WORLD CRISIS

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 39, 14 August 1940, Page 11

WORLD CRISIS

CHALLENGE TO FAITH

THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

WORK OF MISSIONS

The challenge to the enterprise and faith of Christian mission workers which the present world situation represented was the theme of the sermon preached by the Bishop of Auckland (the Rt. Rev. W. Simkin) at a choral Eucharist celebrated in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul today in connection with the annual festival of the Anglican Board of Missions. The celebrant was the Archbishop and Primate of New Zealand (the Most Rev. C. West-Watson), the Epistle was read by the Bishop of Dunedin (the Rt. Rev. W. A. Fitchett), and the Gospel reading was by the Bishop of Waikato (the Rt. Rev. C. A. Cherrington). A DECISIVE HOUR. Taking his text from the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, 6-2, "Behold now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation," Bishop Simkin said that in 1910 Dr. Mott, secretary of the World Student Christian Federation, published a book entitled "The Decisive Hour of Christian Missions." That work, which had created a profound impression on Christian people ' and others, surveyed the missionary problems of the time and showed how that period was decisive for the nonChristian nations, for the Church of j God, and for missionary enterprise. Dr. Mott showed how the non-Christian nations were awakening from the slumber of centuries and recognising the powers inherent in them. They were facing far-reaching national, racial, social, economic, and religious changes. It was a decisive hour for the Christian Church, and if the Church neglected to meet successfully the world crisis of the time it would lose its power both in the home and foreign fields and would be seriously hindered in its mission for future generations. "We may well ask what has happened in the intervening thirty years," said Bishop Simkin. "A superficial study of missionary activities shows that the Church has to some extent, yet insufficiently, risen to the task as Dr. Mott saw it then. There has been progress, and it is fitting that before this annual meeting of the Board of Missions we should offer this Eucharist in humble thanksgiving to Almighty God for the reviving and quickening influence which has been shown by the increased contributions which the board this year has received. It is also true to say that since the creation of the Board of Missions there have been periods in which progress has seemed to be lacking, yet, on the whole, we can say that in this province at least something has been done to rise j to the opportunity." INTERNATIONAL PROBLEMS. If 1910 was a decisive hour, what of 1940? asked Bishop Simkin. First, with regard to the non-Christian nations, problems which in 1910 were national were today international. Racial and economic problems amongst those nations had been increased ten-fold by the spread of materialism. Needs of expansion were felt by some of them. The lust of power had entered into their thoughts and there had been placed in the hands of some of those nations engines of destruction and methods of warfare which were positively dangerous. The crisis of today was infinitely greater than in 1910. Tiae present war was a struggle between Christ and antiChrist, between God and Satan, between, good and evil. It might be that Hitler's secret weapon was the strength' of anti-Christ, and that he had realised that by the spread of such forces he could command a stronger weapon than any material weapon that could be devised.

The year 1940, then, was a testing time for Christian people. Their courage and loyalty to their professions of faith, their dedication to the eternal principles of that faith, and the sacrifices they were prepared to make to uphold them were the things that mattered. The Church of God had perhaps a greater task before it today than ever before in its history. The world called for greater enterprise, courage, and sacrifice ' in missionary work, and they again offered themselves and their Church to the task, asking for God's blessing in the coming year.

There was a large gathering of clergy of the diocese and from other parts of the Dominion, who formed the choir. The Rev. F. M. Kempthorne was at the organ. The church was well filled.