RELIGIOUS RELATIONS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21875, 10 August 1934, Page 17

RELIGIOUS RELATIONS

LIVERPOOL CATHEDRAL ADDRESSES PY UNITARIANS APOLOGY *TO DR. JACKS [from our owx correspondent] LONDON, July 6 "In placing the interests of religion First and the interests of Church policy second you have lit a candle in the Church of England that will not easily be put out. The light of it will have a far penetration both in time and in space." These are the concluding words of a letter from Dr. L P. Jacks to the Dean of Liverpool and Canon C. E. Haven, who was formerly canon at Liverpool Cathedral. The reference is to the trouble that arose through Unitarians being invited to give addresses in the cathedral. At a service of the commoners the canon in residenco last Sunday read what was described as "the apology of the dean and Professor Haven to Dr. Jacks, with Dr! Jack's reply." The apology, addressed from Liverpool Cathedral, and the reply, occupied 21 typewritten pages. Some extracts from the apology read: "In expressing to yon our regret for what has taken place, may we take the opportunity to state what have been the ideals and principles on which we of the Liverpool Cathedral have been acting? We do so in order to answer once for all the accusation that the invitation to you was an act of sudden and ill-considered impuise, a deliberate attempt to provoke excitement, or a dramatic and shocking innovation. Out-01-date Divisions "At the time of the consecration of our cathedral the most representative leaders of the Church of England united to assure us that a great opportunity lay before us and a great responsibility upon us, that the cathedral, built with the goodwill of a modern industrial city, must strive to rise above narrow and sectional interests, and that in a day of fresh beginnings our loyalty to the Anglican Communion should express itself in a reverent and courageous adventuring. Not less plainly was this advice emphasised by both the present archbishops at the Church Congress held three years after the consecration in our own diocese."

Referring to the special services arranged outside the ordinary church hours, the writers of the letter say: "We hoped to bring into an experience of Christian fellowship some of those ■who were outside all 'Church' connections and who were not ready or not able to appreciate the traditional usage. We decided from the first that for such a service we should try to obtain the help of men and women outside the ranks of Anglican clergy; "for we believed that by so doing we should gain a great enrichment for our congregation and also testify to the unity underlying our present and largely out-of-date divisions. Organised Christianity at Stake

"The experience of tho past 10 years has entirely confirmed our expectations. The service has grown steadily. Without any sort of special inducements to join, the fellowship of its congregation now numbers many thousands.; members of it are to be found all over the world and are known by the name of Commoners of Liverpool Cathedral. It has led very many to ? new understanding of Christianity, to a change of outlook and life, and to very various kinds of Christian service."

Dr. Jacks, who is principal of Manchester College, Oxford, in his reply, said: "The general effect of your letter, on my own mind, is to confirm a longheld conviction that unless the Churches of Christendom are able to transcend their institutional selfishness, their corporate self-seeking and uncharitable relations among themselves, learning to help rather than to hinder one another, and to bear each other's burdens instead of 'ncreasing them; unless, that is, they are willing to put religion before Church policy, the days of organised Christianity are most assuredly numbered."