Minister Condemns Narrow Attitude

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29841, 6 June 1962, Page 15

Minister Condemns Narrow Attitude

(New Zealand Press Association)

DUNEDIN, June 5. Siting on their “Presbyterian seats" being very prim and proper was all very well but having the care for people was far more important. said the Rev. D. W. Storkey, minister of Knox Church, at the Dunedin Presbytary tonight. “At times I get very hot under the collar at the timidity of presbyteries and other groups like ourselves," he said.

The point at which Mr Storkey became “hot under the collar” was during a debate on "the extension of time granted by the Dunedin City Council to Mr A. J. Brown’s Town Hall dance. “I’ve run dances myself on Sundays—to keep men from going to brothels,” said Mr Storkey. •

“We should not shut our bowels of compassion for the sake of a few stuffy Christians.

“We will make ourselves tenribly foolish if we tinker around with the matter of one hour’s extension to a city dance. f ‘ln my view the Lord’s Commandment was against work and not play.” be said. To protest about the encroachment into Sunday by one hour's dancing could create the impression that the Church was narrowly Sabbatarian and cloud a bigger issue, that the Church was anxious to make Sunday a day honouring to God and of recreating help to man, Mr Storkey said. When Mr Storkey concluded his fellow ministers did not rest “on their Presbyterian seats” but applauded heartily.

Mr Storkey said the committee was also aware that many Bible class dances, although they closed before midnight on Saturday did not allow the young people to be in their homes before Sunday. Many of them were also unable or unwilling to give loyalty to morning Bible classes and morning services by reason of being too tired. “The Church it seems should put its own house in order first. Until the Church is really tackling the problem of offering increased and more variety activities to young people in the weekends. the committee felt that it had little right merely to condemn others,” Mr Storkey said.

“Further, the responsibility of seeing that young people were off the streets before midnight lay firmly on the shoulders of the parents and was neither Mr Brown’s nor the City Council's,” he said.

The matter wouid oe handed back to the public questions committee for further thought the meeting decided.