Missionary Work “The Most Important Part”

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29896, 9 August 1962, Page 15

Missionary Work “The Most Important Part”

On present indications only one person in 10 would be in a position to call himself a Christian at the end of this century, said the general secretary of the New Zealand Anglican Board of Missions (the Rev. C. W. Haskell) in Christchurch last evening. Mr Haskell said that when he was a child about half the world’s population was nominally Christian, whereas today the figure was little more than a quarter. Against this was the rising march of communism, which had won over, or subjugated, almost a third of the world’s people. “Unless we are willing to match our Christian dedication to Christ against the Communist dedication to Marx there is little chance of survival,” he said.

The missionary work of the Church should be regarded as the most important part of its work, said Mr Haskell. There was today a great urgency for the need to proclaim Christ as the saviour of mankind.

He said he was deeply convinced that the irrelevance of

Christ to modern man was because of a lack of proclamation of His very saviourhood. The greatest tragedy today was that Christ’s saviourhood was largely Ignored while as a teacher He was greatly revered. Mr Haskell said that for the first time in history the time had been reached where man could destroy the world. This suggested even more emphaticaly a need to proclaim Christ as the only redeemer of man, he said. “It is stark lunacy to think that the good times we are enjoying will continue under communism,” said Mr Haskell.

No nation, he said, could get away with complacency and selfishness for ever. That was something to be pondered over.

Failure to respond to missionary endeavour, he suggested, was tantamount to a failure in faith. Although about £lOO,OOO was raised in New Zealand last year for missionary work, it should be about £lsm annually. Almost 100 New Zealanders and their wives were in the missionary field. This figure should be 4000. “I believe a living church should have 1 per cent, of its worshippers active overseas.”

Complimenting the Christchurch diocese on its missionary giving, Mr Haskell said that last year, at about 3s 8d a head, the diocese had given more than any other diocese in the Dominion.