The Wanganui Chronicle MONDAY, JUNE 5, 1950 TILTING AT WINDMILLS

Wanganui Chronicle, 5 June 1950, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle MONDAY, JUNE 5, 1 950 TILTING AT WINDMILLS

YY/HE'NEVER a clergyman tilts at a windmill lie draws atten- ” tion to himself and gains more publicity than his antics merit. Thus the enterprising gentleman in the Convocation of York who suggested that the women who wens likely to occupy church pulpits had better have their faces covered with a veil when preaching only added to the gaiety of the nations, while the other wise one who bemoaned the prospect of the bench of bishops being occupied by a lot of old women revealed that his knowledge of history was not particularly strong or he would have been aware that there have been misfits already in such high offices. But the clergyman who proclaimed that he would not preach the whole of the Bible to his Sunday school seems to have taken himself too seriously when be avers he knows that the whole of the church is against him in this. The idea of the Church being on one side and the lone-handed Daniel in the person of Canon Stevens of St. Paul’s, Wimbledon, on the other would no doubt be gratifying to his ego but it only makes the Canon ridiculous. The Church does aim to teach to everyone the Gospel or Message of Christianity in. its entirety, but it has never at any time demanded that anyone should teach the whole of the Bible indiscriminately to every living person. No branch of the Christian church has ever attempted such a thing nor is any section likely to do so for the simple reason that it is an obvious impossibility. There are many passages in the Bible ■which even now are occupying the attention of scholars and to attempt to elucidate them to .Sunday school children would be beyond the average clergyman’s ability. The patient people who undertake the task of teaching in Sunday schools one of the most important works in the Christian ministry, usually haw sufficient judgment not to try to teach lessons that from the start are beyond the comprehension of the children. In the limited time at the disposal of the Sunday school teacher there is small ehanee of any attempt being made to tell the lurid stories that the Bible contains even if there was any desire to do so: The refusal of the Canon to authorise the impossible being attempted will bring down no coals of fire upon his head. The only wonder will be how he came to misconceiwa the whole situation. However he has had his moment of publicity and that should satisfy him. Meanwhile the unnoticed army of workers in the church will be pursuing their tasks without benefit, or handicap, of limelight.