BOOK OF THE WEEK

Taranaki Daily News, 30 August 1930, Page 1 (Supplement)

BOOK OF THE WEEK

PENTECOST CENTENARY

(By

C.E.)

"The . Christ ot Every Hoad," by B. Stanley Jones: Hodder and Stoughton, Ltd., London, through W. S. Smart, Sydney.

One could scarcely expect a definitely religious and devotional book to become a best seller, but “The Christ of Every Road” Certainly has not been neglected by readers. It was published last January, and within six months the publishers found it necessary ito reprint the volume, That is one of the reasons why it seems to me that a work of this nature is worth regarding as , this Week’s book, If it has already found a large number of readers there must be many more who will be interested in a few comments on it, And well they may be, for in this rather unrestfur age it is an excellent thing to spare time for a little thought on a study of certain principles of Christianity. ■ --

One probably would be justified in saying that the age is not only unrestful but also rather careless. In the practice of religion carelessness is pretty obvious; that is to say, a good many people are less careful about going to church than they used to be.' Some of them try tb put on the churches all the blame for their indifference, but the man who is fondest of criticising the churches is one who never goes to church and never lends a hand to those who carry on the church’s work. His criticism, of course, is just about as helpful as that of a business man wlio refuses to , join, let us say, a chamber of commerce, but is always ready to complain that the organisation from which he stands aloof is not doing its job. The ability of the churches to do their job is commensurate with the support and enthusiasm of their members.

However, I am getting away from : •'■'The Christ of Every Road.” To link it up with the idea I have just been trying to express' let me say that the critics of the churches will find a lot to read in the book. The author has done long service as a missionary in India and elsewhere —he speaks in his preface of a recent evangelistic trip to South America —and he has also written a couple of well known books, “The Christ of the Indian Road” and “Christ at the Round Table.” He is no formal churchman and he has no' desire to ram dogma into the ears of his readers. His,religious dptlook evidently is entirely evangelical, ■ and his aim is to emphasise simple truths.

The preface makes it clear that the author has x not written his book “to order.” He was to write a work in celebration of the nineteen hundredth anniversary of Pentecost, which was observed a few months ago, but he points out that it would be impossible* to produce such a book- “by request.” However, the book in outline was already in his mind as the result of his quiet hours of meditation on the voyage to and from South America, so it was a simple matter for him to gratify the publishers’ desire.

In his opening chapter the author declares that the world is being prepared for a spiritual awakening on a very extensive scale. The scientific attitude towards life—a frank, open demand for facts —is “creating a soil upon which the gospel can come, into its own.” If the gospel were “a system dogmatically and arbitrarily imposed upon life” it could not stand up under the search for facts. But if the gospel is “something coming up out of life, necessary to life, completing life" it’must prevail. The author is not afraid that men will be ‘Too scientific," but that they will not be scientific enough. “If we go. far enough with the facts,” he declares, “they will lead us to the central fact of our moral and spiritual universe—Christ.” The gospel, it is urged, has been “overlaid with ecclesiasticism,” and Dean Inge’s remark that “the framework of our Christianity” belongs "'to tho old phase ‘of ; civilisation is quoted. The point is that tlie “facts of' the gospel” are not out of date, and it is to these facts that men arc asked to pin their faith. The present trend is “away from abstract ideas to ideas that life will back.” Experience is the searching test, and “the demand of this age for experience loads' straight towards Christ, for the whole of his gospel is founded upon experience." An “undertone of deep spiritual craving’- is observed by the author in the world to-day—he describes it effectively as “an honest wistfulness.” The' spiritual craving ot the East is • particularly well described. There is one more /reason for the author’s conviction that- the world is on the verge of a spiritual awakening, and that' is.that “religion is now becoming Christo-centric.” He explains .it thus: “As long as religion was denominationalcentric God could not trust us with power. ' Had He clone so it would have run into a denominational megalomania. Nor could He trust us with power so long its religion was bound up with Westernism and its supremacies. Had He dono that it would have run into religious imperialism. But if religion is? Christo-centric, if to be a Christian is to be Christ-like, to catch His mind and spirit, then I think God can back that with power to the uttermost. We do not ‘step on the gas’ if the car is turned towards the ditch. We apply power only when the road is open before us. ‘ Religion has an open road to Christ, and power applied willissne in goodwill, in self-abandoning service, in human brotherhood, in making individuals and j society Cliristlikc.” All that is just the - premise on which a very earnest evangelist builds his argument. It follows on in logical order, and all the way through. the message is one of hope and inspiration. At a time when 'spiritual- impotence and despondency are. all top prevalent'this book offers very welcome encouragement to those who are willing tb think. Moreover, its vigorous style and its ap.t jUse, of illustration give it a literary, staijd-J cannot be questioned.g/yi ;.