Gladiators t-shirt

'Gladiators' was a prelude programme to 'Momentum', Destiny Church’s men’s ministry, and later to the church’s 'Man Up' programme (which was launched in 2015). Like Man Up, the Gladiators programme aimed to empower men to be better fathers, husbands and leaders in their homes and communities.

This t-shirt was worn by David Graham (Taranaki, Waikato) who was a founding and key member of Destiny Church Wellington from 2003 to 2013. He attended a Gladiators conference on Labour Weekend, October 2006. He attended such men-only conferences where they did ‘manly’ activities like tug-of-war (Sunday church services were where it was more appropriate to show emotion). Accordingly, the war-like language of the t-shirt reinforces how men should see themselves: 'gladiators', 'revolution', 'revolutionary'.

Bishop Brian Tamaki’s focus is on the patriarchal status and strength of men, and he has linked femininity with weakness. As historian Peter Lineham has observed, Destiny ‘has a striking appeal to men, especially working-class men…. The language of Destiny sermons is starkly masculine’ (2013, 204). Manliness was encouraged through sports such as boxing and rugby, gym workouts, and the haka group.

In contrast to the men’s programmes, the female version is the Legacy programme, where women focus on children and nurturing others by supporting charities and raising money for people in need.