NEEDS OF THE AGE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 21 February 1931, Page 14

NEEDS OF THE AGE

CHURCHES’ PROBLEMS CALL TO UNITY DUNEDIN, 19th February. “If there is one thing that condemns the Church of the past it lias been her failure to keep Christ’s central Jaw of love. Never can the Gospel of love make its full appeal to the world until it is convincingly and conclusively manifested in the household of faith within.” in these terms reference lo the subject of Church union was made by the Rev. K. D. l’atcliett, the newlyelected president of the New Zealand Methodist Church, in the course of his inaugural address at the opening of the Church's annual conference. All barriers, and they were hut flimsy barriers to-day, continued the speaker, were ready to break down before . the touch of the finger of love. Surely the world needed, as never before, the witness of a united Church. His own belief was that if the churches of this land would take their own cherished traditions and Church loyalties, and lay them at the feet of Christ in a spirit of sacrificial love, in order that they might rise up as one, the effect of their witness would 1)0 immeasurably increased, and the Church would shine with renewed splendour.

NEGLECT OE THE CHURCH “Wo live to-day in a world,” said the president, “which confessedly has little love for the Church. That does not mean that the world is to be roundly condemned, nor the Church unduly pitied. Men to-day have fallen eagerly in love with the wonderful new life and liberty which are theirs. Hence their neglect of the Church. But the Church knows that her day is coming. Alan’s nature is such that it is bound to come.” It was true, Mr Hatchett'continued, that a preoccupied world was to-day captivated by the glamour of its own achievements and ambitions. It hurried past the Church s door, not with execration, but merely forgetful of the Church in the feast of life. It turned a deaf ear to the Church’s message, not because it believed there was no God to worship, no divine law lo keep, but because it was carried forward on the fiood time of a new and captivating experience. Within the lifetime of the present generation the world had accelerated to such a degree that it seemed to have been projected centuries into the future. What wonder that many had been carried off their feetl But while the outward conditions of life had greatly changed, the heart of man was still the same, and because the Church of God thought long, long thoughts, it could afford to look with a certain calmness and courage upon the present tendency.

DANGER OF INDIFFERENCE There was, however, a subtle danger lo the Church in an indifferent age—that of accepting herself at the world’s valuation of being intimidated by the indifference of men. Seeing the world flowing past her doors in ever-increas-ing flood she was apt to trail her faith as a broken wing. Vet the chief peril of the Church had never been the presence or absence of the multitude; her chief peril had been that her own light should grow dim and her spiritual fervour abate. Let her hold on her high way of unselfish service to God and man, and great would he her reward. The more her message was scorned, the more necessary it became; the more difficult her day, the greater the call for her devotion. He urged that they should believe in the future of their Church as earnestly and hopefully as they believed in God, for llio temple they built could never ho destroyed except, Samson-like, they pulled it about their own oars. Reminding themselves continually of the divine origin of the Church, and her divinely-ordain-ed purpose of bringing in the reign of God on earth, they should not be too disturbed by the prevalent criticism that the Church had had its day, that institutional religion was dying—a false prophecy. Jhe only possible ground for a paralysing pessimism concerning the future of the Church was the unthinkable fear that Christ had changed His purpose concerning her, or withdrawn Ilis presence from her. Their thought of the Church should not be governed by the uncharitable prophecies of the world, but by the word of Jesus, Who had promised that the gates of Hell should not prevail against it,

EFFECTS OF WAR

Tiie Methodist witness was of great value in an ago of spiritual declension. It supported the view that the heart of man, underneath its modern -veneer, is incurably religious, that human life is marvellously redeemable. In assessing the Church’s problems to-day, had they reckoned with the Great War, and made allowance for the historical verdict that the harvest of a great war was always a hitter harvest? As the Church shared in the crime of war, so she must surely share in its curse. It

was no exaggeration to say that Ihoyj jived in an age when nearly every . moral and spiritual ideal had been | lainted by the foul breath of war. ’I hat , was part of the price they were called upon to pay for the world s madness. J But the price would lie paid, and an, unencumbered future emerge, lor the dying of Nature to live was a parable <ii the Church. As a living organism the Church, of course, must adapt her- j self to new conditions, proving not only that she has an unchanging foundation, j hut an expanding life. 'then would come the fulfilment of tlm whole law o | social brotherhood and love, the final j outlawry of evils such as war ami the licensed liquor traffic, the high enthronement of justice and righteousness for all. lie urged that as a necessary, condition of the application of the Gospel to the needs of the new age they must give more attention in an educated evangelism, and to the spiritual, nurture of the young, who presented i such splendid material to work upon. | In this connection, believing, in the, inalienable right of every child in t.ie > land to grow up with a knowledge ot God and Ilis Word, their Church ar- | dentlv supported the work of the 1 Bible-in-Schools League. They rejoiced in the concordat with the Roman , Catholic Church, believing that tins . amicable understanding had brought the , Promised Land in sight.