RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Evening Star, Issue 22578, 20 February 1937, Page 6

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

[By Forward.] A TEACHER'S PRAYER. Lord, who am I to teach the way To little children day by day, So prone myself to go astray? I teach them Knowledge, but I know How faint they dicker and how low The candles of my knowledge glow. I teach them Power to will and do, Rut only now to learn anew My own great weakness through and through. I teach them Love for all mankind And all God’s creatures, but find My love conies lagging far behind. Lord, if their guide I still must be, Oh, let the little children see The teacher leaning hard on Thee. —L. P. Hill. At every forenoon and evening session of the World Sunday School Convention, recently held at Oslo, Norway, glimpses of the world field were given by native and other missionaries of the World’s Sunday School Association. These were brief but vivid. The speakers, many of them in picturesque national dress, arrested attention and aroused enthusiasm. They had different stories to tell, some of tritrniphs, others of difficulties, some of progress, and others of problems, but they were all united in testifying in their own tongue to what they had heard and seen of “ the wonderful works of God.” These were most interesting and challenging, and were an outstanding feature of this great world gathering. The following “ glimpses ” are taken from the official report, just recently to hand:— BIBLE LANDS. Mr Hanna Ghalib, the Syrian field secretary, in the course of his talk said:— “ Bible Lands.—The lands that reflect His footprints and echo His eternal voice. The small Christian community of His birthplace that has witnessed to His redeeming love through the ages, and the children around whom He threw His blessed arms of love, send to the council and the delegates to the Oslo convention u' message of gratitude and Christian fellowship and love. That love for which the whole world is now clamouring—not excluding Bible lands itself. It is a curious but pathetic fact that the Living Christ is facing to-day in Bible lands the same religious and radical prejudices, conflicts, dissensions, jealousies, hatred, and crime He faced in His flesh 2,000 years ago— Jew against Greek and Roman, Jew against Arab and non-Roman. There are in that small strip of land, Bible Lands, to-day at least four distinct races—Arab, Jew, Armenian, and Assyrian. I shall not talk about the varied activities of our Sunday School Union in their various forms—Sunday school organisation, producing of literature, and -the arranging for conferences, etc.—nor am I going to give any statistics, but I shall be satisfied in giving three moving pictures of the work. The first is a picture of the General Committee of Bible Lands. In that committee outstanding repreof Eastern, Anglican, and Protestant churches of Arabic, English, and Armenian tongues get together around the same table to discuss the sacred task of the religious education of the child. The second picture represents a Syrian pastor, an Armenian father, a young Sunday school teacher, an Armenian pastor side by side with American, English, Danish, and German missionaries spending together two or three weeks in the conference centre of Bible Lands in fellowship and training for the sacred task of the religious education of the child. My third picture is a summer school in North Syria. In that school are members of 13 different denominations, come together to play and pray, to praise and worship Christ together. It is a great and a glorious challenge to bring every individual soul, young and old, to live the verse: "Were the whole realm of Nature mine That were an offering far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all. EGYPT AND THE SUDAN. “ From the land of the Pharaohs, the land of pre-eminent history and ancient civilisation, the country of puzzle and mystery, a country which both the Old and New Testament mention within their sacred lines in connection with the children of Israel and the flight of the Saviour, yea, a land which is to-day the great citadel of'lslam, I convey the greetings and hearty sympathy of ‘ blessed Egypt,’ ” said the Rev. Wahby Boulus, in his telling address. He then went on to refer to the work of the Egypt and Sudan Sunday School Union; to the influence this had been as a peacemaker between the Evangelical and Coptic Churches, and to the contribution the varied activities of the Sunday school had made to the life of the country. “ Does it seem like magic or a dream,” he asked, “ that at this very moment when I am standing here about 100 daily vacation Bible schools are being conducted by some 200 teachers. and attended by some 4.200 boys and girls?” GERMANY. There was very keen interest in the delegation from Germany. The conditions under which the churches are working in that country could be gathered from the statement made to the convention by Missions Inspector Braun, of Berlin. It is not easy to summarise the ever-changing situation in Germany so far as the youth work of the German churches is concerned, but although the work maintained by the National S.S. Association of Germany (the Lutheran Church) is not as progressive as it once _ was, the association is still maintaining its hold and exercising a great influence upon the youth of the church.

The Rev. Dr Sommer, of Frankfurt-on-Main, the leader of the German Free Church S.S. Association, stated that the Free Church movement was more than holding its own, and was making increasing efforts to combat the influence of anti-religious organisations. The devotion and steadfastness to the Christian teaching and of youth on the part of the German Sunday school leaders and teachers evoked a sympathetic understanding on tha part of the convention. NORWAY. On behalf of Norway the Rev. H. E. Riddervold said: ‘‘We have been very pleased here in Norway to receive friends of the S.S. work from all parts of the world. We have been 'looking forward to this convention with great expectations. Sunday school teachers in all parts of our country from Finmark in the north to Lindesnaes in tha south, have willingly and joyfully procured the means which have enabled us to see you with us.” Norway is a Protestant country. Ninety-nine per cent, of the people belong to Protestant congregations, among which our State Church is tha most numerous, including 97 per cent, of the people. At the opening session our highly-honoured chairman, Bishop Lunde, mentioned how very grateful we are that we have a good religious education in our schools. Practically every child is getting religious teaching. At the age of 14 or 15 it is finished up with the confirmation classes, given by the clergy. Consequently Sunday school work has not been properly appreciated, as the general opinion has been that the children get sufficient religious knowledge in tho day schools. But in the course of the last 30 or 40 years the Sunday school has gained a strong position within all congregations. Now we have 2,893 Sunday schools in Norway, with 197,600 pupils and 11,670 teachers. The inhabitants of Norway number 2,900,000. Tho Sunday school children number 50 per cent, of the children going to tho normal schools. It is not easy’ for us to keep up Sunday school work in all parts of our widespread country, rich in mountains, forest, and fjiords, and with the vast regions of the midnight sun in the north. Nature itself has confronted us with great obstacles in our Sunday school work. But these are not the only difficulties. Sporting and touring get the better of our Sundays, which are running the great risk of being secularised. The like is felt among the children, especially in the,towns. Besides must be mentioned the growing religious indifference. We have been looking forward to the convention, and we hope it will prove an inspiration to our people. —Religious Instruction in Norwegian State Schools.— In the matter of religious education in its day schools, Norway may _be said to lead the world. Every morning class in the public schools is opened with devotions, and the pupils have from four to six class hours per week of Bible history, New Testament teaching, hymns, and the Catechism. The ■people of Norway are realising more and more the immense importance _of bringing all the ehillren of the nation under the influence of the Word of God.