View of Integrity Centre

Press, 4 March 1978, Page 14

View of Integrity Centre

Sir, — While agreeing with Dr Hervey that it would be wrong for Christchurch to proclaim itself to be what it is not, "a city of integrity", I am nevertheless behind the Integrity Centre in its fine efforts to keep high moral standards before us. In any society there must be standards. Why not the best as set out in the moral law, summarised in the Ten Com* mandments and amplified by our Lord in the Sermon on the Mount? Dr Hervey is also right in saying that moral platitudes will not get us very far. However, the Integrity Centre does not press these, but rather points to a proved way of achieving desired standards, namely, through repentance, obedience, and faith in one who once said with absolute finality, "I am the Way . . .” He is very much alive today, and is producing Christian character which honours the law in many Christchurch citizens. — Yours, etc., H. G. ORAM. March 2, 1978.

Sir, — As I expected, my criticism of moral revivalist campaigns, in particular, that recently proposed for Christchurch, has brought moral wrath and indignation upon my head. I am accused by Mrs Renee Stanton (the Bible Lady) of having no interest in cleansing “the soul of our city,” and by R. Bruce of "not wanting to encourage” the virtues of “uprightness, honesty, purity, wholeness,” who also speculates that I "must have been unfortunate” (whatever he may mean by this) in my experience of Christianity. I am disinclined to take up the cudgels in self-defence against such accusations, except to say that I am unaware of any such “unfortunate” experience. As for the other charges, I leave it to your readers to judge their rationality. —Yours, etc., HELEN HERVEY. March 3, 1978.

[This correspondence is now closed.—Editor]