ENGLISH RELIGIOUS LIFE

Evening Star, Issue 22618, 9 April 1937, Page 14

ENGLISH RELIGIOUS LIFE

CHURCH FAR FROM DEAD ; REV. HEABE'S IMPRESSIONS Further impressions of religious life inEngland were, given by the Rev. A. Meade, of Moray 'Place Congregational Church, in an address to the Student Christian Movement yesterday. Mr Meade..-said-his most definite impression during his recent tour abroad had been that the church was far from dead. He compared it to a _ patient who had "undergone an operation and was how recovering. The widespread restlessness and discontent in Christian circles was a good sign. If the number" "of church members were dedining the {quality of their Christianity was increasing in the face of the general, testing. There was a more -balanced presentation of the Gospel in most churches. • The reaction again'st the older revivalism had at first been in the direction of cold speculation, but a very sane and spiritual combination of the emotional and intellectual elements was now appearing. One effect of a visit to the Old Country, Mr Meade continued, was to make- one realise that Christianity was not a mushroom growth. For instance, in the-Temple Church, one portion _of which was Norman, another portion Tudor, and' another portion dated from the: fourteenth century, one felt that one was worshipping with the centuries. Every-generation had added its quota, and so the witness had been perpetuated through the ages. One was also impressed by the universality of Christianity. At a service in a cathedral like St. Paul's there were people from all parts of the world, all drawn together by the power of the Gospel. A desire to develop the instinct for worship was. widely noticeable, Mr Meade continued. There was a tendency, in the Free Churches to keep open the buildings during the day for people to’ enter, and many beautifullyarranged children’s chapels had been built. , Moving pictures, also, _ were widely used in the service of religion. One film, for instance, had shown the story of Barabbas, another had shown the history of the ancient cathedral city of Canterbury, and others were of a missionary type. When there was such a widespread use of music and art in religion there could be no objection to the use of, films. In the field of drama, also, there was a growth in the production of religious plays. Mr Meade said he had" been profoundly impressed by the way in which the children’s hour had been conducted, formerly by Dr Percy Dearmer and latterly by Mr E. R. Appleton, in which religious stories had been vividly dramas tised. Mr ■ Meade also referred to the conspicuousness of religion in the programmes of the'B.B.C. Not only were religious services broadcast, but courses of lectures were delivered on religious subjects by . eminent men. Mr Meade said -that a grave problem was raised in England by the decentralisation of the population—the tendency of city dwellers to move out into the suburbs. Central churches had become derelict, absurdly small congregations appearing in fine old buildings, and the “ churching ” of the new suburban areas was proving a grave problem. It was hoped that, the different denominations . would co-operate in seeking a solution of this problem The general looseness and laxity of attitude towards the things which Christianity held dear was not really a modern problem Mr Meade concluded. It had been a problem of the church in New- Testament times and in every subsequent, age. The chairman (Mr G. Falloon) expressed the thanks of the meeting to Mr.Mqade for his illuminating address.