Church Sharing In World's Testing Time

Chronicle (Levin), 4 October 1948, Page 4

Church Sharing In World's Testing Time

"In the world we are living in, many things are on trial," said Rev. A. Salmond in the St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Levin, yesterday on the occasion of World Cornmunion Sunday. "The ways of life of all peoples are being shaken to their foundations, and in so far as 'churches are human institutions, they are sharing in the testing. Some of their activities and interests might well fail to survive, but one fact stands out quite clear1 ly : Jesus Christ is not on trial. This trial look place in a *formey age and God's vindication of Him put Him above all- ages. "One grave danger that always faces a sick man is for him to fall under the false conViction that there is no such thing "as good health," Mr. Salmond continued. If a mah's own spiritual health was such that he looked fearfully at a poor future for the Christian faith, or if the life of the little spiritual community he belonged to was showing signs of pettiness, decline and impoverishment, that man needed to be awakened to two facts. First, that the past century was the most remarkable century of expahsiOn Of the Christiah faith 'in all history and, second, that a movement of consolidation had become evident which was bringing a new experience of unity to the scattered and divided Christian fragments, each of which took to itself the name "Church." "We ought not permit our own blataht materialism or our own spiritual dispositioh make us uilawafe of the growth of the World Church, nOr should we fail to appreciate the meaning and nature of the moVements towards Christiah Unity." From 1927 to 1936, there were 53 approaches of Christians to Christians in search of a 'greater degree of church unity. Recently, a most spectacular unioh had occurred in South India, where presbyterians, Methodists, Congregationalists and- Anglicans had ehtered into a United Church Of south india. "The lifting up of Christ Can still draw men and bring to them the sense of victory and oneness which eah overcome all human barriers and divisions," concluded Mr. Salmond.