MISSIONS AND UNION.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1959, 16 January 1914, Page 11

MISSIONS AND UNION.

THE KIKCTO CONiTRCNIE ATTITUDE OF THE BISHOP OF ZANZIBAR

\* Tim' Bish'op'of "Zarizjtor? (b rTrtVoeton).; open letter.toHKo Bishop*6fJSt: , . Albans as a.roprosentntive.iaupporter'of; Angli-' can: missionary' effort < jfiwith" thefe title/ •Ecclesia Anglieaiu Does bho bland?'!.-,. The firstr&cction bf*.tho .letter'consists <>f ß a'strongjy-worded''-'pro-; ' test against "the;long seriis'of Modern-' ist;. publications.■'.-.vrith'twhich we'?..' hnvo grown: familiar, , '.' , andAits ■-■■■ lafcestKontcome,,' 'Foundations"-; according to which hoclaims that it,;is'allowed to";'any priest "te"deny'the■'trustworthiness of the Bible, the authority of the. Church, and'the infailibilitysof Christ." If,.th» Church accepts or condones these' views it has, snya.tho: Bishop,■■...■.■"surrendered the chance of winning the Moslem." ' ■ Coming to' the question of the Conference of Protestant Missions with tho Church, , Missionary Society,-.-,at Eikuyu, British ■East'-,Afriea;-' : lastV.'June, theBishop points, out£that-atfthat conference stops ■ wero 'yrcally ..taken' towards tho establishment ■ of "a. "now, united Protestant Church of ■ East - Africa and Uganda." The Bishop continues:— "Tho doctrinal-basis of the present' federation ; is,. I- gather, ■'■■ likely ■■.- te be token ove,r by the now Church.'' It involves tho acknowledgment of .the Bible a,s tho supreme rule : of Faith and prac.tico, in accordance with which-we may suppose.so many different missions exist si«o by side. . It requires, onn aneo of the Apostles , ' niid Niceno Creed, not as a supreme rule,' but' merely as ageneral expression'of belief, , ''■. and <" emphasises■. tlift -..absolute ' authority.:; of Scripture us the Word' of-; God, and ,, the ritai iinportanee'or belief in'the'atoningdeath, of; our Lord as. the'..; ground : of forgiveness. '■ Meanwhile, Spending the formation <f .this new.Churchj-the two -.Bishops and the heads'of four-Protest-ant Missionary.Societies have...: pledged themselves—(a) To" , ."recognise ■■.- common membership '. betwee.n . federated. Churches'; (b) to establish ■ a ;-,common form of: Clinrdh organisation , to admit to -. any puljift. a ■ preacher ■ recognised by liis own Church; (d) to admit to Communion a recognised member of ■any other Chinch; (e)-to draw ?ip and follow common. , courses. of ■ instruction both for candidates" for-baptism and candidates for-ordination.'' And a.s a pledge of good, faith,- and , with every appfjarance of. heartfelt joy and gratitude, the Bishop of Mombasa celebrated the Holy Communion on the last even j ing of the- c-anfereiWin.a Presbyterian church, and admitted to Communion as many of the ddegates of Protectant societies as cared -i-t-o- present thefflsoivos." .;.;.-. ;;..,;■-.- ,-- :'.■ - Tho Bishop'goes on to say : tliat "there has not , been a conference" of such importmico to the life, of the Ecclesia Anglic-ana since tlie Reformation. For it has brought us to tho parting of the ways that sve have so long dreaded and sought , to avoid. ' . ~'. v. : - It challenges mo in respect to my'office as Bishop in ji way that cannot bo ignored or soften-* cd. I am compelled onco and for all to ask myself, For what does a Bishop of tho Ecclesia Anglicana. stand?.. What is tho truth he.has vowed to,hand on to others?" ; ■■•■ ■ "'■-■ ■■"■h'-r / J; ■-» ; ' Dr. Weston's charge ' against -the Bishops of Mombasa and Uganda is, he admits,' nothing less than-.that of heresy, in t-hoir teaching , -of. , ;tho. meaning and value of Episcopacy.". l . Ho- adds .that in his view— -.:»> V.fe'Vvsj-K^i.-' ,, , ' : ■ "They.and their followor3|aroV ser* iously wrong in an ■' Episcopal ministry, «'hich is to them merely an outward,form, and to their , Protestant, neighbours a rock.of.oS'enco.-Oil, tho day. that a Bishop can'communicate with a Protestant ministor, deliberately and of set purpose, one of them is, : it seems to mo,'.bound in .conscience to surrender tho outward form which means so little to him, and:.yet so powerfully hinders ■~ tho. work ■■■' of ■. reunion." ■ : ,i;,M. '■ ■■ ■■ What Dr. Weston asks is-the attitude of fcho Church-—'. ... ./■= . ■■■j"' ■■ ; "Tho whole'Church : of God waits for tho .IDccksia Anglicana. to find a single mind, and to express the same clearly and strongly. And because she has so long hesitated it: has been permitted to tter to see, within so short a space of time, Modbrnisra' capturing the Bishops' trusted friends, the • Bishops of Mombasa and Uganda crossing the boundaries of Catholicity, and your lordship inhibiting a priest for Catholic, piety while barely. rebukinp; one who has erred from the. accepted Creeds in wajs moro than-a few. God-grant that wa accept Mia warning. Let us onco and for all face our position, seek out our principles. And dcliuo our message'." ■ "In-the darkness of.our days tho one only rule that serves ig to.do His Will ftiid guard His (lock until tho Ecclesia Anglicana finds her mind a«id hor voice, and tell us forwhat -it, is. she camo into the world. "If■■she , , have- need of us to Catholicise ; the ■ .heuthen.---world . for Christ, lam' at her'service now as-al-ways. But if to- Protestantise tho world, and moderniso...thc. Faith, bo tho works that sho officially-iundcrtakes, 1 for my part have' na:loiiKer place -or, lot within her borders; ; Let,.tho Ecclesia Anglicana dcclaro herself, that -we may know cur fate." :.'*'^-'5;> ,i; '.-;.; ■■■ The Bishop, concludes;, by.; demanding that- tho" case'shall .ba,'heard>by .the Archbishop ' Bishops ''concerned,, as. welFas'•himself,; aro siiborciisiate, andfaskiriK' operation iii' his" reriiiest'of-iithe.r.othef Bishops, of: the.. Province:— : -'.; : .-. ?. -.' ;-'I-. therefore:-.i)(?p.yoi!',im,vi.lord^.and. with yoiuall. th.o Bislidps b_f ? tlie : . ProTineft' to join nio I, m, ; iny.-'r,cques£i-hiS'de.-ia;our. 1 Metropolitan, thntVtheiuk'iiyu Conferpncfl'lb'eihoardiaHd'judcndi in',o«r PvovisiciaL.Court-ibcfore him .and his'MinproTincialW-iishops^'accordingitp , . 4 Cat ho lie.: p recedent:"-Wf ~~:ia -si&'i', ■;% >'. !S.§

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