CHRISTIANS AND THE NEW AGE

Evening Star, Issue 22462, 6 October 1936, Page 1

CHRISTIANS AND THE NEW AGE

ADDRESS BY DR SALMDND DEMOCRACY IN ECLIPSE ‘ The Student Christian Movement and the New Ago 5 was the title of an address by the Rev. Dr Salmond to the Otago District Council of the Student Christian Movement last evening. Dr Salmond said that reformed churchmen believed that all who in every ago and land had acknowledged Christ as. Saviour and Lord, belonged to the true chux-ch, and they did not unchurch anyone who made that confession, irrespective of their denominational name. Nevertheless, in'certain branches of the Protestant Church there had been a lack of emphasis on churchmanship, with resulting division and dissension. To-day, the Christian Church along its whole front faced a common enemy. In the face of the doctrines of atheism and violence that were being broadcast both directly and indirectly throughout the world to-day, Christians needed to stress their unity rather than their diversity. The Student Christian Movement had a real task to perform in bringing about true fellowship amongst Christians of differing communions. As well as being interested in theology and in personal religion, the Student Christian Movement and the whole Christian Church needed to deal courageously with the ethical problems which were so pressing in our day. Such subjects as war, money, luxury, marriage, class and colour prejudice, recreations, and leisure were now matters of debate and discussion among thinking people. Solutions for our complicated modern problems were hard to find. It was just here that the Reformation principle of the Sovereignty of God came to our aid. _ When men regarded all their activities as service done unto God, a new- sense of duty was brought into being. This sense of a man’s responsibility to God revealed in Jesus Christ was the root from which solutions to ethical problems alone could spring. To-day the Student Christian Movement bad a unique opportunity of inculcating in tho minds of the present student generation that high sense of duty which alone led people to subordinate their primitive, selfish interests to the common good. Theological thinking among students must never be allowed to become a narrow academic interest; it bad to express itself in the practical ethical decisions of daily life. To-day, the speaker continued, we noted the rise of tryannies of one kind and another all over the woild. Democracy seemed definitely to be in eclipse. Political democracy, without doubt, owed much to the _ Reformed Church, and democracy at its best did stand for that justice, freedom, and order so dear to the hearts of British people. But if democracy was to endure it had to be built on moral and religious principles and to adjust its forms to meet the needs of our day. Christian students in our British lands might have to make momentous choices in the future. We might be called upon cither to stand for the proud traditions of our love of freedom and the reality of our religions and social heritage, or, las Professor John Macmurray had expx-essed it, to “ turn our backs on all that is worthy of worship in our past and descend with chains about our ankles into the dim and shameful slnvorv of tho Totalitarian State.” The Student Christian Movement could do much towards the building up of an enlightened and progressive democracy in our land.

The future, Dr Salmond said, was full of opportunity for the young people of New Zealand. New Zealand bad become a nation with a voice in world affairs. As q people we had also a part to play in the affairs 'of tho Pacific—- “ the third Mediterranean of. history.” Tho world was again becoming interested in our social experiments, and an indigenous literature was rapidly coming into being. We were a small people, but great things had been done for the world by small people. We needed only to instance Scotland, Switzerland, and Palestine. We were a greatly px-iviieged people, and as such bad also to carry responsibilities. New Zealand youth, particularly Christian students, had to be given such dynamic ideals that they would turn from the superficialities to the higher issues of life. The Student Christian Movement was strategically situated to give onr able young people, the leaders of the future, the sense of mission and the dynamic Christian idealism so much needed to-day.