CHRISTIAN ORDER CAMPAIGN.

Evening Star, Issue 24296, 10 September 1942, Page 7

CHRISTIAN ORDER CAMPAIGN.

TO THE EDITOR Sir,—There must be many laymen who deprecate, as I do, this serai-religious and semi-political campaign, and who will agree that it should not pass without protest. As a prelude to my remarks it will not be out of place to mention that 1 am a sincere Christian and a church officer of many years standing. In my humble opinion tho campaign is open to objection on many grounds. One alone will suffice for this letter. The drum ecclesiastic is being loudly beat to tho tune that Christianity and the Church must justify themselves by remedying all tho economic ills that man is heir to. The address of Archdeacon Bullock at Christchurch sufficiently illustrates the absurdly wide economic programme that is being put forward as the bounden duty of tho Church. I am not going to criticise the programme, but merely wish to observe that our Church leaders are tempting Providence in a way that makes one fear the popular reaction when the Church fails—as it must fail—to produce a miraculous millcuium. When the noise dies down, and when the chickens of failure come home to roost, many there will be who will feel deeply disillusioned about the Church and religion. Many, too, will there be whoso common sense has kept them clear of airy and nebulous dreams, who have never believed that the Church’s mission was to give us economic or political guidance, and who will still look for comfort and consolation to a religion uncorruptcd by crude Socialistic sophistry. Let the Church keep to her own sphere, and not seek to proselytise mankind by preaching a new and impracticable gospel made up of all tho threadbare and foolish slogans of our demagogues and cranks. I for one am prepared to take my religion from the Bible, but refuse to take my politics from priest or pastor. I disagree with their politics, and fervently wish they would leave such things alone.—l am, etc., Layman. September 9.