PAPER READ AT THE MARCH MEETING OP THE BAY OF PLENTY CLERICAL ASSOCIATIONS.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume 26, Issue 4, 1 April 1936, Page 2

PAPER READ AT THE MARCH MEETING OP THE BAY OF PLENTY CLERICAL ASSOCIATIONS.

I was asked to deal with the Report of the Commission on Christian Faith and Life and at the same time to provide matter for discussion suitable for Lent.

The subject whch was most emphasised m the Report was "Teaching or Instruction," and I feel more and more that we must face up to our responsibility m this matter.

Yet, as I have thought over the position I have been driven back to the realisation that first of all the step towards a stronger Church is the making of a stronger clergy. I think that it is many centuries since the personality, using the word m its broadest sense, meant so much as it does to-day. I am not at all sure that we should not concentrate first upon intensive teaching of the clergy and of ordination candidates, teach-

ing not only of the mind but the heart and will.

Referring, however, again to our work for other people, there is need for the whole Church to become more alive to the need for education m religion. We hear much of religion m education, we want to hear more of education m religion. In the report issued by "C.0.P.E.C." on Education the following paragraph appeared: "One of the most pressing, demands that we make of the Churches is that they should put their own house m order. In a brief speech generalisations are inevitable. Churches do indeed vary. The Roman Catholics and the Quakers are at present giving us the clearest lead with regard to the education of their adult members m the Bible, the meaning of the Christian Faith and the history of the Christian Church, m the relation of the Christian ethicte social and international life. There are a few noteworthy experiments to be found m other Churches, such as the Anglican Tutorial Classes. But on the whole it is true to say that the Churches are completely neglecting to provide opportunities of systematic education for adults. One of the reasons why the Churches lose their grip upon so many keen men and women to-day is that they fail so lamentably to fulfil the great Commission — 'teach.' The method of Jesus .with His little group of adult students, moreover, is the only method which our own time finds likely to attract or to be successful m its results. It awakens the mind, the imagination, the conscience, the will, by confronting them with facts and arousing them to the search for principles which accord with reality. If only the Churches will examine themselves m this matter, take counsel together, and make an adventure, even at the cost of whist drives, socials, or many of the conventional Sunday and week night "Church engagements" which at present absorb their energies, they would have an immense contribution to make to adult education." This criticism is now a few years old, but still has a considerable amount of truth m it. It is necessary to take more seriously than we sometimes do the statement, "My duty towards God is to believe m

Him, to fear Him, and to love Him with all my heart, with all my

mind ... ." St. Paul is not slow to stress the fact that knowledge is a natural sign of the mature Christian life. St. Peter says that the Christian should be able to give answer concerning the faith that is m him. It is certain that man's intellect has a worship to offer, a worship distinct from that which can be expected from either will or feeling. In the earlier days of the Christian Faith teaching had almost a supreme place. Our Lord taught rather than preached, if one can rightly make a definite distinction between teaching and preaching. The utmost care taken with would be converts as shown m the classes of Clement of Alexandria and Cyril of Jerusalem and similar ways show that the mind was not neglected- So when you go through the history of the Church the same thing appears. Great teachers appeared from time to time to guide the thought of the world. The great teachers m the Oxford Movement are examples. It has been said that "every great revival has taken the form of a new interest m, and care for, the great province of teaching." Never before has there been such need of activity on the part of the Church m this direction. Until the last century or so the Church was the controlling authority of knowledge. She may have failed badly sometimes, but little was done without her. Universities, Colleges , and Schools are a witness to her influence. The main point is that the Church had so great an influence as to be able to lead to a large extent the intellectual life of the world. To-day the position is altogether different. It is true that our own Church of England has still a big influence on education m the Old Country, and it is also true that the support or opposition of the Church to any line o£ thought means a good deal, but it is also true that a large number of people to-day are being educated very largely independent of the Church's thought and control. Reading is universal, education— of a sort —widespread. Politics, morals, philosophies, etc., can be learned or approached at all events by many who never sit m pur Churches. Those

people who do come for the Church's guidance have many other voices offering to lead. How urgent is the need for definite, convincing, and genuine instruction. Even m what we sometimes call the spiritual sphere clergy have not all the knowledge to themselves. The lay people very often have their contribution to make. It is clear that the position must ■present many problems, but it also presents many hopes and possibilities. Some through more knowledge may have made shipwreck of the Faith. But if the Church's teaching is adequate it will hold and attract those who are sincere m their profession. The one thing required is a more "efficient" Church, a more "efficient" ministry, that the word may go forth with authority. I think that it is true to say that men are afraid not so much of dogma as of dogmatism, that they do not so much turn away from authority as look for its credentials. The authority that is needed is not one which will kill initiative and thought, but encourage the seeking after ever fuller truth under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The priest should be able to interpret, to men the life of the spirit, just as the scientist may interpret the life of the physical universe. We are forced then again to see the importance of the personnel of the ministry. No parish priest can' be expert m every form of knowledge. It is all important that m his teaching he should give confidence, he can only do this when he shows an appreciation of truth wherever it may be found and when behind his words there is obviously a background of solid and reliable thinking. Again, we cannot escape the personal side, if the priest is to help others to sort out their lives he must first have sorted out his own. "There is nothing which makes a stronger intellectual reaction than holiness." The Church has a really big task before it and it is a task which simply has to be faced. We have already at different gatherings discussed the need of a different kind of training for the ministry. Again it would seem as though one of the main difficulties is to get the right type of trained teacher to take charge of this work. We should not forget that we have always an ex-

ample before us of the world's Greatest Teacher. It may be that we have not always studied His methods of teaching as we might have done. I recognise fully that the solution of our difficulties does not lie m the hands of the clergy alone. If there are bad teachers there are also bad scholars. At the same time it is clear that the clergy must make a forward move. We cannot be content with Sunday Schools and Bible Classes, important though they are and well worth the attention of one of our meetings, we have to consider adult education and try to see how it can be done effectively. The priest must be a man of prayer. He must also be a deciple. He must also be a teacher. He must be a Christian. We often smilingly talk about the conversion of the clergy. Are we not perilously near to tragedy here? It is so terribly easy to allow the care of the Churches to come between Christ and us. We must start our quest for victory on our knees.