CHURCH REUNION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 29 June 1935, Page 12

CHURCH REUNION

NEED MANIFEST Tlie divisions of Christendom have not arisen wantonly.;; they have a long history and concern principles on \yhich men rightly have strong feelings, writes Canon C. E; Raven in the “listener.” To sacrifice conviction to expediency 01 to sentiment would ho to betray a trust. To. unite, except upon a basis of genuine' fellowship ana agreement, would be to invite future disruption. Yet the need for unity is manifest. How can any Christian expect the nations to come to agreement, when the Churches cannot ever meet to discuss their common cause? llow can he proclaim the law of love, when he is exposed to the taunt “see how these Christians love one another” ? We may have ‘to move slpwjy; hut wo belie our profession unless we are striving to move as fast as we can. In fact, as compared with any other period since the Reformation, the past fifteen years have seen a movement both rapid and general. The Lambeth appeal of 1920, the re-union of the l’reshyterinn churches in Scotland, the re-union of Methodism, the South India scheme, the Lausanne Conference—'these are concrete evidence of the extent, of that movement; and they could be supplemented by a long tale of conversations and negotiations, of delegations and fraternal visits. Moreover, apart from official action, the relations between the denominations have improved to 01 degree that before the war would have seemed impossible. Not only do members of all the Churches constantly appear upon a common platform, but many of us have addressed meetings and taken services for almost all the denominations, and that without any sense of restraint or insincerity. Already I believe there is a conviction that a real spiritual unity exists, that the points that separate us do not really divide; and that though formal re-union must not be hurried, it is much less remote than we commonly suppose, and, is, perhaps, less important than the cooperation which we arc already achieving.