Presbyterian Rift Likely To Widen

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31588, 27 January 1968, Page 14

Presbyterian Rift Likely To Widen

This year the association would encourage persons who were deeply concerned with the issues to continue to protest and uphold their loyalty to the “living Christ,” he said. Mr Arnold, who is the senior lecturer in education at Victoria University, said that although members of the Presbyterian Church who did not agree with the ruling of the General Assembly would have to face many problems by staying in the Church, they should not be encouraged to take desperate measures until after the next General Assembly. At the beginning of the meeting Mr Arnold read and explained the statement issued after the meeting of the national executive of the association in Wellington on Saturday confirming that the association could never accept

The crisis which had arisen in the Presbyterian Church over the doctrinal standards being taught by Professor L. G. Geering could not do anything but deepen, the national chairman of the New Zealand Association of Presbyterian Laymen (Mr R. D. Arnold, of Wellington) told about 40 members and friends of the Christchurch branch of the association.

the rulings of the General Assembly nor support the views held by Professor Geering. In answer to a question as to what support the association had throughout New Zealand, Mr Arnold said that there were no full records of supporters, but 3000 names were on the mailing list. The strongest support came from branches in Auckland, Invercargill and Dunedin. The Wellington branch bad about the same number of supporters as the Christchurch branch.