AT THE CROSS ROADS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume LV, Issue 91, 16 June 1925, Page 6

AT THE CROSS ROADS.

THE CHUECH OF ENGLAND. SERIOUS PROBLEM. London, June 15. The Bishop of Birmingham, preaching in Westminster Abbey, in a remarkable sermon on "Catholic-ism and Christianity," said the present, state of the Church of England was causing grave anxiety. Anglo-CrUho-lies usually belittled and deride! the value of the Reformation dor-trine, which they explicitly repudiated in the articles, in which they were openly taught that this new Catholicism was essentially reactionary. The decline in the number and quality of the candidates for the ministry was a most serious problem. With the grave shortage of clergy the parochial .system was breaking down. Differences within the church were so

acute that in the large cities the 'churches were becoming congregational'and not parochial. As the quality of the s clergy declined their outlook was becoming increasingly narrow. The best modern theological scholarship was ignored. An official committee put forward no n- con trove iv sial proposals fqr the revision of the prayer book, but when the proposals reached the clergy the desire to give a Catholic turn to the prayer book showed itself. "We stand at the cross-roads," said His Lordship. "We have seen enough recently of the situation within the church to be gravely apprehensive.''