THE CHURCHES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18388, 2 May 1923, Page 6

THE CHURCHES.

v Sir, Mr. Norman E.'Burton, in,a re-- -"■■; cent issue under ; the heading -'Ha«cl:el and Evolution," raiaes what seems to ;• mo an important -■• question Vby asking I whethor the Methodist Church endorses ;i; Mr. Herbert Booth's views. In rour C- p loader on March 19—in which you rnado" : -'.' interesting comment upon tho' statement . of ideals issued ;by the; Congregational : ' (Union of ■'.' New Zealandyou mentioned ;p£|| that the statement was " one that might ", be made by almost every, if not, indeed, v ; by ; every denomination. The ideals set forth chiefly emphasised tho need 'for! ..->•■■ progressive ; thought '-I and \ theological restatement in :'; terms of modern' knowledge}. _ > which ideals —it is hardly necessary, u>~V : C\ say—-are utterly arid emphatically repudiated by Mr. Booth, who is recently • re- \.' ported, to have; said,, among other simil- V. arly conceived statements, that, "some I ;, ■'',',(,. plar is. jiceded yf hereby the true BibleChristian's 'of to-day ■] may > : ' distinguish >' themselves ,; from tho so-called Christians' .... of modern- thought.'' Whatever minor -.: differences, if ' any. they may have it is \,l evident that Mr. Booth and ; Oliver—:,' „ f who also has a considerable following in Aucklandare at one in the main: it .s ,'qj also evident that 7. thel ■■ Baptists are largo- '_ ly with them, also Mr.'; Murray's recently „' formed denomination. It a >v<Juld "ccm' .", tainly be x interesting ;' to know whether, :V? by giving Mr, Boot'li- their leading pul- ,' pit for the propagation of his views, the > l Methodist? Church ns a whole is associting itself with '•'<" his teaching. "Dr. .'"'./ Oliver stated rin my hearing somethingf' ; to: this effect—that he thought tho time, was , not i, long distant when thosa,; • ; who'believed the Bible -: from "cover to-' ;. ;i cover " would withdraw : from - the var- ' : '}P ious -churches and, form one organisation, leaving the! "Agnostics, Infidels . and Higher Critics" .to ■ continue t their- de- ; J structive and devil-inspired -wbrk.' Thi»/-,: hardly seems to bear out your statement : -~.;, to which I,- first 1 alluded "and it seems toyp| me that in view of Mr. Booth's nega- ' tive and melancholy "gospel the ...tuna - ,' : is fully ripe for '■■such ideals as Congre- ' - gationalism standi for to bo prominently '/ taught and practised, by those -of 7 -our'-' -' preachers who have caught the vision for .which".--" Modernism,'! rightly understood, Stands. CoNGnEOATIONAMRT, '