WINNING THROUGH

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 829, 25 November 1929, Page 14

WINNING THROUGH

CHURCH IN CHINA DIFFICULTIES OF THE WORK “Wherever the Church been truly Christian throughout the ages and wherever it has lived up to its highest ideals it has always been missionary,” said the Rev. Trevor Gilfillan, of the Diocese of North China, in a sermon at All Saints’ Church, Ponsonby, yesterday. Much had been said in recent years of the awakening of the East, the preacher continued, but in China during the past two or three years he had been struck by a large and influential section of the population which was expressing the belief that there was no God. There were no mass movements in China, such as were taking place in India, where hundreds of thousands were being- converted to Christianity. However, these conversions were the fruit of years of patient labour, and there were signs that China would yield similar results as the years passed, and the Church was winning through. It was often stated that missionary work in China was useless, as it did not touch the mass of the people. This could not be achieved in a day. The more thoughtful Chinese were realising that, the wave of materialism was useless In replacing old beliefs, and the question was being asked where the present tendency to religious anarchy would ultimately lead.