THE CHURCH’S MISSION

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, 11 May 1925, Page 7

THE CHURCH’S MISSION

SPIRITUAL, NOT SOCIAL

AIR T. D. BURNETT’S VIEW.

Tn the course of an address at a church function at Winchester on Tliuisday, Mr T. D- Burnett, ALP., suggested that the Church to-day was concentrating overmuch on social affairs, and losing sight of its true mission of providing spiritual nourishment for the people. The speaker also made an indictment, of the unmoral films which are being screened in many theatres. . • . It was, said the member for Temuka. tlie early missionaries in Britain, and in fact all over Europe, who earned tlie light- of Christianity into tho darkness of paganism. These missionaries led the- lives of saints, and fanned the spark of consc'cnee in the breasts of the early pagan Britons. Down through the ages, no matter how dark the times, or how savage and brutal tho wars, thev found tho Church the only humanising influence, the sanctuary of the repressed, the centre of learning, of'the fine arts of agriculture. Even in road-making, when the old Roman roads in Britain were only a inemorv, it was the heads of the medieval Church that built bridges ( and made roads, and that encouraged' its wealthv members to bcouenth money for sm’li purposes. The Church in its various forms and activities was for verv many centuries the, greatest force in the Innd. It nrobablv held its dominant nosition in English eoeak’ng countries i ,r, t’l the dawn of the 2 p centurv. With tlie beginning of this century the spread of frpo thought amongst the peonlo, the cllssem’oation far and wide of literature from the, sncalled rat.ienah'st press, and tho attack an the Bdile by what is known as the Higher Criticism, all began to have their effect. At the present time immense forces, the most serious not. by any means openly avowed enemies, were in direct conflict with both the nrincinles and tho work of tho Church. The Cbnrch in its perplexity was somewhat blindly seeking a remedy, and thought to hold the people bv each church striving to become a social centre. The speakef was afraid that it was concentrating overmuch on social evenings, card parties and dances. In l”’s opinion that way lav disaster. Vast numbers of the ponnle wore still e-nger for spiritual nourishment., and absolutely felt the peed of it. But the Church must not side-step from the great issues that confronted the world to-dav —the questions of right- and wronu that were causing world-wide upheavals and- unrest, and which, if left much longer unsolved', would mean the epd of civilisation. If tho Church really desired to regain its own true greatness and grandeur. ■ then it must at once join issue with tho tremendous forces of evil that were surging against the ramparts of civilisation and threatened to .overthrow-, them.

“One of the great. forces confronting civilised people to-day," said Mr Burnett, “is tlie almost terrifying power of film pictures. As wo sco them today a gretit number of these imported films arc, If not immoral, certainly unmoral. They have kibod innocenco in our snwving youth, they are certainly killing the chief charm of youth —naturalness. Unconsciously our style and manners arc decreed In- these pictures. And there is a rapidly growing feplin" that the tragedies that are dedv filling ilm newspapers are the result of mental .wenkhngs being fed night in and night, out on p-'cturcs from screenl**>c! As the successful 71 ofenoo is nop’-lv ahva’-s associated with the daring offo-isiyo. T am often of l°te +«*mtihvl . to think that if is erci of the Church’s true m ; ss ; cr.« to counter an undoubted c-i-c-if evil Ir - bm-ich-'iig nut to clo-'u the husiiioss. Su’-ely ; t is not I’cvnnd t- ■ yos-ou'-oes of i'-u p-mt C’lu-di of England to meet the danger.”