THE BIBLE'S MESSAGE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23528, 17 June 1938, Page 16

THE BIBLE'S MESSAGE

“ CAN WE AFFORD TO IGNORE rrr ADDRESS BY PRINCIPAL T. C HAMMOND “ The Bible Message and the Modern Man ” was the subject of an address given in the Concert Chamber last evening by Principal T. C. Hammond, of Moore Theological College, and a lecturer at Sydney University. Ihe trend of reeent years was toward scepticism, and the impression that parts of the Bible were out of date, he said: but he emphasised that the Bible had a message, and that that message provided for the great need of the world to-day—peace of soul. There was a good attendance, Over which the Rev. Thomas Miller presided. Before Mr Hammond was introduced, hymns were sung, and a lesson was read by Mr Gordon Smith, president of the Otago University branch of the Evangelical Union. Mr Hammond was introduced by the chairman, who said that, the Evangelical

Union was a movement worthy of discussion with the great revival which originated in the eighteenth century from a small circle of Oxford students led by John Wesley. It was a movement that had become a power among Christian students, Mr Hammond had come across to New Zealand to make personal contacts with members of the New Zealand colleges who were interested in the movement. Refection of Social Conditions Mr Hammond discussed the growing impression of recent years that a large part of the Bible was out of date. Ke referred to arguments that sounded very pretentious but were easily raid obviously reduced to nothing, and spoke in some detail of evolution and its real meaning. In recent years signs of degeneracy in the world had been discovered. A tremendous body of material had resulted from archaeological research, much of which would not be collated for some time yet. Some knowledge was already available, however, and Mr Hammond said he had read a number of these translated tablets. All of the Old Testament, he emphasised, reflected just the social conditions that were now being restored by this new line of invesigation and which provided an entirely new view. “God takes men exactly where he finds them,’’ he said. “ and reveals Hintself through the manner of life familiar to them. And so we have the Book which has come down to to-day.” The mighty Babylonian conceptions and ether great conceptions were gone, and the world-wide message of the. Bible was a phenomenon. “Do you think modern life can alford to refuse and abandon that message? ” he asked his audience. “This age has .produced a philosophy of complete pessimism, that our end is entire destruction. /The Bible cuts right across that particular pessimism. God calls that there is 1 something beyond this life, and the writers in the Old Testament are particularly insistent on that message.” Skin-deep Sceptfcisns , A great many young men and women to-day played with the foundation principles of the Christian faith. Their scepticism was only skin deep, and Mr Hammond suggested it was not fair to be deriding while reaping the fruits of , Christian civilisation. “ God has spoken," he said, “ and very dully *tnd dimly men have heard His voice. However dully and dimly they have heard, though, it has made a difference to their outlook.” To-day God’s vital message had been denied and the world seemeed to be going back and buck into the things that it was thought had been trampled underfoot. Was there no superstitition? he asked, “As We continue to abandon the idea of God ; speaking to man, that movement will increase,” he continued. “We are drifting back in proportion to the loss of the realisation that God has relation to the individual soul. The demand among scientists to-day was for proof and more proof. Who was God manifest in the flesh, the Carpenter who came out of a town of poor reputation? If it were asked how it was known that He said the words attributed to Him, the answer was that somebody said them. It did not matter who; but they were true and had lived through 2000 years. That Man had' bent the world to His words, find it was impossible to get away from them. But He was not dependent on His words. The interpretation of His character was not in His life but in - His death. Could the world do without His message to-day? Had people no sins? “Our need is for peace of soul,” Mr Hammond concluded. “And there Is only one trail blazoned through the centuries to that end, the end of the Cross of Calvary* v Peace, Pardon, Hope, Heaven —that is the Bible’s message for the modern./' man. Can we afford to ignore it?”