“GREATEST QUESTION”

Taranaki Daily News, 11 October 1929, Page 12

“GREATEST QUESTION”

REUNION OF CHRISTENDOM. THE LAMBETH CONFERENCE. Auckland, Oct. 9. “If the reunion of Christendom- was the grelrt question at the Lambeth Conference in 1920, it will certainly bo th® greatest of all questions at the Lambeth Conference of 1930, and the decisions of that conference will be fraught, with tremendous consequences to the future not only of the Anglican Church but also of the whole Church of God.” In these words Archbishop Averill prefaced his remarks on the question of church reunion in the first part of- his charge to the Auckland Diocesan Synod in St. Mary's Cathedral to-night. OLD FETTERS AND OLD IDEALS. ’ The appeal made for reunion at the last Lambeth.Conference was one of the most Christlike things that the Anglican Church had ever done,-the Archbishop said. It was the refusal to be bound by old fetters and even by old ideals. ■" “The fact that the appeal has not met with the response from Christian people that one might have expected in no way detracts from the willingness of the Church of England to sacrifice much that is dear to her for the sake of unity, and has surely paved the w'ay for a still greater effort to prove her willingness and fitness to be the bridge Church in bringing about the fulfilment -of th® prayer ‘Ut unum sint,’” he said. “The truth of the matter is that the rank and file of Christian people have not realised the sinfulness of divisions in the body of Christ, and therefore have no real passion for unity.” It seemed almost paradoxical that whereas there was a movement for closer fellowship and goodwill among the people of the world to-day the efforts of the Church in the same direction were so feeble that there was widespread distrust of organised religion. VISION NEEDED. V - “The Church needs the vision to see that our unhappy divisions are hiding the Christ from the . eyes of the i world and putting a stumbling block in the way of His working and mission today,” His Grace added. “We talk about unity, and is not the time overdue for really - , working for unity instead-, of spending so much time and energy in discovering obstacles ? Fortunately,_ I think the question of reunion is ceasing to be an academic one, in the mission field at any rate, and the movement towards indigenous self-governing churches which was ■ strongly supported by the last Lambeth Conference is now a question of vital importance for'the progress of the Church. Why should young native churches be hampered in their development by. the divisive spirit of sectarianism? "in theory no one could defend the perpetuating of schisms in the mission field. , in Great Britain’ reunion was desired academically and without passion, but in ’ Persia, India,. China and elsewhere the issue was -one , of vital and immediate importance. 1 It was quite certain that union among the great majority of non-Episcopal bodies would come within the next 1 decade. “Perhaps the most momentous discussion at the next Lambeth Conference would centre round - th-’. South Indian ?,, scheme for reunion,” said the Archbishop. “Negotiations had commenced in 19.19 with the object of formulating a scheme for reunion in South India to embrace practically all the main -missionary activities outside those of the Roman Catholic communion. According to the last report of the negotiating bodies held at Madras this year, t-ie government of such United Church would be a constitutional episcopacy, pointment of bishops being by electionIt was laid down that while the episcopacy, with all its legitimate functions, would be agreed to without any reservation, it would be understood that n particular interpretation of fact o r® historic episcopate .vwis implied. In o nei words, the United Chruch would be as broad on the point as the Chuien o England to-day.”