A READING CLERGY.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume 27, Issue 7, 1 July 1937, Page 2

A READING CLERGY.

The clergy by their ordination vows have Undertaken to be diligent "m reading the Holy Scriptures, and m such studies as help to a knowledge of the same." It is not over-estimat-ing the importance of study for the clergy to suggest that a parson can profitably neglect almost any parochial activity m order to find time to read. Clubs, guilds, committees, all have their value, but a parson who pursues these activities at too great cost of his reading is making himself partially ineffective as a minister of the Word, for the souls that he holds through a multiplicity of social organisations are few compared with the

number that he loses through his failure to acquaint himself with the modern developments of Christian thought" and learning. His sermons, his visits, his talks with the laity, his casual remarks and, m fact, his whole ministerial life will show that he is a man who, for all his energy and devotion, is out of touch with the intellectual problems of this age.

. Complaints are frequently made that the standard of preaching m the Church of England, is low. The commonest cause of complaint is that sermons do not deal with the issues that puzzle the intelligent layman. In a sense it is easier to preach to-day than ever before, because the laity are ready to listen and do not need to have their attention attracted by tricks or gifts of oratory. But if oratory is no longer required relevance certainly is, and the preacher who avoids the questions of the day will find himself not without a congregation but without any fresh additions from the ranks of the intelligentsia and the younger generation, it is. impossible for a priest to be a faithful steward of the Word to this generation unless he reads and makes himself familiar with the current problems of God and Mammon. It is not the preacher's business to make his pulpit a. political platform, but it is his duty to show that the Gospel which he expounds has a direct bearing upon the issues. which disturb and perplex the ordinary citizen. The best preachers, not necessarily the most gifted or the famous ones, have always been those who showed their people that the Catholic faith was immediately concerned with the problems of their particular ages. This means, as it has always meant, study.

It certainly does not demand great intellectual ability, for the best parochial sermons are the simplest, and it is a common charge against scholars that with great learning they lose simplicity of style and expression. Unless, therefore, the clergy are prepared to make time to read— and this, as they know, may mean risking popularity m certain quarters — they must not be surprised if many who hear them, go away saying of the Christian religion: "Can these bones live?"

But lack of time is not the only barrier between the clergy and- their

books. There is the difficulty of expense. Very few clergy have sufficient money to spend on theological books, which unfortunately are costly. And even those who have amassed a small library are unable to keep it up to date. Thanks, however, to. former benefactors and to certain societies m our own day, there are many libraries which lend books to the clergy and laity for a subscription within the means of the poorest or for no charge at all. The existence of many of these libraries is . not well enough known, and as a result they are often poorly supported and insufficiently used, though their services should be m greater demand than ever. So that the facilities, and incentives which they offer for reading may be more widely known we are publishing, starting m to-day's issue, lists of the libraries that provide the clergy with the material which is essential if the Church is to achieve its divine purpose.— rFrom the Guardian. .