THE MISSION FIELD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23647, 3 November 1938, Page 8

THE MISSION FIELD

CHRISTIAN ENTERPRISE IN INDIA REVIEW OF CHURCH'S WORK INAUGURAL ADDRESS TO PRESBYTERIAN ASSEMBLY An interesting commentary on the missionary enterprise of the Christian Church by one who has devoted many years to active service in that sphere comprised the inaugural address at the opening session in First Church last night of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand by the moderator (the Rev. T. E. Riddle). After reviewing at length the early history of the missionary activities of the Christian Church, which he traced back as far as hte year 594, he dealt with the growth of Protestant enterprise in the eighteenth century. The more intimate and detailed discussion of the growth of Christianity in India covered the past 100 years. "As we look back over the past 100 years of work in India," said Mr Riddle, "we are.filled with wonder at

the great things that God has wrought. In spite of having to deal with the Hindu, whose mind is closed to consideration of faith in Christ as a way of life; in spite of having to meet the objections of the Mohammedan, whose thinking has been crystallised for him into the thought forms of the seventh century by the final revelation of the Koran; in spite of a diversity of race and creed and caste that is greater than that of all Europe; and in spite of the Indian Babel of 222 different languages, besides dialects, the Gospel has progressed amazingly. Not greater were the gains won through the Spiritdirected missionary programme of the early Christian Church than are those won by the movement of the Spirit of God among the peoples of India to-day. There have been times in India when the missionary body has been .discouraged by the slow progress of the Gospel, but it is not so to-day. Everywhere there is a spirit of optimism, for, in addition to the great normal rate of increase in converts, new movements are constantly being reported that are bringing in tens of thousands to faith in Christ." Individual Action Not Tolerated Individual conversion had not been the normal method by which the Church had grown in India. Mr Riddle said. The social organisation of each of the 700.000 villages of India was too rigid to permit of any freedom, of choice to the individual. From time immemorial the village had been organised on the basis that each group made its contribution of labour to make the village self-supporting in the food it produced and in the fotton that it grew. Each village was a self-con-tained unit, and it would not tolerate any man taking a line of his own that would enable him to break away from his group, .and so weaken the whole community. Should anyone try to do so he was opposed by every caste in the village. They made use of the terrible weapon of boycott, and, by forbidding him to draw water from their wells or to hold social intercourse with them, they were able to exert such tremendous pressure that he was forced back into the community life. For this 'reason it was almost impossible for an inquirer to stand alone for Christ in opposition to the village in which he lived. For this reason the Church had grown little by the conversion of individuals from among the village communities. A Changed Order "Of recent years," the moderator continued, "the Archeological Department of the Government of India has excavated old sites in the Punjab and Indus Valley, and has revealed a culture that is superior to that whicn exists in towns of a similar size -n the Punjab at the present day. They claim that that civilisation existed 10.000 years ago. During the thousands of years that elapsed till the armies of Darius, and. still later, of Alexander the Great entered the Punjab, India lived isolated from the outside world. But that isolation did not continue Modern life came upon them and broke over their frontiers. Newspapers, telegraph, telephone, radio thrust them into the current of world affairs. Sea and airliners brought the world to their doors. English education carried them into the swirling maelstrom of world thought. The youth of India had had to review their old religions in the light of to-day, and in increasing measure they had found them wanting. In politics they had lived, in a fiery world of agitation for the right to rule themselves. In their social lives they had found themselves cramped by ancient custom, by their caste restrictions, and by the requirements of their religious duty. In their struggle for freedom they had stripped their religions of much hampering social custom, and were more and more finding that what was left was not sufficient to satisfy their spiritual need Faced with this crisis many tens of thousands of India's youth had scrapped religion altogether; while still more, for expediency's sake, held on to the form but denied its power to bring to them any peace of heart. In their need they regarded with interest that strange inexplicable Man of Galilee, in whose personality they saw one who had found what their seers and seekers had failed to find, and what their philosophy was incapable of revealing —the way to the love and care of God.

Freedom of Choice Through education, Mr Riddle said, it had become possible for a young man to earn a living independently of his village community. The village demanded that he should line up with them in all matters of custom and worship. But when he had qualified for a clerkship, or for a position in business. he had an independent source of income that enabled him to assert himself in opposition to the demands of the village. Therefore when such a young man was convinced of the truth of the claims of Christ, he was able to make his confession without being crushed by the village boycott. A very considerable movement of these educated young men from the high caste Hindus, from Sikhs, and from Mohammedans was now in evidence. Many of them were gratudates. There were few mission stations where there had not been baptisms of this type of man, and in many parts such baptisms had become a part of the ordinary routine of work. It looked as if a movement were beginning that would be of the utmost importance for the Kingdom of God in India. Mass Movements While it is scarcely possible, said Mr Riddle, for a convert living in r« village and dependent on a village to stand alone against the pressure of the village, it was a different thing when a whole group decided as a body to change their religion, for they could still carry on their ancestral occupations without deranging the economic life of the village. In the cross-section of the life of a village there were many groups. The same

group was found in all the villages of a district. It sometimes happened that a whole group in a village desired to become Christian They influenced their relations, and they, again, influenced theirs. Soon a widespread movement was in evidence. This was known as a mass movement, and it was by the mass movement of groups that the Church in India had mainly grown.

The Urge of the Spirit Whence came the urge that made a group begin to break away from its ancestral faith and ancient social group? Few would say that it was a clearly-realised impulse from the Spirit of God. Rather it had usually a background of oppression or of the hopelessness of seeing themselves, their children, and their children? children bound by a social and economic system to grinding poverty. In the extremity of their need they became dimly conscious that the Christ, who was presented to them, was the Liberator. They began to learn of Him, and a movement of the Spirit of God began that led them on till they acknowledged His saving name Then, as they were further instructed, many of them came to that individual acceptance of Christ as the Saviour from their sin that they knew as conversion. Thus was the Church being built up all over India. In the Punjab The growth of the church in the Punjab had been great through mass movements. One hundred years ago the first little church of seven members was organised at Ludhiana. It was one little light that shone out of a great faith, but its light had spread In September of last year, said the speaker, he had driven across to Ludhi ana to attend the centenary celebrations of the founding of that little church. When he arrived he found a procession a mile and a-half long marching with banner and song through the main bazaar of that great city. All business was suspended for an' hour and a-half while the procession went by. and the townspeople were amazed to see so many Christians. There were only 2000 Christians there, but they were the representatives of a Christian community in the whole Punjab that had now grown to be more than 500,000 souls. They had begun this new century of work from a flying start of half a million, and who could foresee what the number would be at its end? Other Movements ' In other parts of the country." said Mr Riddle, "the Spirit moves, and the ingatherings are great. In the past 50 years 130.000 have been baptised, and the work still goes on. Twelve years ago a wonderful movement began in the Andhra countrv of South India. Some 70 years before there had been a mass movement of the very degraded untouchables of that part, but after years of Christian instruction their whole lives had been changed. They were cleaner in mind and body more honest, less in debt, and less given to drink. The caste Hindu farmers and others of their villages were immensely impressed by their changed lives. Thev felt that these despised outcastes had found some spiritual treasure that thev themselves had not been able to find. Finally they came to the missionaries and asked that they. too. might be instructed in this religion. Instruction

was gladly given, and a movement began that spread from one caste village to another, till over 28,000 of these caste Hindus have been baptised, and 50,000 others are under instruction for baptism. Four years ago another great movement began in Rajputana among the aboriginal Bhil tribes. After years of work among them groups of them began to ask for instruction. The movement spread rapidly, and in four years 30,000 of them have been baptised. So the work of God goes on, and from all over India we hear of new areas in which these group movements have begun. One began a few years ago in a district in South India that had been counted as sterile. The missionaries had worked there Tor 100 years with scarcely any response, but 10 years ago the people began to come in, and 10.000 have been baptised." Fifty Millions Move-~Whither?

The upsurge of the outcaste against the intolerable position of serfdom and social ostracism imposed on them by the Hindu religion was voiced three years ago by their leader. Dr Ambedkar, when he announced that he and his community had decided to leave Hinduism and join some other community that would give them their rights. The announcement brought consternation to the Hindus, for it meant that their communal representation in the legislatures would be weakened by the transfer of an immense vote from them to some other community. As the Christians had for 50 years been working for the uplift of the outcastes and had been the only community that had ever given them a helping hand, there seemed to be a likelihood that they would join with the church. Dr Ambedgar's move was largely political; there was not in it much evidence of its being a movement of the Spirit of God, and without that spiritual basis there was no rock on wnich Christ could build Hi? Church. But apart from their desire for political and social betterment there was in the uprising of tho outcaste a stirring of spiritual desire, and while the present movement might pass them by, another might be on them at anv time. If even a portion of the 50,000.000 outcastes were to be won, was the church, either at home or abroad, readv to receive and instruct them? Even now, the church was over-burdened with giving, spiritual teaching to those who had come to her. for in India there was now a Christian community of 6,000 000 souls. One in every 50 of India's great population was now a professed Christian, and, for many years past, the normal rate of increase had been 15.000 a month. CHURCH CONTROL PASSING OF GRANTS MEETING OF SYNOD The Presbyterian Synod of Otago and Southland met yesterday in First Church. The moderator (the Rev. H. T. Blair) presided over a fairly large attendance of ministers and lay members. Increasing of Grants Amendments to the regulations were made increasing the grants that might be made in certain cases for manses from £75 to £100; increasing grants for churches from £IOO to £200; and increasing grants that might be made for the removal of churches from £IOO to £2OO. It was explained that the price of land and other costs had risen to such an extent that alterations in the amounts of grants were necessary Educational Surplus It was decided that for this year three-fifths of the available surplus in the Educational Fund should be devoted to the purposes of the salaries of the principal and staff of the John McGlashan College and two-fifths to the purposes of the salaries of the principal and staff of Columba Collega-

The Rev. Dr Cumming said that for some time there had been a 50-50 division of the amount available between the two colleges, but it had been found that one of them was in a much more favourable position, comparatively speaking, than the other. It was considered, therefore that the 60-40 division was more equitable.

Purchase of Property Regulation 7 was amended to provide that a grant might be made by the synod authorising the Church Board of Property to purchase or acquire land where it was necessary to do so. It was stipulated that the amount granted should be determined by the synod in each case. Special Grants Special grants were passed in interim act as follows: Oamaru Presbytery. Hampden, church repairs, up to £SO; Herbert, new manse, £500; Maheno. church repairs, up to £SO; Lower Waitaki, manse erection (debt extinction), £2OO. Dunedin Presbytery.—St. Andrew's, church renovation, £600; Portobello, church repairs, up to £SO; Pukehiki, church repairs, £4O; Macandrew Bay, church repairs, £3O; St. Clair, manse reconstruction, £75; West Taieri. manse repairs, £ for £ up to £180; East Taieri, manse renovation, £ for £ up to £57; Seacliff. church erection (debt extinction) £ for £ up to £225. £ 225. Central Otago Presbytery.—Arrowtown, church repairs, up to £200; Lowburn, new church, £SO additional to £l5O passed last year. Clutha Presbytery.—Waihola, church repairs, up to £100; Kaitangata, church repairs. £150; Purekireki, church repairs. £100: Tahatika, church repairs, £6O: Lawrence, church repairs, £200; Balclutha. church repairs, £250; Clydevale, new church, £200: Waitahuna. manse repairs, up to £SO; Romahapa.' manse repairs. £75; Ratanui. manse repairs, £SO. Southland Presbytery—Athol, new manse, £600; Winton. new church, £250: Tuatapere. additions to manse. £80; Woodlands, church renovation, up to £75: St. Andrew's church, erection (debt extinction). £175: Tokanui. new manse, up to £4OO. Mataura Presbytery. Crookston. church maintenance. £ls: Dunrobin. church maintenance. £3O. :. Ordinary Grants Ordinary grants were made in the following cases:— Dunedin Presbytery. Kensington. Sawyers' Bay. and , Outram church maintenance. Central Otsgo Presbytery.—Miller's Flat, church maintenance. Clutha Presbytery.—Lovell's Flat, new manse. Southland Presbytery.—Athol, renewal; Myross Bush, Mossburn. and Lochiel, church maintenance. Mataura Presbytery.—An application for a grant for maintenance of St. Andrew's Hall. Gore, was declined as being outside the scope of the regulations. Leave to Sell Leave to sell was granted as follows: —Waitahuna, 14 acres, at a price of £1000; Clydevale, old church building, the whole of the proceeds to go towards new church; Lovell's Flat, old manse; East Taieri. Silverside Hall. £75. Draft Bill Considered At the conclusion of a long discussion in private, the synod adopted in its entirety a draft amendment to the Otago Presbyterian Church Board of Property Act 1906. and its amendment of 1930. The principal clause of the iraf* amendment for an extension of the uses to which portion of the funds of the Board of Property may be put, and includes the building and repairing of manses, churches, church halls, and other buildings used for religious purposes in Otago, the endowing or aiding in the endowment of any theological chair or chairs or any lectureship or lectureships in connection with the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand in any college or university in.Otago. The board fij also empowered to pay

any salaries and other moneys to the holder or occupier of any such chairs or lectureships which may, in the opinion of the synod, be necessary for the more effectual working management and maintenance of the college or university. The board is also authorised to contribute funds for any other purposes consistent with the purposes mentioned, all of these contributions to be subject from time to time to determination by the synod. The fund out of which these contributions are to be made is to be known as the Ecclesiastical Fund.. .',.' It was explained that before the draft amendment was submitted to Parliament it would be sent down to ministers and kirk sessions and would be brought before the next synod.