EVANGELISTIC CAMPAIGN IN SOUTH ARICA.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume 29, Issue 3, 1 May 1938, Page 2

EVANGELISTIC CAMPAIGN IN SOUTH ARICA.

At the lunch hour and for some "time afterwards each Tuesday the Rev. A. W. Eaton, St. Patrick's, Mal■vern, accompanied by the Rev. Noel Aldous and the Rev. Howard Palmer, goes to the City Hall steps and goodTiumoredly argues with a large crowd, made up of business men, clerks, typists, Communists and others, oh religious and social ques-

tions, and replies, patiently, to scores of questions. For nine months Mr. Eaton did similar work m the United States. The Johannesburg campaign has now lasted four months. He has still to have a "new" question flung at him. Telljjig a representative of The Star recently something of his experiences m the campaign and the argumentative typej; who turn up each Tuesday, Mr. Eaton said the object was to find out what "the man m the street" really thought about religion. "We find," he observed, "that the world is not with the Church to-day, and does not see the relevance of the Church. Our mission is to show that relevance to the common life and its necessity to the needs of the world. . . . We really do believe that the Church is the mind of Christ. "The idea of this campaign is a result of a meeting among the Anglican clergy who wanted to see what could be done 'outside' to get people, back to the Church. I was asked to carry out the idea, as I was trained for this particular work m the United States. "We feel that the old-fashioned open-air service has had its day, and what the people want is to hear what the Church has to ssainy — m some other way than the sermon." No kind of religious service was held on the City Hall steps, said Mr. Eaton. It was a straightforward talk on the faith and the various forces attacking it and the Church. The feature of these meetings was the opportunity it afforded "the man m the street" to heckle the ministers and ask questions on any topic they wanted to. It did away • with the practice of "the man m the street" being unable to question or argue with "the man m the pulpit." Among the questions put to him and has assistants, said Mr. Eaton, were: Why does the Church not attack the social evils m our midst? The Church has had 2000 years to change the world and has not done it; the Communists have transformed one part of the world m 15 years? (This the favourite question of the Communists). Patiently, and often m the face of uncomplimentary inter j ections — and

some stronger— Mr. Eaton and his companions gjo into ,the ''enemy's camp" and answer each question fully and fearlessly. "One is rather amazed," added Mr. Eaton with a smile, "at the ignorance of the 'man m the street' as to what the clergy do for a living. We are often told, scornfully, to work for our living and be of some use to the State generally. "We find people against us most as they say they have no time for 'organized religion.' They say they can understand Jesus of Nazareth, but not the hierarchy of the Church and the implications of theology. "We try to put across sane teaching to arguers and interrupters. (No, the police have not yet been summoned to our meetings, but the traffic officers are often there.) "What we try to do is give reasons for the faith that is m us and make people see that there is quite definitely an intellectual as well as a moral place for God m their lives." The meetings last, usually, from 1.15 p.m. to 3.30 p.m., but they are best patronized until 2 p.m. by as many as 500 or 600 people. Jews have taken a particularly keen interest m the meetings recently, and prominent members of the Jewish community and leaders of their Press frequently attend, armed with the Talmud, to argue on the Messiahship of Jesus and other questions. What had impressed the business man, said Mr. Eaton, was that ,the Church had begun this type of work. He was now allowed to say what he thought of religion and the Church, straight to the "cloth." The popularity of the movement was shown by the fact that the original meetings usually found the speakers addressing the air . . . now there are dense crowds on the City Hall steps. Good results were already noticesble. A large number of men had returned to the Church as a consequence of what they had heard, and the friendly arguments, and subsequent contacts. Mr. Eaton is prepared to argue m the face of hecklers or anyone caring to listen, on the 'subject, "Is the Church Too Late?" — Johannesburg Star.