The Pahiatua Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 14, 1923. CHURCH UNION.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 31385, 14 February 1923, Page 4

The Pahiatua Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 14, 1923. CHURCH UNION.

Tlio spirit of friendliness and harmony with other denominations demonstrated by more than one speaker at the gathering; in the Foresters’ Hall on Monday, if continued, should tend to assist in the work of the various churches ot this district. At the annual gatherings of many of the denominations much is heard about church union. In Canada the three great denominations known as Presbyterian, Methodist and Congrega'tionalists are on tlio eve of becoming one united body, and throughout the world Christians are everywhere reported to be praying and working for the union of the Churches. The great weakness of the Christian Church and of Christian missions in nonChristian countries is found in the many divisions of the Church lisetr Denominationalism. with its many rivalries, needless jealousies and narrowed outlook, is unhappily responsible for much of the unbelief that is , charactoristic of the present age for while most men in countries that are

nominally Christian profess some sort of belief and rang© themselves as adherents of one or other of th<* Churches, they are apt to rail at the barriers which sectarianism raises between one denomination and another and, beginning wkTi the idea, that one religion is. as good as another, wind up by obs« rving no religion at all. A\’i.th thej Mahomcdan, the Buddhist, the Hindu and other non-Christian religionists, the practice of the religion they profess is a. much more real thing than that of the nominal Christian, and more real also than that of many a C! uirch-goer, who f.s ©op tent with perfunctorily attending a few services, and who never feels called upon to put himself at all out of the way in response to any appeals the Cfmrnh may make to him. The re- : cent publication in Australia of a. \ joint memorandum prepared by the I committee officially representing tin* Presbyterians, Congregation a! ists and | Methodists, early in ( Uet present j year, seems to indicate that, whether a. basis of union lias been ascer- j tained or not, the several Churches ! are very much in oarnesi i.n their do- i sire to see that union brought- about. ; The manifesto. which is featured by l the Sydney Morning Herald on fix leader page, goes on i,> refer to the I coming together of i.he Canadian ; Churches, “under conditions which :

promise increasing efficiency and power,” and says; 'in Australia a similar opportunity has come, with, its challenge to rise above the tyranny of denominationalism and the power of prejudice. The Churches are being tested to-day as to their ability to rouse themselves from the sleep of custom to face tbeir task of world-evangelisatiou at the call of God and man.” Church Union in New Zealand may be. a long way oft . but in things essential there should bo unity, in tilings doubtful liberty asid in all things charity, There •need in the world for co-operation ..f the forces that make for the good of mankind.