METHODIST AIM

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 57, Issue 110, 19 February 1937, Page 3

METHODIST AIM

TO STEM TIDE OF IRRELIGION.

FAITH, EFFICIENCY, SACRIFICE.

<rer Press Association.! AUCKLAND, February 18.

“Methodism is as ready to-day as ever to co-operate to the fullest extent with every other section of the Chiistian Church for the promotion of the Kingdom of God among men,” asserted the Rev. F. Copeland, of New Plymouth, in his presidential address at the opening of the annual conference of the Methodist Church of New Zealand this evening. “The church, whose founder claimed the world as his parish, can never,” Mr Copeland continued “he limited in its outlook or self-control in its sympathies.” “Worldi Slump” in Religion. They were at present confronted, he said, with what might lie called a world slump in organised religion—-a secularisation of life which post-wai years had accentuated hut which leallj began long before 1914. No matter how unpalatable it might he they were faced with the fact—and lie hoped they found it a profoundly disturbing one—that the main stream of life was flowing right past the Church. Many, though owing so much to it, appeared to regard the Church as something which didn’t really count—a; useful kind of adjunct to the conventional observance of weddings and funerals, but having no place in the pulsing, redblooded, factual life of every day. No facile explanation could disguise the stark reality that, for all practical purposes, the Church had seemed powerless of late to stem the tide of irreligion, and to turn men and women from their semi-pagan state to the Christian way of life. Churches Living By Their Wits. Many of their Churches seemed to he living by their wits, rather than by their worth, their only articulate message to a famishing world seeming to he, in Dr. Russell Maltby’s words, “You’re hungry, and we’re hungry; come inside and let us he hungry together!” With few exceptions this generation of Methodism had been marked by an absence of adventure, a succumbing to the present day love of ease, weariness of purpose, and an aversion from anything heroic save talk about heroism, and admiration of it in others. So it had been a case of “reduce sail,” no ocean voyage, no venture, no hazard — and a resultant mediocrity of achievement. Christianity’s Self-Renewals. And yet these facts notwithstanding, let them not fear that the purpose of God, expressed in the Church of Jesus Christ, would lie ultimately thwarted; for the astonishing vitality of the Christian faith had been abundantly demonstrated in history, in periodical glorious resurrection and self renewals of the Church, so often by critics and croakers deemed to be on its deathbed

Turning to the future of New Zealand Methodism, Mr Copeland asked whether this was to he worthy of the Church’s earlier and not negligible contribution to life and religion in this new land, or whether they had as a Church exhausted their mandate.

Quoting the Prime Minister’s New Year message, as in part applicable to the work that he believed the Methodist Church was still called to do in New Zealand, the speaker said faith, efficiency, and some form or other of self-imposed, discipline * were not less necessary to the Church's continued and effective functioning than Mr Savage considered them to be to the realisation of democratic ideals. Faith, Efficiency, Sacrifice. They could not with any heart face the future as a Church without confidence—faith in God, in their own call and commission, and in the ultimate outcome of the task to which they had put their hands. But spiritual equipment, lie emphasised required supplementing with efficiency. Ono felt that Church people were not serving God with their brains to the extent that His work demanded. There was urgent need, in the interests of efficiency, for a detailed, survey of the Churches’ resources for the overhaul of coimectional machinery, for an adaptation of methods, as in business circles to changed conditions of the times. These conditions called not only for greater pluck and daring on the part of ministers, hut equally for at least as much hard and constructive thinking by the laity as these latter gave to secular interests.

As to personal discipline, the measure of their efficiency as a Church in the future would he the faith that not only inspired spiritual courage and adventure, hut was expressed in .sacrifice for the Church and Kingdom of C.hristsacrilice of personal inclinations, time, money, vital energy. Declaring that the principal business of Conference was religion, the President closed 1 1 is address with an appeal to Methodist people to seek (a) A revived personal experience of religion; (i>) A renewed, adventurous moral enthusiasm. He quoted the Oxford group movement as indicating a deepening sense of spiritual need in the community, and said the passion to communicate spiritual experience personally enjoyed was characteristic of the very genius of Methodism.