UNION OF CHURCHES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 90, 17 April 1925, Page 8

UNION OF CHURCHES.

• CLOSER CO-OPERATION. (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent. ', MORRINSVILLE, Thursday. An assembly of the majority of the ministers of religion at a farewell function to Rev. F. Greenwood (Methodist minister in charge of the Morrinsville. circuit) gave these gentlemen an-oppor-tunity of expressing opinions concerning united action among the various churches. It was urged that there ( should be closer co-operation among them for their common good and for the good of the community, without the religious bodies losing any of their beliefs or convictions. Views, however, varied slightly as regards what form this unity of action should take. ■ Rev. M. Richards (Presbyterian), said that the ministers —not the churches —could do a great deal to the friendly feeling existing between the churches. He had exchanged pulpits with Rev. Greenwood, and he considered that this should be done more often, saying that although they were of different religions they were merely in different camps, their course being a common one. Rev. F. A. Parry (Baptist) agreed that they should foster' closer co-opera-tion between the churches. Rev. Greenwood, he thought, appeared to advocate organic unity. The speaker did not agree with that, but he did agree with spiritual unity to make their work felt among the community. They must not, however, lose their beliefs or their convictions, and by united effort in the cause of Christ they should, as Christian congregations, foster and deepen the spirit of co-ordination. He suggested having united services in public places as a means of "winning the outsider." Rev. F. Greenwood, during the course of a reply to a presentation, said he did not think he was "poles apart" from the Rev. Parry on the subject of organic unity. There was a' lot of stupidity in man—he had a fair share of it himself— and they would cling to those things of more or less consequence, and the less consequence it was the harder it was to rid one's self of the ideas. He had always spoken and voted for organic unity, although, perhaps, not with the great conviction as when he was young. There were certain convictions which they must not give way to. Orthodox belief was poor compensation for scandalous results, and there had been scandalous results when orthodox unity was held too closely.