Church with Pastor Alfie. Now, as New Zealand’s Health Minister, he’s the one signing off on abortion funding. My friend sighed: “The power got to his head.” Step by step, Simeon has traded convictions for clout, truth for lies, and the gospel of life for the party of death, proving we can all fall for Satan’s oldest trick—promising glory for a bow to Baal. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” The devil has tricked Simeon. There’s no denying it. Incrementally, step by step, Simeon has walked deeper into darkness.
But how were these evil steps toward darkness left unchallenged by those who claim to love God and Simeon? His wife, his parents—posing for pictures trying to avoid Simeon's blood stained hands. His church, his former pastors—silent as Simeon hands them their communion. What fault have these fools found in their God that they refuse to open their mouths in protest? How can they read God’s Word and not tackle Simeon as he leaves the house to campaign for what God hates? Probably because they were too busy soaking their hands in the blood of the unborn too. Simeon’s wife is currently expecting another baby. I hope that baby grows up to see repentant parents, not the spineless mother, father, grandparents, and church they currently have. Shame on you all.
The shepherd of the silence surrounding Simeon and his evil steps is Pastor Ian Goodman. His surname’s a lie—he’s no good man. Rather, he is a fat man, too lazy to find his staff and too lethargic to pick it up—a bad man, allowing what he knows to be sin to continue and fester. Ian and I have had about half a dozen phone calls with what polite folks call “passionate dialogue.” Ian didn’t have the greatest acumen or familiarity with Reformed doctrine and often struggled to make sound arguments. Certain defenses he made for his unbiblical positions became undone. I later found out he was a fairly newly ordained pastor from an Arminian Baptist church, and it showed in our discussions.
Simeon’s sin thrives and escalates because of Ian’s lack of biblical understanding and passion for Christ and His Church. Ian thinks shepherding is a restaurant where you pick your preferred menu items, but in reality, it’s a meal prepared by your Father that you’re required to eat fully. Everything on his plate, including Simeon’s public sin, is his responsibility—an analogy that probably made him hungry for a snack instead of change. Ian must seize this God-ordained opportunity to confront Simeon’s public sin and lead his congregation to still waters and green pastures, not bloody meadows. But if Ian cares about God’s Church as little as he does for his own body, I hold little hope for the flock of South City Church; their condemnation will be just.
When the time comes, as it surely will, when abortion is abolished, how will those who follow us look upon the Church of New Zealand in 2025? With sorrow, I fear, as a people who forgot their calling. We stood silent as the blood of the unborn cried out (Genesis 4:10). We cast votes for parties pledged to the slaughter of the unborn. We turned wombs, where God creates masterpieces (Psalm 139:13–16), into graveyards. We called evil good by declaring we were doing the “lesser evil,” as if bloodshed could be weighed like market goods (Proverbs 21:3). We allowed men like Simeon and Luxon to represent Christ and His Church while they told this nation to vote for what God hates.
Yet, there is hope, a quiet but unshakable light that gleams for the Church of New Zealand at this blood-soaked crossroads. We can make ourselves clean; repentance is not a far-off dream but a door held open by the hand of grace, for God’s mercy is a vast sea that swallows our sins (Romans 5:20), and His justice demands our obedience (Isaiah 1:17). As John Calvin declared, “It is the duty of every Christian to conduct himself in such a way that he does not dishonour the gospel of Christ, either in private or in public affairs.” Pastors like Ian must stop coddling their bellies and instead, seize their shepherd’s staff, for they will give an account—not only for their excess body fat but also for the unrepentant sin they allow to sit in their pews. Men like Simeon need to stop dancing with the devil’s policies and then approaching the Lord’s table to serve the saints their communion. God’s own people must kick the blood-soaked bribes of politics to the curb and vote as if the unborn are neighbors whom their God is forming. We’re not here to compromise; we’re here to proclaim the gospel, end the slaughter, and see nations bow to Christ. So, pray like it’s war, act like it’s today, and trust God to redeem what’s broken—for His glory and the unborn’s rescue.
Bonus material: For the people who have made it through this very special article I have decided to include this very special song hahaha.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
35 Years Old
6ft 2
117kgs
75 inch reach
Orthodox
I write these articles because I love the Lord and am commanded to love my neighbour. I was once apathetic towards my unborn neighbours plight but I have repented. I now desire for others to see the unborn person as their neighbour and therefore refuse to make peace with the church's apathy with abortion.