OTAGO UNIVERSITY CHRISTIAN UNION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19202, 19 June 1924, Page 11

OTAGO UNIVERSITY CHRISTIAN UNION.

INTERESTING ADDBESSES. At the fortnightly meeting of the Otago University Christian Union, held in the Alien Hall on Wednesday, the evening was taken up by papers read to members of the union by members of the Presbyterian Theological Hall. Hr J. O. Salmond, M.A., president of the union, was in the chair, and introduced the speakers, who all gave excellent expositions of their subjects to a large and appreciative audience. The plan of the meeting was to seek to co-relate the advances in modern thought with everyday evangelism and practical Christianity. Mr T. Patterson, M.A., spoke on the new psychology in its relationship to religion. He differentiated between the psychology of the conscious mind and the psychology of the nub-conscious; or in other words, the now psychology. Of the various subdivisions of the latter he dealt with auto-suggestion and nsycho-analyais. Psycho-analysis had revealed the defence mechanism in the minds of individuals. This was illustrated by the artificial laugh and the tendency of a deaf person to be garrulous. These defence mechanisms of the mind had thrown an entirely new light on the question of hypocrisy. The hypocrite wes one who, in response to a sub-conscious call for self-protection, adopted a policy inconsistent with the logical claims of his conscious mind. There was a great danger in baulking the natural instincts of the individual, as these then tended to find an outlet in some unnatural channel. This threw fresh light on the question of sin, which the new psychologists defined as “a false indulgence of a natural outlet.” It was to be avoided by gratifying all natural instincts where this could be legitimately done, or else diverting (he necessity for their expression into other appropriate but more satiMacfory channels. These natural instincts should not be baulked. Thus in the true religion there was no asceticism, since every impulse that was natural should have its natural gratification, because every natural impulse was of Cod. The speaker also dwelt on (he questions of auto-suggestion, and illustrated his remarks with references to the miracles of Christ, to faith-healing, and to neurasthenia. In conclusion he dwelt on the essential social nature of man and the Fatherhood of God, and emphasised his contention that the now psychology in both centre and core supported Christianity and in no sense detracted from it. Mr H. J. Hubbard, M.A., spoke on “Evangelism and Higher Criticism.” He first defined evangelism and higher criticism. In its essential nature the latter was popularly misunderstood. By higher criticism wn e meant that type of scholarship which nought to study the date, authorohip, mode of construct ion, and general biography of the Books of the Bible. It offered no criticism of spiritual problems, but. sought merely to increase knowledge, altd no strengthen (he weapons of the evangelist. It brought, a fuller understanding of difficult ice that must confront all earnest biblical students. An evangelist who was ■>, higher critic «’aa better equipped for his work than one who had not acquired the same point of view. This had been well proved in the case of T)r George Jackson, working in Hie slums of Manchester. The passion of the evangelist could go hand in hand with the fearlessness of the student. All truth is God's truth, and as such would s*and for ever, and the desire of the higher critic was to bring the advantages of fuller truth and knowledge to those whose faith had been weakened by the inconsistencies of literalism. Mr tV. W. M'Arthnr dealt with ‘ The Kingdom of God and Evangelism.” Bo stressed the necessity for a dear understanding in the mind of every person who used the phrase Mto its moaning. Too often it had been need as a convenient cnfcliphraive. Christ, Himself, showed clearly that, by His use of the phraso Ho meant a real actual kingdom, and that its establishment wa* the final purpose of God, and the

f n - which Christ came to earth. In'both !h‘e opemng and cluing ot Christ’s ministry on earth He was »pi« fiontcd as preaching the ‘‘Kingdom of God. In the partible and the Kurd s lhayer us importance was insisted on. By the Kingdom of God Christ meant a new social on God and a new type of miration centred in God. It was a complete, revolutionary method of dealing with a world that had failed to adjust itself by money, war m i„ v . Christ stressed the salvation c 4 th individual, but this indirectly was to be the salvation of the society. the Christian was to be absoibod into the society that needed him and was not to hold lumsoJl ■itool' No man' was really saved whose, in terests were still self-centred. And through it all Christ worked by the power of love H was the kev which gave the freedom ot the Kingdom ol God. The vivid reality o* |he brotherhood of man followed naturally. 'l'lwt tyne of evangelism winch iiopre.sentcd the salvation of the individual only was not this type which was likely to extend further or hasten the coming of the Kingdom of At the conclusion of the papers a. discussion followed. Kxcent.ion was taken by Romo members to the contention o' one of the speakers that the best cvaugalist was likely to he one with a knowledge of tiro hi'dier criticism. A very general discussion followed a this point. It was pointed out that, the nature of the wonk of such a critic would tend to divorce his sympathies from tho great, mays of .humanity that ho should reach. On the other hand ho could impart the result of his findings to those whoso work concerned more particularly the maimiity of mankind. The higher critic could teach tho evangelist and tho evangelist could carry the message of Christianity with a firmer conviction of it® inviolability. A hearty vole of thanks to all those who hud spoken closed a. helpful and illuminating meeting.