TASK OF THE Y.M.C.A.

Evening Star, Issue 21078, 15 April 1932, Page 13

TASK OF THE Y.M.C.A.

A FEW THOUGHTS ADDRESS BY DR SALHOHD ‘The Task of the Y.M.C.A. in the Modern World ’ was the title of an • address given at the annual meeting . of the association last night by Dr J. D. Salmond, director _of the youth , work of the Presbyterian Church. “My subject,” said Dr Salmond, ■ “ staggers mo with its bigness, and in the time at my disposal I can only hope to pass on to you a few thoughts. Let mo commence with the second sec- . tion of the title of my subject, ‘in the modern world.’ It is right that we should study the world situation so that we may understand our world task, but let. us remember at the outset that our faith is not in the world; ! it is in Jesus Christy Who overcame the world, and in His coming king* j dom. The Jerusalem Missionary Conference a few years ago called attention to the fact that the_ greatest enemy of the church to-day is what we call secularism—that attitude to life which, has no place and no need for i God. The issue to-day is, not which religious leader is going to capture the minds and hearts of men—Christ, Buddha, Mohammed—but will the world continue to believe in God? Is ! life to be interpreted in spiritual or in material terms? That is the basic ' issue. ' We cannot avoid it. While in every land ‘there are the 7,000 who have not bowed the knee to Baal, the ’ plain truth is that our modern world has to a large extent turned its back on God. „ „ “ How has this loss of faith come about? This is a long story. The nineteenth century witnessed a great enlargement of the fields of human knowledge. This new knowledge was applied to commerce and industry by business men and industrialists. The result is that the whole face of the earth has been changed. Compare the lives of people to-day with the lives of people who lived 100 years ago. Think of our wonderful houses with all their labour-saving devices; our motor cars, our radios, our great ships, and 'so on. In very truth we are surfeited with material things. Again, the great growth of scientific knowledge has taken much of the mystery out of life. Our children are taught science in our schools. They no longer hear thunder as the voice of God booming from the heavens. When an epidemic breaks out we no longer assist it to spread by regarding it as a judgment of God on the people for their sins. It is true, we realise, that_ there are many strange occurrences in our world, but we no longer live in the expectation of miracles happening before our eyes. Some day, wp think, we shall be able to explain everything. We say that everything is regulated by law—by the so-balled laws of Nature. And if everything is governed by law, we ask, what is there for God to do? Is He really interested'in me and the unemployed lads and an-ious mothers? Who am I that I should raise my hands in prayer to Him? In the background of the immensity of the universe our great planet is only a speck, and I, poor human mortal, am less than nothing. Yet, in spite of this fact most modern men are not humble. They are quite self-sufficient. They imagine that they can save themselves—by education, by new credit schemes, by ‘ Communism, and the numerous other isms of our day. But all these schemes and panaceas have not brought salvation. Our world is sick and needs a physician. “ The great man-dame universe of the nineteenth century crashed like a house of cards in 1914, and the fine idealism which aimed at building a better world after the great slaughter has almost ended in world bankruptcy. Men are again doubting their ability to save themselves. They are again beginning to think about God. * The world needs the good news about God —yes, desperately. ** But is our present world situation ' unique? I don’t think so. I have been • studying of late that period of history ■ which preceded the Protestant Reformation.' What an interesting period ‘ it was! A "trange terror was brooding over the people of Europe—fear of • the plague, of new diseases, of a Turkish invasion An anxious restlessness ' was abroad. Crowds of pilgrime were going from shrine to shrine seeking ■ deliverance from fears. Immorality ' and riotous living were rife in high ; places. Novel religious groups,_ mostly ' fay in character, were coming into be- ! ing. The Unreformed Roman Catholic Church was the open sore of Europe. Christendom had shrunk greatly since the seventh century—the Saracens and their successors having overrun and conquered many lands , formerly ruled by Christian princes. In , France the burden of support of the - largo armies of soldiers was crushing the life out of the people. How like : to-day! Many people are living in fear ■ : of aii economic collapse and of Comimmism. Recently two millionaires, the papers report, have taken their own • fives. The growing restlessness of the . people is to-day expressing itself in , great public gatherings. Even in our , land, m high and in low places, I am afraid, there is much immorality. . Many strange sects and religious cults , are gaining ground amongst us, and in two groat lands—in Spain and in ; Russia—the State churches have been i overthrown by revolution. Christen- . dom has shrunk even in our day—- , Christian teaching is practically forbidden by law in both Russia and Turkey. And is not the burden of war. debts, like the support of the old mer- , cenary armies, oppressing the people and bringing commerce to a standstill ? “ Out of the chaos and unsettlement

of the fifteenth anti sixteenth centuries arose the mighty Luther and the worldshaking Reformation. What is going to arise out of the slaughter and distress of the twentieth century? Shall man’s extremity again prove to be God’s opportunity ?_ Now, what place has an institution like the Y.M.C.A. in such a situation? To justify its existence the Y.M.C.A. must have a very definite piece of work to do. I have recently travelled widely, and came into contact with Y.M.C.A.s in many lands. Time and again T appreciated the fine hospitality of the Y.M.C.A. In a healthy atmosphere one found friendship and release in the heart of great and sometimes lonely cities. However, this evening I do not think you want me to be You want me to get on to deeper issues. Now, let me suggest several courses of action for the Y.M.C.A. in these days. (11 In America and Britain and in other lands the Y.M.C.A. is out to promote in the name of Christ fellowship among the peoples of the world. With increasing contacts amongst the nations increasing friction points result. It is good that there is an institution at work with the definite policy of easing these friction points. (21 The Y.M.C.A. must seek more than it has done in the past to promote fellowship among the churches. I am not one who advocates dispensing with denominational differences. I am very loyal to my own church and its

message. _ I think in these days my church, with its emphasis on the sovereignty of God, has a great contribution to make to the nebulous religious thinking of our time. Yet there are still some friction points among the churches which might well be ironed out through the work of the Y.M.C.A. But don’t let the Y.M.C.A. attempt to get rid _of all creedal differences by sinking into a crcedless nebulosity. H. G. Wells recently declared that Christianity ought _to be stripped of all its creeds. This is nonsense. I agree with Professor Hocking, of Harvard, when he declares that what is wanted in our day is the making of as much of the creed as possible as intelligible as possible. (3) The Y.M.C.A. must seek to adjust itself very rapidly to the difficult economic situation of our day. It may bo that certain aspects of the work will have to be curtailed in the interests of economy. But at the present time there is one aspect which should not be restricted, and this is the work among young people under the age of twentyone. I feel very keenly for the young fellows who are unemployed to-day. The older generation, who are responsible for the present situation, must share their sufferings with them. If we cannot provide work for our young people we ought to find ways and means of utilising their leisure profitably. Idleness is a deadly evil, but leisure can be made a great good. The pressing problem of tq-day—and it will become more pressing in the future—is how to help people to use their leisure properly. _ I am most unhappy about the tragic occurrences of the past few days in Dunedin. Unemployment is not the problem of a few irresponsible hotheads; it is a community problem; it is rapidly becoming a menace, threatening the foundations of our national life. Great world forces are operating to produce unemployment—machines, efficiency organisation, applied science, unrestricted credit, and so on. Take the case of China. If China becomes industrialised too quickly 100,000,000_ human beings will lose their means of livelihood. We have to look forward to the time when men will be working from five to seven hours a day —the community won’t require them to work longer. Then the problem of leisure time will become very acute. How are many people using their leisure today? By gambling, by attending picture shows, by generallykilling time; in a word, by seeking excitement. Now, people who are living in constant need of excitement are a potential menace to national health. The Y.M.C.A. has a great work here. Might I make a suggestion? I should like to see a chain of youth hostels, very strictly controlled, throughout the length and breadth of New Zealand. These could be used by young people during the holiday periods. We ought to bring our young people more in contact with our wonderful countryside. _ This alone would recreate them physically, mentally, and spiritually. Such a type of service would bo touching the springs of life. (4) The Y.M.C.A. must seek to relate its message—its Christian Gospel—to all departments of life. _ Basil Matthews tells us that Bolshevism is the result of our failure to carry Christian ethics into political and economic life. If the masses do not renew their life in the name of Christ they will do it in the name of Marx. Missionaries tell us that the greatest hindrance to their work is often the low standards of the so-called Christian West. Some Y.M.C.A.s are concerned with activities and amusements, rather than with solid thinking—a policy which inoculates young people against real Christtianity. The Y.M. must become more and more a spiritual power house projecting young men into industry, commerce, politics, etc., whose supreme desire is to relate Christian theory and Christian practice. This is a very difficult matter, but it will have to be done if the Y.M.C.A. and the whole Christian Church are to continue as vital powers in our modern world. (5) As Christian people of goodwill we must in these days examine carefully the spiritual foundations upon which our work has been built. As a Christian institution the Y.M.C.A. must stand for the reality of God and of spiritual things. Somehow we have got the idea that God is less God than He used to be. God was real in the days of Paul, Luther, Wesley, but He is afar off today, we think. There is an old Buddhist book which ends up with this grand old refrain: ‘Finally, however often you are beaten down, up again, up again, always remembering that God is not dead.’ Says Profesors Gossip: ‘ When one man grips the fact that God is alive, there is a moving in the tops of the trees, and out of that little breath there grows the mighty wind of Pentecost.’ We must not be defeatist m temper. Look what happened 1,900 years ago. Despair was everywhere. The shrines were empty. Religion had failed. Creeds were laughed at. People were desperate. And yet, say the scholars, in those troubled hearts there was a hunger for some new vision of the Divine. And just then Jesus Christ came. And to-day our churches are not all well filled; our creeds are often disputed; in some quarters Christianity is openly denied; we are puzzled and tangled. Says Profesor-Gossip again: ‘ Is not this the very time when across the raging of the storms there might come that Holy Spirit Whose path is on the great waters and Whose footsteps are not known ? ’ This to me is the root of the whole matter. I believe the Y.M.C.A. will be used of God very greatly in the future if its leaders discern the signs of the times to-day.” (Applause.) Mr W. R. Smith moved a vote of thanks to the speaker, and this was carried by acclamation.