THE ANGLICAN CHURCH

Press, Volume L, Issue 14916, 14 March 1914, Page 15

THE ANGLICAN CHURCH

A remarkable admission is mado by tho "Church Times," demurring to tho words of a correspondent who speaks of tho Anglican Church as "bearing the religious conscience of the nation" (says tho "Christian World"). Wo are told:~

•At tho present day it is that Nonconformist Conscience, of which wo havo ceased to hear much, which performs that function; inevitably, since Dissent is a creation of tho English people, and its ethical standards are those of tho general community rendered articulate by organisation. Tne Church does not express the national conscience, because it has something better to express; neither is it the keeper of the national conscience, because that has been taken for the most part out of its keeping." At the very least this means that the Anglican Church, as established —as the "national" church—is in an absolutely false position. The passage we quote is rather inaccurately worded. High Churchmen, we' believe,-admit that even Nonconformist Churches have tho "irregular" enlightenment and guidance of the Divine Spirit. They aro then not the "crcat:oir' of tne English people, but of the Divino Spirit working in and through tho English people. They form, according to the 'Church Times," the real national Church of England; they, represent the religious life and character of the English people, as these aro inspired and moulded by the Spirit of Christ. We ourselves should say thatthe Anglican and Nonconformist Churches togother represent various aspects of the religious life of the nation. If tho High Anglicans would recognise this, and would foster the fullest religious intercourse and the fullest common work of these outwardly differing communities—in spirit forming the one Body of Christ in England— it would bo an immense gain to Christianity in this land.

Another confession in this singularly frank. article is that the Anglican Church is hopelessly partisan, and therefore impotent, in politics. It is "understood" to be "almost irrevocably committed to an alliance with their opponents." How then can it speak to the Government and their party "as a spiritual guido"? ' 'The Church is officially allied with a party. We deplore it; but we acknowledge that it may havo been inevitable, and we are sure that it is useless to ignore the fact. And precisely because of this alliance, tho Church is powerless in politics. Ono party counts its preaching mere hostile declamation; the other is too insolently sure of its allegiance to pay any attention to its teaching." If the true friends of the Church could only see it,* it is because of its vested interests and privileged position that tho Church allies itself with the Tory party. Why will they not boldly claim its freedom ?