QUERIES BY BAPTIST

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19140, 8 October 1936, Page 4

QUERIES BY BAPTIST

PURITAN ATTITUDE CONDUCT OF TO-DAY ADDRESS TO ASSEMBLY (Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, this day. The Puritan attitude to conduct and its relationship to important moral and spiritual questions of the present day was the main feature of the presidential address on "Puritanism and To-day," delivered by the Rev. A. Anstice, of Christchurch, at the first session of the fifty-fourth annual assembly of the Baptist Union of New Zealand, which opened last night.

There are nearly 2CO delegates from Baptist churches of the Dominion.

Appreciation of the services rendered by Dr. Charles North, as president, was expressed in a resolution.

"The break-up of Christian home life is a sad and disastrous feature of to-day and presents a most pressing problem to the church, the Sunday school and the social worker alike," said Mr. Anstice. He said that the honour of the creation of home life as it was known at its best belonged to puritanism, and was so credited to Puritans by impartial historians. He dealt, at length with the history of puritanism' and the principles that guided Puritans in their faith. "VERY REAL CONFLICT" is where a quiet but very real conflict is in process to-day in our own and other communions," said Mr. Anstice, referring to the Puritan attitude to conduct. "There is a very definite sphere in the realm of conduct in which this conflict is evident. It is in sex relationships, including the sanctity of the marriage tie and the integrity and dignity of home life, recreation and pleasure, and chiefly its relation to the Sabbath observance, drinking and gambling, the uses of drama and the elfects of suggestive works of fiction, and business probity and sincerity in ill human relationships." Mr. Anstice said the list might be enlarged and much be said under each heading, but the issue with the Baptist people might be stated in a few welldefined queries such as should Christians dance, play cards, gamble, or mix in the world of frivolity? How much of a Christian's time should be devoted' to sport and amusements? Should not a church member be scrupulouslv honest and truthful?

These and others might be at this moment live issues in different churches. "The word prejudice is lightly used in a- careless age, but we must not lose sight of the truth that the Puritans were Bible lovers, and their prejudices are Bible prejudices," continued Mr. Anstice. "Have we, who have been spoken of as the extreme wing of puritanism, a word of authoritative and intelligent guidance to give to-day on these important moral and - spiritual questions? For not alone is the attitude of the Christian to worldliness involvied. Sociology, and, in fact, science generally as it is exercised concerning the well-being of mankind, must take note also of conduct." ' '•'■•' ■-•<