CHURCH AND DEMOCRACY.

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 142, 20 June 1927, Page 11

CHURCH AND DEMOCRACY.

: "The Church and Democracy" was the subject of a lecture delivered by .Mr. E. P. Clark (of Melbourne) in the pavilion hall,' Basin Reserve,' last evening.. Mr. Clark quoted some of the leaders of the Church as saying that the. Church's task was to spiritualise democracy. He reasoned* that if such were the case, and God intended that democracy should become a part of the. Church, then God's will had not been done, and either God '3 instruments' were a failure oi» He had never intended to spiritualise democracy. .Continuing,' Mr. •■ Clark 'traced the history of the Church, telling of her divine commission -and how, as the Moderator of the Presbyterian Assembly at Adelaide had said, she had lost sight of ■n;hat tr the early Church had been her ideal. Now men were faced with a world outside the Church,'and had little desire to be drawn -'within its fold. ■■'.■"■-■.■• . :■

The speaker pointed oiit that our Lord (in John 17) made a distinction between the Church and the world, and indicated that the purpose of the Church was that shu .should boused to bless all mankind iii fulfilment of ilic promise to Abraham (Gal. 3: 16-29). Soon all mankind .would- Tecognisc the provision God hacV made for the establishment of His Kingdom, and tho subsequent uplifting of mankind. Then a true'form of democracy would be established which would regard God as su-' preinc and be willing to observe the Golden Rule.