UNION OF CHURCHES

Evening Star, Issue 16782, 10 July 1918, Page 2

UNION OF CHURCHES

JSpkrial to the ' St*h.'J

CHRISTCHURCII. July 10.

At vesterck'v's meeting of the Christchurch Presbytery, in proposing that an overture be tent to the General Assembly regarding the union of the non-Episcopa-lian Churehes, the Rev. Dr Envin stressed the importance of tome reorganisation to deal with the shortage of ministers. Tho war had made a Kg drain .->n the students in colkves, and a number of men had been killed at the front. Referrimr to the closer union of Churches, Dr Envin t-aid that there was no reason why it s.l,cn!d not be reco-juhed that liboity of opinion could be hthl on matters not. of vital imnoitnr.ee. Lite services recently held in the Cathedral had impressed him more th.-vn anything: else h- hr.d seen durin-* his 35 ve.irs in Chtbtehim-h. He had seen nothiiu that had mode such a. -.tron^ iq.Dcai to the puhlie. On that occasion ' the Churches "hrd prei-onted -i united front land a spirit of union. If the Churchy ironld tratVr tnjctlier and sink their ' gnialio- clifC-i-erec* they would _ inceeaie their tiotoi- of roachinc; the public. The Kev. J. Patersot'. in seconding the motion, said '.hat the overture was asking for an' opportunity to have the proposal of closer union considered. Tho matter should le shcii th.' most careful consideration. At the present time they were fao.-d with problems that their falhers know nothing about. Great chancres were to come about in the world in which the democracy would move stroncdy. If tho Church veie coins to hav- a:iv influence on the mtional or international life it would have to become miveh more clemo-i-.at-'e. An E'iHcnp~,l : an or ;. bureaucratic .Church no\*'r woik-d with a democracy o>- ! for the iiims of Cm democracy. If a | Church wore spbt 1.-p into different sects lit wrukl be nunos-sihle for it to express itself to the. democracy. It was a-ked : I What w-- the '"''•nreli loimr in the war'' Tf it had b on K'-tle.- nr<_'" - r.«ed and wo'-k i ins; in clos '.- union it would be can-yini ' oi<\. the work now b»in" done bv the , Y.M.CA Of course the Cher eh at p-e jseut vas the foice l»bind the Y.MC.-V Tt" the evi:wl ; c! Churches had '• ii'iit d thev could hr\\> rnnifd out --imi'ar a. rl r i, lt +, n it \r;i" th'y vcie =-tilit up I He yielded to ro mm in his les-ict for j the f liber-- n-d Ica.his <? the Church in th j T'."-t Thev i\-cr> men who dclt with ,tV TioKe'us of tbe ; r o'vn time in their jewn wav. end ' : stin ' condition;- of t'u> time. Pro-idrnt 'W'l.pn i r ) t .v,l .;- yrt-ehes ch-nlinj-villi r'-t-" ai nro 1 1 n« that the ration* v> l 'd hj L> - ■'111-. '■ TV of their ow,i irdi'idn-.l d---■; s. ,od the'nrn-ches would h'\v t" ; the . : ,T, r , {,, ,i,r,4 the problem cf the fntme. The viti mal life was ~-;-; l"! Un int? ro]itic?.l which were n d nicer to the w , l!-b- , imr of eveiy natio-i l':feru!,j- to th l amonr; the C'n'-clie- iher-i.-elveu.. V]-,- Paterson a-.ke-l : Wh-t it.k the n-e of their savini' from the p-ilnit to rne>i tint th~v could bo b-cthrso and work to:~t""r is ■ ne v lien t'nere were DiO'ile who eeunllr =iid that thev con Id m-t -o-h with a M"ttb r di=t or i- Coni;r»-j'.("•.-.•■vih ;f; Wliile their own house was hi i -' i <-h .- st-te the would not take them '!•• ousiv i\l 3n told to hslieve in a brotherly love and a, ennnnon unitv. Tf the union were t n he effective they should nut leave ort anvthire; of vital interest to fiiv of th" Cln'rih ~. but if th -y v.-i-hed to e-tabv.-h a, united Chireh tbev\houl<' link thp-pie'vos into a tmV.n on tho bic tiling. The Rev. John Dickson said tli.it he was ro; in tt-vrr (,f hi.;,,ii, ;it; he did not con "'('er that mas the jeMedv That would tend to make them like the Ritualists, re-•crrt'-nr tr forms md cer monies in-teid of np-iritual life! Personally he would rather Vie outside the Church than use his opportiiirties to betray it. ! Th" K»'v. J. Paterscn : Then you iccuse tha Reformers Luther and Knox as traitor.-.? j Mr Dickson concluded by asking how I they expected to aeeonrnlish whit wise and j learned menjn the past had to do? I The Rev. A. T. Thompson said that at ; fast he had not been favorably disposed towards the proposal, but the more he had ; rrf!-?cted on it tho more he had seen reason j why it should be discussed fully. | The motion was carried by 16 votes to 6.