UNITY OF CHURCHES

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 86, 10 April 1924, Page 7

UNITY OF CHURCHES

TO^CHECK OVERLAPPING

A long discussion arose at the meeting of the Auckland Council of Christian Congregations this week on "Church Reunion; Is It a Live Wire?" The subject was opened by the Rev. J. Gordon Bell, who spoko at some length from the Anglican Church point of view, and said that New Zealand, which so often prided itself on its advanced thought, had lagged behind in this matter. The Council of Christian Congregations had not risen to the occasion, and if the people here had been more active they could have so impressed the people at Home that they would have had as much influence on the church authorities there as the Right Hon. Mr. Massey had, as the representative of New Zealand, on the members of the Imperial Conference.--- ' - The Rev. Percy Knight said what was evident to all was the constant overlapping which took place ,bwing to their want of union, and the efforts they put , forth in their various spheres had not the same effect as if they spoke with a united voice. 'The outside world often flouted them because of their want of combination. ' The Rev. D. C. Herron said one of the great drawbacks to union was that every .minister was fully occupied in the organisations of his 'own church. The Rev.. C. J. Tocker, in a. forcible speech, said he was getting ticed of-all the talk about reunion of the Churches. If they Were going to accomplish anything they had'to get to work and do something practical. He said union was' hopeless with the Anglican Clnirch till the clause insisting on feordination of member? outside t,kat Church was deleted. His pulpit was open at any time to an Anglican clergyman, but an Anglican pulpit was not .open to him. , These things often pained people who were looking for a larger reunion of the Churches. Canon Young asked why, if the Anglican Church was. the stumbling block, the Presbyterian, Methodist, Congregational and Baptist Churches had not united? There want of reunion was because, of sin,-and for 24 years he had prayed that a greater drawing together of the Churches might take place. Mr. Gordon Bell, in reply, said they should forjjet their reformation and disruptive differences and enter a new cycle of thought, and he said' emphatically that any reunion had to take into consideration the Roman Catholic Church, which, despite the fact that many of their forms of worship did not appeal to many of them, had kept tho faith.