CHURCH CONTROVERSY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20105, 16 November 1928, Page 16

CHURCH CONTROVERSY.

A DOCTRINAL CLASH.

DR. H. D. A. MAJOR'S BELIEFS

A CHARGE OF MODERNISM. [FROM on; OWN CORRESPONDENT.] LONDON. Oct. 5. The Church Congress, which has been lit Id at Cheltenham under the presidency of I,ho Bishop of Gloucester, opened in a less harmonious atmosphere than usual. The fact that Dr. H. D. A. Major, principal of Ripon Hall, a theological college in Oxford, is one-of the contributors to tho session devoted to "The Anglican Interpretation of the Christian Faith," has led to a protest, headed.by Viscount Halifax, and supported, it is said, by some thousand of tho clergy.

Dr. Major is an ex-New Zealatider and was born in Auckland. He had a brilliant academic career at Oxford, and bocame principal of Ripon Hall in 1919. He is examining chaplain to the Bishop of Birmingham, and has been Select Preacher at both Oxford and Cambridge and Noble Lecturer at Harvard. The controversy began with a letter signed by Lord Halifax, president of the English Church Union, arid some 700 or 800 clergy asking the Bishop of Gloucester to prohibit Dr. Major from speaking at tho congress on the grounds of his modernist, teaching. Reply by the Bishop. The Bishop explained in .an open letter that he offered to meet those who presented (he letter to him, but the clergy concerned refused his offer on the ground that tho matter did not admit of discussion. Ho gathered that they demanded that tho Church should accept their opinions without criticism or discussion, and he thought they had thus shown themselves unfit to deal with such subjects. Tho Bishop considers in detail some of Dr. Major's recent writings. "With sotno of the statements," he says, "1 disagree; some I should express differently; but I think the majority of them are held by most intelligent church-people at the present time. I would say something in particular about one point—tho Virgin Birth. Ido not believo that tho reasons for denying it are adequate, but at tho present time this doctrine causes great difficulty to many earnest and devout Christians whom you would recognise as loyal churchmen, and it would not be possible to condemn all such as heretical. The truth and implications of this doctrine must at the present time be submitted to reverent and careful investigation if many

people are not to be driven into a dogmatic rejection of it, and no other treatment would bo wise or possible. "Carelessness" of Document.

"Dr. Major believes in tho supernatural. but not the miraculous. That means that tho supernatural is in accordance with nature and not an interference with it. His belief in a 'perfectly human Christ' is absolutely orthodox", as also his belief in a 'full human consciousness.' Tho final statement is not one of Dr. Major's, but of some unknown Modernist. It certainly is precarious, if not definitely heretical. "It is significant, of the carelessness with which this document is drawn up that a prejudice should be created against Or. Major by quoting something which he has never said and which does not represent his teaching. I presume that this passage is the excuse for tho many letters that 1 have received boldly stating that Dr. Major denies tho Divinity of our Lord. lam afraid that, as the writers show no sign of having investigated the matter, or give any good grounds for the statements that they have made, thuv have laid themselves open to the charge of grievously slandering their neighbour." Open and Free Discussion. The Bishop goes on to say:—"What I am in off'ef asked to do is on the ground of a number of passages divorced from their context to condemn Dr. Major without giving him an opportunity of stating his case. That seems to mo to represent the method of the Church of Rome as described by Cardinal Newman, arid Your Lordship will remember that passage in bis life which shows how strongly he condemns such a practice. I would venture to suggest to you a more excellent way. "I would ask you to believe that Dr. Major, eotially with Your Lordship, is a sincere believer in the Divinity of our Lord, and in the gospel of Christ; that he, as we all do, feels the difficulty and urgency of the many problems created by the new thought, of the day; that he is anxious to defend the truth that he believes; and that he is attempting to build up an apologetic and a philosophy of his faith which is in with modern thought. Ido not entirely agree with his method or his statements; T think they will be found to be erroneous; but the way to meet tberii is by open and free discussion."