NEW ZEALAND ANGLICAN BOARD OF MISSION NOTES.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume 26, Issue 4, 1 April 1936, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND ANGLICAN BOARD OF MISSION NOTES.

SHALL ME "FIRST CHRISTIANISE NEW ZEALAND?

Sometimes people argue as follows: "Until terrible sins of ours, so wellknown around the world to-day, are blotted out of our national life, howcan we preach the Gospel to peaceful people like the Indians, dark races like the Negroes and nations like the Chinese where economic injustice is less than it is m the West Therefore the best thing we can do m New Zealand toward spreading the Gospel is to make New Zealand more Christian. Then our message will be heard abroad. The great sins to-day are war, race prejudice and economic injustice; These are the great challenges to the Christian world. Let the Christian world clean its own house first and then tell other people

how they may clean theirs. When we can point with pride to a warless brotherly country m which all receive according to their need and give according as they are able, then the non-Christian nations will give heed to what we have to say and will become Christians even as we are." The costume is new, there is a new cut to the hair, but still this objection is the same old rascal under the skin: 'We must convert the heathen at home before we try to convert the heathen abroad' .... The new position is as faulty and weak as was the old. At the outset, 'Make New Zealand Christian first' is an excellent example of national egoism. We cordially acknowledge that what Christians do is important. The sight of sinful men, helped by Christ, struggling up to a nobler life is one of the most inspiring sights m the world. Our example, individual and national, does count. But having made the acknowledgement we return to the main point. The example of the Christian is always secondary to that of Christ. The Bible of the Christian does not say 'If Christian New Zealand be lifted up . . . ' nor does history ratify any such belief. Our greatest task is to uplift Christ. Non r Christians are not called on to follow the example of Christians, but to 'follow Christ. What evangelist would excuse a sinner who stayed out of the Church 'because they are weak brethren m the Church'? To him the evangelist would say straightly: 'Your business, brother, is not with the sinners m the Church but with Christ, who can cure your sin, no matter how many sinners there may be m the Church.' Similarly we need not wait till the West has freed itself from its national sins before we can bring Christ, the Curer •of sins, to Asia and Africa. Adapted from an article by , CD. McGavran m the International Review of Christian Missions. Nurse Preece's Sphere — North China. General Chen's dilemma is the dilemma of all such men m China. One of the chief reformers and most progressive governors m Szechwan, he is wisely and honestly using the taxes m his district for the social betterment of his people, and has provided many model institutions for

their advantage. . His problem is how to find trustworthy men to run Ms government machinery. He and I are close friends and, talking over this problem with me one day recently, this is what he said: "What •can I do? If I got to the men educated m the old school, their heads are full of thoughts of how to enrich themselves by peculating the public money; if, on the other hand, I turn to the young men of the new school, their heads are full of nothing but Marxism!" In his case — although he does not profess to believe m Christ — lie tries to solve this problem by turning up the Church for his officials, and wherever possible he puts m Christians, or failing these, at any rate young men and women trained by the Church Schools; because, as he said to me, he finds m practice that they are the ones likely to be the most trustworthy. There again the l>est antidote to Communism is Christion teaching. — (Archdeacon Dornithorne). Missionary Strung Up By Reds. Mr R. Bdsshardt, the captive Anglo-Swiss missionary, who has been m the hands of the Communists under Ho Lung for more than a year, was seen at Chihkiang, m south-west Hunan, on December 31, according to reports reaching here. The Communists were then making their forced march into Kweichow, which resulted m the recent threat to Kweiyang, the provincial capital, following severe fighting with Government troops on the Kweichow-Hunan iDorder. Mr Bosshardt was m a very tired condition, his feet being extremely sore and bound with old pieces of cloth. His hands were tied behind Tiis back. On the following day, when the Reds continued their march towards Pienshui, he was unable to walk any longer, so he was slung by Tiis hands and feet on a bamboo pole. During the journey he fell into a river and, after being rescued by his captors, was compelled to continue m wet clothes despite the bitterly cold weather. —(North China Herald.) Nurse Grace Young's Sphere — China. The Government's adoption of the stringent measure of execution for opium traffickers and addicts is driving large numbers of the latter volun-

tarily to seek escape by overcoming the habit. The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel reports that St. Agatha's hospital at Ping-yin (Shangtung) and St. Andrew's at Hokien (Hopei) have had a great increase m patients of this type. Ethiopia. - A citizen of Tyre, Meropius by name, setting out for India with two relations of his who were Christians and brothers, landed at a certain port on the Red Sea, where they were attacked by the inhabitants and only the two brothers, Aedesius and Frumentius were saved alive. The two being sent to the king of the country, Aedesius was appointed cup-bearer and Frumentius the keeper of the archives. They both gained the royal favour and on the king's death were appointed regents during the minority of the heir to the throne. This gave Frumentius the chance of ascertaining the number of Christians m the country and of building places of worship for them and instructing others for baptism. On the young king's attaining his majority they both left the country, and while Aedesius returned to Tyre to acquaint their parents with their safety, Frumentius went to Alexandria to beg St. Athanasius to send a bishop to look after the infant Church. St. Athanasius thereupon consecrated Frumentius Bishop of Aksum, and he returned to Ethiopia and by his labours and personal sanctity made many converts to the Christian Faith. It was from Aedesius, who was afterwards ordained at Tyre, that Rufinus of Aquileia obtained this account which he gives m his Ecclesiastical History. — (Canon H. H. Rees.) Tibet. During the year, the village of Yerkalo, m which were a number of Roman Catholics, passed from the jurisdiction of the Yunnan Government to that of Tibet. The Government of Lhasa has instructed the local officials to allow them their Christian privileges. So there is at last a Christian community m Tibet, recognised by the Government. Tanganyika. The new work of the Church Missionary Society m the Western area is developing rapidly and has called out new missionary zeal among the Christians m the older work; tried

teachers have offered and been sent to help m the West. In September a week of evangelism was held throughout the whole mission of the Church Missionary Society, organised bands of Christians being sent to outlying districts to witness for Christ. Great spiritual help came to those who spoke as well as to those who heard. Afghanistan. Afghanistan is still a "closed land" m missionary parlance but is becoming remarkably open to the world through the completion of telephone system which links Kabul to every province, and still more by the installation now m progress of five wireless stations, of which the most powerful, at Kabul is capable of communication with Tokyo, Melbourne, London and Rio de Janeiro. We read, too, of a volley-ball team setting out by motor lorry from Kabul to Tashkent, m Russian Turkestan, on the invitation of the Soviet authorities, an event which appeals to the imagination. How long can Afghanistan now remain "Closed" to Christianity? Church. Union. The scheme for church union m South India has received a check. The thirteenth session of the Joint Committee on Church Union was held from February 26th to March 2nd; substantial agreement on the things that matter most to. all the negotiating churches appeared to have been met, outstanding questions being of detail rather than principle, and the prospect of actual achievement .of union seemed definitely nearer. But when the fifteenth General Assembly of the South India United Church met from September 26th to October Ist of its eight constituent councils three were found to have approved the scheme m general, two were unfavourable to it, one had proposed far-reaching amendments and two had not reported. The Assembly consequently decided that some years more are required for discussion. The Financial Position. Budget receipts to the end of February were £3762 as against £3889 at this time last year. We know that a number of parishes are working well to obtain their full quotas. One writes us that success

is assumed. That is very heartening. •*?vWe trust that all will realise that time is passing, and every effort is needed — and also much faith. Shall not out Missionary Societies have a share m the prosperity now returning to us? — P. C Long.