THE STUDY OF THE BIBLE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 7 March 1925, Page 16

THE STUDY OF THE BIBLE.

ADDRESS BY GOVERNORGENERAL. SALVATION OF THE WORLD. His Excellency the Governor-General (Sir Charles Fergusson) presided, at the lymttal .meeting oi tlie New Zealand Agency o.f the tiritish and foreign ivible Society at Wellington. His Excellency expressed pleasure in indentifying himselt with tlie work of the society. He had been asked to speak on some aspects of the Bible in our national life. It was a subject a layman approached with some diffidence but he might refer to a book published last year, although it had hal'd ly reached New Zealand—a hook by Dr. Falsiek, a great American writer, “The ALodern Use of the .Bible.” Dr. Falsiek said the study of the Bible was absolutely essential to anyone ’who wished to think wisely about religion, and it was impossible to talk to anyone on religious matters without the Bible as a basis.

People were no longer Satisfied to take the Bible at its face value, owing to scientific and modern thought. They were looking anti criticising more deeply than before, and this was to be observed in children. Some were disposed to quote only such passages as suited their purpose, and on the other hand, they could not reconcile the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament they found records of events which- were against the laws of Nature and' in the New Testament were the. records of the miracles and other events. Dr. Falsiek said so- far from modern learning making it, more difficult to understand those difficulties, it was only in the light of modern-know-ledge that those differences could be reconciled and some of the discrepancies brought into harmony. The mistake had been made.of trying to reconcile things which were never meant to be reconciled.

It was an’old book in a new setting, and should be studied anew and approached in .a new way to make it understandable.- There were four ways of reading the Bible; the beautiful Bible stories, the s different books of the Bible, the various, characters, but the lasJ* and best way was instructional.development. Donald Hankev said sordid surroundings brutalised man; friendship made him human, religion made him devine. He commended Dr. Falsick’s book, < which gave a new insight into the influence of the Bible, to their notice.

His Excellency asked if they taught the Bible properly to the children in the homes, and referred to the League of Nations and the efforts which were being made for the betterment of social conditions, neither of which could succeed except through the teaching of the Gospel, yet they debarred that book from their schools. (Applause.) They would not live to see .the full results of that, but 1 they must hand on the torch of their children, and if they did not teach the children in their homes and schools how could they expect the next generation to carry on the work which they were expected to do to-day? There was great room for national thought on that point. To those who believed in tlie essential necessity of studying the Bible, who looked forward to tlie time when public opinion would declare itself in favour of education jn the Bible being of first importance, and who held with Donald Hankey that religion was a great factor in a nation’s character, that hook to which he had referred would make a special appeal. He hoped the influence of the book would lead them to see that in its fundamental principles the love of the Bible offered the best hopes for the salvation of the world.