CHURCH UNITY.D

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16260, 10 July 1918, Page 10

CHURCH UNITY.D

. ';; ; CHIUSTCHURCH PRESBYTERY DISCUSSION. Tho subject of church union was discussed lit some length by the Christchurch Presbytery at its monthly meeting yesterday morning. Tlia Rev. Dr. Erwin, who introduced tho matter, moved that, an overture, should be sent to the General Assembly as follows:— "That in view of the manifest weakness and loss occasionod to the work of tho Christian Church through its manifold divisions, and especially of the wasto of men, money, and effort m our own country through _tho overlapping and over-multiplication of churches in sparsely-peopled rural districts : in view of the pressing need «Vt least of a living federation of tho Churches for the solution of the exacting problems that the war is thrusting upon all the Churches . . . and, ahoyo all, in view of the mind of our Lord, reflected in His Word, that His people ehculd, whenever possible, without sacrifice of essential conviction, manifest their inward unity in an outward union; tbe Christchurch Presbytery overtures the General Assembly, appointed to meet in,Christchurch in November, to take the subject into serious consideration and to devise such means as may bo' necessary to ascertain whether the people of our Church are pre- | pared to consider sympathetically; a definite movement aiming at a union of the Presbyterian, Methodist, and Congregational Churches of New Zealand, and of such other Christian bodies as* may find it possible to come together on the basis of a common creed and a common policy." _ Supporting his motion, Dr. Erwin. ' said that the war had. made a great difference in the numbers of the students at theological colleges, and he ■ believed that the present known shortI age 'of ministers woitld be aggravated : with the passage of a. few years. The united service held in the Cathedral recently bad impressed him more than anything he had seen in Christchurch during his 3o years here, and he had seen nothing that had made a stronger apDeal to the public. There were no sharp divisions in certain points of doctrine which divided sections of tho churehos to-day, and where the difference was known to be only slight, there was no reason why there should not be church unity The motion was seconded by the Rev. John Paterson, who referred to tbe way in which the whole world was being revolutionised, and to the ereat -adyanco of democracy and democratic principles. If the Church was going to have any influence on national or international life, it would have to become much more democratic. Church action must go side by side with the settlement of great world problems. The Church must ] first sot its own house in order, before it tackled such The speaker concluded bv saying he felt that until the ctmrches worked together and presented a united front, nothing further could be accomplished in regard to the tpiritual nrogress of the people. Whatever individual differences might exist should all 1>« subordinated to the great world ancstion of <-hurch unity. The Rev. J. Dickson moved as an amendment that the matter of church union should be submitted to the Assembly for consideration only, and without "comment from the Presbytery. Personally, he would rather be outside the Church than use an opportunity to tetray it .■ ! After considerable further discussion tho motion was (■.■arried, sixteen votes being cast for it, and six for the amendment.