MODERNISTS AND BISHOPS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 199, 23 August 1930, Page 8

MODERNISTS AND BISHOPS.

The Conference of Modern Churchmen at Oxford affords'a striking contrast to the Lambeth Conference. The Modernists, are a kind,of Left Wing of the Anglican Church, arid, not being a definitely organised party, they are at liberty to propound strange doctrines and wayward opinions without any of that sense of" responsibility, which the bishops naturally "feel'in making pronouncements. They have turned this, time from theology to discussing whether murderers' should be allowed to commit suicide and to deploring in general terms the slowness of bishops to move with the times. This last accusation is both ungenerous and unjust to-day. It might have been 'true of the Church in the past, but a tremendous change has coriie over-the episcopate in retent years. We now have bishops definitely allied to the cause of Labour, and the Episcopal Bench is no longer the-bulwark of entrenched privilege that it once 1 was. This- is • shown by the sympathetic attitude towards the miners at the time of the general strike in England taken by Dr. Davidson, the Archbishop of. Canterbury, and many of'his colleagues.Also Dr. Davidson, and the Bishop of Winchester took-a very definite stand in the .'House Of Lords on -the doings of the Black and Tans in Ireland. The present Archbishop of York has shown both leadership and initiative in social matters and has'done a great ; work in promoting adult education'. A bishop has naturally to be cautious in expressing a definite opinion on controverted matters. He does not express'his individual opinion only, but he to some extent gives the official judgment of his diocese. The headmaster of the Merchant Taylors' School contended that the Church should have admitted twenty-five years ago that playing games 011 Sunday was not necessarily displeasing to.God. Why? There is no unanimity of opinion even to-day .on this matter, .and a quarter -of ; a century ago church opinion was generally against using Sunday as a day for secular recreation. The Modernists seem in many cases', to ." think that novelty is some criterion; of truth-and progress. They forget that ,in .matters affecting' religion a wise conservatism is more in harmony with the general attitude of church people than any startling innovations. The Lambeth Conference discussed such matters as the reunion of the churches and a more Christian conception of the 'doctrine of .God. The Modern Churchmen .discuss. rrjurderers .and. suicide, and. rcooivo. ;i Ih?iic* diction from 'Mr. Bernard Shaw. . If the bishops are fighting "a rearguard action," as the Modernists contend, it will seem, to many to be, mor.e valorous than the light skirmishing of their critics against shadowy foes. , ' . ..j —ANGLICAN. ,' J