The Church's Duty In The World Today

Chronicle (Levin), 31 May 1948, Page 4

The Church's Duty In The World Today

"The vital test of the quality of the life of a community lies in whether or not its adult members feel they are in possesslon Qf something they simply must hand on to the rising generation, and Qf something they must hand .over to less fortunate peoples beyond their own borders. No community is safe that is not sharing tested experience with its own youth, a,n*d no community is safe that is not world-embracing in its own thinking." r These remarks were passed by the Rev. A. Salmond on the occa•sion of Foreign Missions' Sunday, in St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Levin, yesterday. "Peace is not an establishment in its own right," he said. "It is a byproduct of livss that are at peace with God and with their feliow m'en. It arises from the deep spring of a common underlying faith." , Every living congregation of Christians in New Zealand faced two tasks — the winning of young New Zealanders to the Christian , faith and way Qf life and the tak,ing of a share in foreign missionary enterprise so that the basis for |a world-order could ultimately be estamished, continued Mr. Salmond. "The clear command of Jesus to his foilowers was quite a sufflcient reason for the Church engaging in misslonary endeavour, for Christian religion gave a high place to the virtue of obedience to the King and Head of the Church- AUY student of world affairs today could se.e quite clearly that a world order with a worid faith had within it the seeds of its own degtruction."