Havea used the coconut to point to certain theological themes, such as the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and God's action in the world.
[4] Havea argued that when missionaries brought Christianity to the Pacific in the 19th century, they failed to remove it from Western culture and assumptions.
Therefore, Havea suggests, if Jesus had been born in the Pacific context, he would have used symbols that were more indicative of life there, such as coconuts, taro, and kava.
Then, the coconut rolls to the lowest point on the ground, representing Christ's humility, and if left, it will begin the process of dying.
Havea's theology is based in the belief that the idea of Christ existed in the Pacific, and missionaries simply provided the full understanding of his personhood.
The former principal of the Pacific Theological College Ilaitia Suvati Tuwere thought that vanua, the Fijian word for "land", was important to salvation as a sign of God's redemptive power.
[14] Bishop Leslie Boseto of the United Church in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands took up the cause of Pacific theology by saying that the Gospel may be universal, but it must be translated into the local context.
[15] Keiti Ann Kanongata'a focuses on the woman's experience and claims that the Gospel is a call of liberation from oppressive social structures.
[16] Seforosa Carroll also notes that one of the challenges facing Pacific Islanders is increasing migration of peoples which in turn leads to a feeling of displacement.