Church Must Confess Failure

Chronicle (Levin), 21 May 1948, Page 5

Church Must Confess Failure

Received Thursdav, 7 p.m. LOXDON, May 19'. "Tt is high time ihe ehui'eh conl'essed her own failure honestly, {uid resolved tvitli htunlile det errnination to be of more use at an hoiii' of c i-isis, stiid the newlv-eleeted Moderator of the Fi*ee t'hureh of Scothmd ( Pev. Alexander MaeDonald) addressing the ;i iiuiiii I asseujiily.of the Chureh in Edinhurgh. Itev. MaeDonald said that although religion had prevented a eoni|)](*le disiiilegrat ioii of eivilisation, honestv eonipelled ehnre.hlocii lo eonl'ess lliiit Ihe Chureh had faileck af~ a time when its resourees in niany uuiys was greater than they had ever heen and when i1 \v;is more highly-organised tlian ever hel'ore. II e said the world today was faced by a desperately menacing situation, in whieli iiilernational p;icts and undertakings no longer had any valne, and were tlierefore insuffieient to guarantee peaee. This disease was spreading. Today many older people were eoiiseious oi' a cooling of ihe mitural affections. They s;i\v m.'iny old people, who, in earlier times and nnder f;ir more dif/ieult eireumstanees, would have heen eared for hy their families. heing sent to hornes and institutioiis on the plea that. the families maihi no longer look at'ter them. Cruelty and negleet of children was heeoming alarmingly prevalent, dishonesty and laek of respeet for property had heeome a national prohlem, marriage and sex ideals were fast going the way of international {igreements. and erimes of violenee were on the increase. All this constituted a ehallenge to Ihe Chureh and one it must lnoet.