CHURCH UNION PROSPECTS

Taranaki Daily News, 5 December 1930, Page 13

CHURCH UNION PROSPECTS

: PRESBYTERIANS FAVOURABLE. OTHER BODIES TO BE CONSULTED. The Dunedin Presbytery on Tuesday passed a resolution affirming that corporate Church union was desirable, and approving of the statement of the committee of the General Assembly on the subject. In a discuseion which ensued, the Rev. W. Trotter raised the question whether they should approach only the Methodist and Congregational Churches on tho matter. In his own opinion they should also approach the Anglican Church. The Rev. J. D. Smith said he thought an approach ,to the Anglican Church at the present; time was a hopeless matter, not from their own point of vjew, but from the indications they had received from their contact here in- New Zealand, and also from the discussions which' had taken place at the recent Lambeth Conference. There was no genial warmth in the attitude of the Lambeth Conference to the Free Churches. In his view the Anglicans had closed the door until the next Lambeth Conference. He thought it was simply beating the air to approach the Church, of England at present. ' Mr. Smith .then moved that the Assembly be requested to approach the Methodist and Congregational Churches with a view to union. Dr. Merrington said he thought they should approach the Churches which had the greatest affinity with the Presbyterian Church. If they could not succeed with them, they could pot succeed with the others. The Rev. D. Dutton said he was thoroughly in favour of union. The matter was of such vital importance, however, that they must first understand the mind of their own people before they opened any negotiations with the other Churches. Some of them had spoken as though this was a new thing which,had come before the Presbyterian Church in New Zealand. That was not so. It was a very old question. They had been through it before, and their Church had come to the last point time and again, and had then baulked. The other Churches had been deeply grieved at the action of their Church, because they professedly were quite ready for union. He thought the first thing they should do was to ascertain the mind of their , own people. Mr. Trotter said he did not think the Lajnbeth Conference had ehut the door on the movement for union. He would move as an amendment that the name of the Anglican Church be added to the .motion. The Rev. G. H. Jupp seconded the motion. Mr. Trotter said there were many people in the Presbyterian Church who would sooner be joined with the Anglican Church than with the Methodiet Church. (Hear, hear.) As far as he was personally concerned if he were not a Presbyterian minister he would like to be a minister of the Episcopal Church. It was decided to take Mr. Smith’s motion first, and then with the addition of the Anglican Church as a separate motion. The first motion was carried unanimously. Mr. Trotter’s motion (including the Anglican Church) was carried by 19 votes to 5.