DOCTRINE CHALLENGED

Evening Star, Issue 21810, 28 August 1934, Page 9

DOCTRINE CHALLENGED

TEACHING AT KNOX COLLEGE REV. P. B. FRASER APPROACHES SYMOD “ With all courtesy and respect, I beg to inform the Synod that, if it continues refusal to make candid inquiry and report as to the teaching at Knox College relative to the written standards of the Synod,and church, there will be an appeal to the. civil court for a mandamus to institute such inquiry,” wrote the Rev. P. B. Fraser to the annual'meeting this morning of the Presbyterian Synod of Otago and Southland. By a unanimous vote, Synod refused to receive the following letter from Mr Fraser:— ■

“ I am writing with studied brevity in, reference to my letter or petition to last Synod relative to the teaching at Knox College which was refused even a record on your minutes. “ I renew the request for the Synod to institute a candid inquiry and report into the teaching of Professor Dickie’s book, which substitutes a con-

fused artificial theology of his own, based, not on the inspired Scriptures and the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ, but on variable religious experience—on sand, not on the Rock. “ I now make a further and final

appeal to the Synod to investigate the teaching at Knox College relative to the teaching of Professor Hunter as indicated by the prescribed text book on. the Old Testament, entitled * Old Testament History,’ by 6. W. Wade, a Church of England scholar, written thirty years ago. It exhibits the principles and methods of modem sceptical scholars in an excessive degree. Its first sentence is typical of all that follows. ‘lt is very doubtful whether the patriarchs were historical individuals and if they were, in what period they lived.’ ‘ Very doubtful ’ is written on every page of the Old Testament, the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ to its historicity

being completely ignored. Sacred supernatural scenes are caricatured or denied. As an objective reality the ‘ burning bush ’ of historic Protestanism is, lute so much else, only a fairy tale. Daniel, acknowledged of the Lord Jesus Christ, the delight of childhood, and the glory of brave men and women, who survived the den of lions perishes ingloriously in the critic’s den, and indeed, like the patriarchs, it is more than * doubtful ’ if he were an historical individual. In one. sentence, it is simply outrageous that such a book on such destructive principles hould he endowed by the Presbyterian Church of Otago. “ With all courtesy and respect, I beg to inform the Synod that if it continues refusal to make candid in quiry and report as to the teaching at Knox College relative to the written standards of the Synod and church, there will be on appeal to the civil court for a mandamus to institute sucli inquiry."

Professor J, Cumming said this was the third letter on the subject addroasedto Synod by Mr Fraser. The

first was addressed two years ago, when there was some discussion whether it be received. Little opportunity was given to make inquiries before Synod met, but a committee was appointed to consider what action should he taken. The committee met on several occasions, and considered various aspects of the matter—ecclesiastical and legal—and at a meeting of Synod last year the report was presented. A letter was then received from Mr Fraser while the Synod was actually in session. Nothing was done with it, the letter not, having been handed to the clerk within the specified time. Another point was that Synod had appointed a committee, and the letter traversed the same ground as the previous one. The _committee’s report, which was unanimously approved of and adopted by Synod, contained several resolutions, one being that Synod declined to set up a committee, as suggested by Mr Fraser, without identifying itself with every phrase in. the book to which Mr Fraser had referred. “ The final paragraph of the report assented that the avenues of the Church Court had not been blocked, and we maintained, and Synod maintained, that the procedure in reviewing the teaching of any minister or professor must follow the lines set down in the Book of Order,” said Dr Gumming. “ Mr Fraser was informed accordingly, and I have no reason to suppose that Synod has changed its mind on a matter of that kind. It is a very serious matter indeed when the teaching of any minister or professor is called to question, and we all agree that the very greatest care must be exercised in matters of this kind. Mr Fraser, who is present, has not adopted the method prescribed in the Book of Order, and, to my mind and the minds of a great many here, it would be an improper thing to take notice of this letter. If anyone wants to bring up a matter of that kind against a minister or professor let him do it in the way that the Book ( of Order prescribes.” Dr Gumming moved that Synod proceed to the nest business.

The motion was seconded by the Rev. J. D. Smith, who said the 800 of Order stated that it was the duty of the court to instruct the party in any case as to the procedure. He did not think there was any member of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand who was less in need of instruction in these matters than the Rev. P. B. Fraser. If he wanted to take action he should do it in the right way and stop coming to courts of the church in an irregular manner and making charges of this grave character against the honour of their teachers. Dr Gumming altered his motion to read that the letter bo not received, and it . was carried unanimously.