“GREATEST QUESTION.”

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 15 October 1929, Page 7

“GREATEST QUESTION.”

REUNION OF CHURCHES,

LAMBETH CONFERENCE. “If the reunion of Christendom was the -great question at the Lambeth Conference in 1920, it will -certainly be the greatest of all questions at the Lambeth Conference of 1930, and the- decisions of that conference will be fraught with tremendous -consequences to. the future not only of the Anglican Church, but also of the whole Church of God.” said Archbishop Av-erill on the question of Church reunion in the first -part, of his charge to the Auckland Diocesan Synod in- St. Mary’s Cathedral. The appeal made for reunion -at the last Lambeth Conference was 'one of the- motet Christl-ike, things that the Anglican Church had ever done, the' Archbishop said. It was the refusal to be bound by old letters- and even by old ideals. “The fact that the appeal has. not ' -met with the response from Christian people that one might have expected in no way detracts from the willingness of the Church of England to sacrifice much that is dear to her for the slake of unity, and 'has surely paved the way for a still greater effort to- prove her willingness and fitness to 1 bo the bridge Church in bringing -about the fulfill Dent of the prayer ‘lit unum silnit,’ ’’ lie said. “The truth of the matter is that the rank and file, of Christian people have not realised the sinfulness of divisions in the body -of -Christ, and therefore have no real paission for unity. ’ ’ It seemed almost paradoxical that whereas there was -a movement for closer fellowship and goodwill among the people of the world to-day the efforts' of the Church in the same -direction were so fco-blei that there was- widespread distrust o-f organised religion.

"The Church needs the vision to see that our unhappy divisions' are hiding the Christ from the eyes of the worh! ond putting a stumbling-block in the way of His working and mission today,” his Grace added. "We talk about unity, and is not the time overdue for really working for unity instead of spending so- much time and energy in ■discovering obstacles? Fortunately, I think the question of reunion Ss cca;>|ing to bo an academic one, in the mission field at any rate, and the movement towards 1 indigenous self-governing churches which was strongly supported by the last Lambeth. Conference is now a question of vital importance for the progress of the Church. Why should young native churches be- hampered in their development by the decesive spirit of sectarianism? In theory no one could defend the perpetuating of schisms in the mission field. In Gre'at Britain reunion, was desired academically and without passion, but in Persia,' India, China, and elsewhere the issue] was one of vital and immediate import-] a nee. It wa s quite certain that union among the great majority of non-Epis-eopnl bodies would, come within thej next decade.

"Perhaps the most momentous discussion at the next Lambeth Conference would centre round the South Indian scheme for reunion,” said the Archbishop. "negotiations had commenced in 19.19 with the object of formulating a scheme for reunion, in South India to embrace practically all the main missionary activities outside those of the Roman Catholic communion. According to the last report of the negotiating bodies held at Madras this year, the government of such United Church would be a constitutional episcopacy, the appointment of bishops being by election. It was laid down that while the episcopacy, with all its legitimate functions. would be agreed to without any reservation, it would be understood that, no- particular interpretation of fact of the historic episcopate was implied. In other words, the United Church would be as broad on the point as the Church of England to-day.”