‘ORDERED LIBERTY’

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30879, 12 October 1965, Page 7

‘ORDERED LIBERTY’

Bishop Sees Need Anglican emphasis on ordered liberty was needed more today than ever before, said the Bishop of Nelson (the Rt. Rev. P. E. Sutton) in his sermon at Synod Evensong in Nelson Cathedral yesterday. On one hand, men turned to authoritarian sects or parties which give neat answers in exchange for closed minds and. at the other extreme, morals and theology were being dressed in seductive new garb by men whose teachings parodied the Christian faith. “The ballet dancfes? of the new morality have had their fling. Now the curtain calls have ended, they sit dejected in the wings, tired and angryyoung men, or disillusioned middle-agers. Theirs is a morality that isn't morality," Bishop Sutton said. “We all know Christ gave us a way of life that is nobler than any code of morality. But this doesn’t mean that we, or any other generation can devalue words like honesty and purity. “The staggering figures of illegitimacy and drunken driving remind us that the Church must speak out with candour and compassion. In five successive weeks I had five brides coming to me for marriage while expecting children already conceived. Yet we have spokesmen for the new morality telling us that such conduct can be like a sacrament of Communion, a pledge of future love!

“Ours is a history of men longing for peace and unity, yet divided by fear and hatred. Our divided churches witness to this. “Like blind Samson in the banqueting hall, we test our new-found strength on the pillars of society. Like him too, modern man will perish if he counts life in terms of power,” Bishop Sutton said.