ANGLICAN CHURCH

Southland Times, Issue 20613, 11 October 1928, Page 8

ANGLICAN CHURCH

PRAYER BOOK IMPASSE “LESS IMPORTANT THAN VITAL RELIGION” ARCHBISHOP AVERILL’S VIEWS (Per United Press Association.) Auckland, October 10. “Important as the revision of the Prayer Book may be in England or New Zealand, it is of less importance than a revival of vital religion and real devotion to the living Christ.” In these words Archbishop Averill issues to churchmen in his charge to the synod a new and hopeful outlook in place of the spirit of despair occasioned in some circles by the defeat in the House of Commons of the Revised Prayer Book measure. The only solution to the present impasse, in the Archbishop’s opinion, is for the Church to endeavour to amend the Enabling Act of 1919. “It is intolerable,” he said, “that Parliament should have the last and vital word with regard to the Church’s interpretation of what it considers to be for the highest welfare of the Church. If Parliament continues to have the right to defeat in a few hours measures which have taken Bishops nearly a quarter of a century to prepare episcopal supervision is altogether discounted and there is no outlook for the Church but a continued reign of lawlessness.” After dealing at length with the lessons to be learned from the rejection of the Revised Book, the Archbishop continued: “Important as the Prayer Book is in the spiritual life of members of the Church, it occupies the position of handmaiden and not of master. It is a means to an end, and not an end in itself. The Church’s work and mission far transcend the importance of the instruments and channel through and by which it expresses its faith and worship. We are living in a fool’s paradise if we are satisfied to imagine that the Revised Prayer Book is going to regenerate society. The most serious problem which we have to face is the fact that the sense of God has been largely eliminated from the consciousness of men and women and when that sense becomes atrophied, materialism, superstition, disregard of moral law and selfishness are bound to assert themselves in the individual and national life. The work of the clergy in particular is most difficult and often most disappointing in these days, and there is a distinct danger of the Church sitting loosely to things which really matter and concentrating upon matters of secondary importance. It is not sufficient to deplore worldliness and want of moral restraint which are so evident to-day. We must endeavour to seek out and remedy the underlying cause and the cause undoubtedly is that there is no fear of God before the eyes of many men and women.”