AN ORDINARY MAN’S VIEW OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 307, 25 September 1939, Page 11

AN ORDINARY MAN’S VIEW OF THE WAR

Patched Or Lasting Peace? EVENING WITH OXFORD GROUP (By Obsekveh.) Saturday night provided au engaging experience for a number of publicly known people. By invitation one of our political leaders, and others whose names often occur in the newspapers, attended the national assembly of tlie Oxford Group now being held in Wellington. It must have been a refreshing interlude in public life for this politician. Like other guests lie was (a) not given a “front bench”; (b) not introduced to the 150 or so jiersons who filled the hotel sitting-room; (c) not asked to speak. On the positive side he seemed “mighty” interested, “mighty” pleased with his evening, and paid particular attention to addresses by farmer-groupers. If you follow the speeches of our politicians you’ll possibly identify this one from the adjectives I have put in quotation marks As the. inspiration of the movement for Moral Rearmament the Oxford Group is one of many forces which strove earnestly to save the peace. It comprises a multitude of groups operating strongly in nearly every democracy, belligerent and neutral. Up Jo the outbreak of the war it was, I’m told, making small beginnings in the authoritarian States, with the exception of Russia. It seeks the application of the simple truths of Christianity to everyday life. The movement is described as revolutionary Christianity in the literal sense of revolution. Communism tries to spread its doctrine by creating “cells” among office, factory, agricultural workers, and so on. The Oxford Group does its. work for Christ and His cause by a similar method. But where Communism preaches godlessness and class consciousness, the Group proclaims the living God and aims to weld the races and the classes. . _ At Saturday evening’s meeting 1 asked one of the group “team” what the position was now we were at war. This man (who, incidentally, has been accepted for the Special Force of volunteers) replied, “We go on. After the war the need for a Christian peace will be urgent. There can be no repetition of at peace based on hate, fear and selfishness. Heaven help the world if these things are the foundation of the next peace. We’ve tried everything but a Christian basis; it’s the only way to assure the rule of law and order and international trust. God has got to be given a chance to work out His plan, or else —chaos.” These thoughts were the burden of the addresses we listened to. . One story appeared to delight the politician immensely. Three men, a doctor, lawyer and a politician (the story ran) were disputing as to which was the oldest of the three professions. The doctor claimed the distinction as his because Eve was made from Adam’s rib, and this required a surgical operation. The lawyer replied, “Oh, no. My profession is the oldest. We lawyers got order out of chaos.” The politician spoke up: “My profession is certainly the oldest,” he said. “Who created the chaos?”