JOINT PLAN OF ACTION

Southland Times, Issue 24757, 30 May 1942, Page 5

JOINT PLAN OF ACTION

UNITED CHURCH FRONT NEW MOVEMENT IN BRITAIN (Rec. 11.30 p.m.) LONDON, May 29. The Bishop of London, broadcasting, said that the Anglican and Free Churches and the Roman Catholic Church had agreed upon such a measure of joint action as had not happened in Britain since the Reformation. These three main streams of Christian life had agreed to establish a joint standing committee of which he was chairman, embracing the “Religion and i Life” organization, representative of the Anglican and free churches, and “the Sword of the Spirit,” representative of the Roman Catholic Church. The Bishop added: “The joint committee is not an organization in itself. Its business will be to assist to stimulate the co-operation which has already begun in many different localities, and particularly to co-ordinate the work of the Religion of Life movement and “the Sword of the Spirit.” It is a new thing in English religious history for Anglicans, Roman Catholics and Free Churchmen to stand together with such a measure of official approbation, .but such a venture should have the interest and support of all men of goodwill.’ The Bishop said the joint standing committee had agreed on three things:— _ (1) That a compelling obligation rests on all Christians to maintain the Christian heritage and act together to the utmost to secure its effective influence upon social, economic and civil problems. That there was a large area of common ground in which full co-operation

was possible and was already occurring, without raising the ultimate questions of Church order and doctrine, which divided the churches.

(3) That there must be freedom for Christian bodies everywhere to worship according to their consciences, to preach, teach and persuade a spirit of Christian charity and to bring up the children in their parents’ faith. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr William Temple, and Cardinal Hinsley, Archbishop of Westminster, have warmly approved of the action taken.