CHURCHES ON TRIAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19891, 9 March 1928, Page 11

CHURCHES ON TRIAL.

FACING CYNICAL WORLD.

DENOMINATIONAL JEALOUSY.

MINISTER'S PLEA FOR UNITY.

[BT TELEGRAPH.- —OWJf CORB.ESPONDXNT. ] CHRISTCHURCH, Thursday.

"Organised Christianity is facing a changing world," declared the Rev. Lionel B. Fletcher, of Auckland, chairman of the Congregational Union of New Zealand, in addressing the annual assembly last evening. "It is facing a challenging world, a cynical world, a Christless world. We are facing these conditions with a strong Churchianity and a weak Christianity. We need not be afraid to face the situation. In fact, if we are afraid and if we fail to face it we arc doomed, as we deserve to be doomed.

"Organised Christianity was never so perfectly organised as it is to-day. It was never so wealthy. It wa.s never so rich in scholarship. It never had such tremendous opportunities for carrying out Christ's commands. Yet it is facing a world seething with discontent at its seeming inability to do more than propagate its own separate denominationalism. It is facing a new generation of young men and young women, who are not bound by their parents' traditional loyalty to denominatiou, but who are demanding of religion a reality which they do not always find in the organised churches. If the world has lost its way, it is to a large extent because the Church has lost its faith. The ordinary hardheaded man of business, the ordinary individual in the street, is not at all concerned with the theological controversies and various theories as to Biblical inspiration or authorship which vex the varying schools of thought or speculation. He is waiting for the note of authority to come from those whom he concludes ought to be his religious teachers. Union Not Yet Possible. "That note 'of authority is missing. In its place is the note of interrogation or speculation or decided doubt. . . What ari enormous opportunity it presented to the organised churches! And yet from a% parts of the world comes the same note of disappointment. We are playing with things. We seem to be afraid of the implication oi the Gospel. Our denominational jealousies poison the atmosphere. There are dozens of towns which have four or even five separate denominations j carrying on in their midst, which would be brought to Christ far better by, say, ! two strong churches devoting their strong resources to winning the rising generation to His love.

"We talk about the union ol the churches, and no one would love to see it mote than I would," said Mr. Fletcher. "But at present, it seems impossible, and I have no hesitation in saying that the chief thing that prevents it from coming is jealousy. I would to-morrow welcome the abandonment of denominationalism and the merging of all denominations into a mighty union if that we«e within the realms of practical possibility. But because I know it is not possible at this juncture, I am propounding what may appear to be a crude suggestion, but if it loads to something better I shall thank God and go forward. I suggest that in New Zealand, as soon as it can be arranged, all denominations be invited to aDpoint a small and representative body of men to meet on an absolute equality, and confer as to future work in our Dominion." Invoking Aid of Wireless. That conference, Mr. Fletcher suggested, should consider such questions as a system for the combined training of men for the ministry, the mapping out of New Zealand in such a way that the disgraceful overlapping and waste of money and energy now going on should cease, and tlie broadcasting of church services with the idea of endeavouring to come to an agreement that all denominational references should be deleted from all Services that are to go on the air. Elaborating the last-named theme, Mr. Fletcher thought that when a service was broadcast, it should bo a service in which the preacher devoted the time at his disposal to proclaiming the evangel of Christ", so that all cause for suspicion should bo eliminated, and the one object of bringing the people to know and serve the Master should bo striven for. The resources of the whole of the churches should be placed unreservedly at the disposal of the Broadcasting Company of New Zealand, so that, if necessary, both morning and evening services should be broadcast, at least during the summer when the people were awav from the churches on holidays. He also suggested that, at stated times, either in the morning nr evening of ordinary days, family worship should be conducted, as was done in America.