CHURCH AND WAR

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20137, 5 January 1940, Page 5

CHURCH AND WAR

NEED FOR SELF-DENIAL EQUALITY OF SACRIFICE CHAPLAIN’S APPEAL The need for self-denial and a return to Christian principles and Christian leadership to win the war and reconstruct civilisation, was discussed by the Rt. Rev. G. V. Gerard. Bishop of Waiapu and Chaplain-Gen-eral io the Forces, in an interview ;n Wellington. “Too often it is those people who are themselves making no great, sacrifices, either for church or State, who are most, insistent about what somebody else ought to do," said the bishop. “At present there is an enormous gap between Ihe responsibilities accepted by those of our men who have enlisted in the forces and have thus accepted the consequent disruption of their lives, and the rest of the community who face at most a few losses or inconveniences.

“Here in New Zealand we have as yet shown little inclination to surrender anything of our place in the sun, with its wonderful opportunities and high material standard of living, for the purpose of improving the lot of less fortunate human communities. It would seem that some substantial gestures of self-denial by the favoured people of the. earth will have to be included in the terms by which, we hope and believe, war will eventually be eliminated from civilised society. “There is much truth in the saying that nations as a rule get the Governments warranted by the state of pubiic opinion. And Christians are convinced that world affairs will never be righted until the peoples accepting Christ insist upon being led by men in whom faith is a practised reality. To rebuild a vigorous Christian public opinion, after a period of distinctively pagan materialism, must inevitably take time and labour.”