CHURCHES OF TO-DAY

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1961, 19 January 1914, Page 6

CHURCHES OF TO-DAY

ATTITUDE TOWARDS SOCIAL PROBLEMS. VIEWS OF DR. ADENEY, Certain questions and problems now exercising tho leaders of all Protestant religions in England, as well as in New Zealand, were discussed by the Hev. Dr. W. F. Adenoy, in an interview _with b. Dominion roporter. Dr. Edeney is au ex-chairman of tho Congregational Union in England, and is known as ono of the lending theologians in the Church. "Yes, it is correct to say that thero has been a docline in attendance at church in England," said Dr. Adeney, "ami of course it is giving us very much concern. But it is only reasonable to notice that while the" last two or three years have seen a decline, tho last ton years have seen a growth. Tho present condition may, perhaps, be taken as only a result of one of thoso fluctuations in the habits of the people —tho falling back of the wave. My own impression is that there is very much less opposition to Christianity and the Church than thero was in the days of Bradlaugh and the secularists, but I Jhink there is more indifference ■which "in. many respects is very much more difficult to deal with. The change, I think, is largely due to the spirit of the age, which is restless. People aro not nowadays content with quiet Sundays, but prefer to rush away for amusement or recreations-motoring, golfing, and excursions. The Church, of course, cannot compote with these counter attractions on their own lines;' it does not profess to do that. And I think this also: that as formerly it was almost necessary to go to church if you wore to bo respected, hosts of people went who had no religion'. Now there is no such constraint upon people to go to church, and I imagine that thoso who do so, go for the serious reason that they believe in tj)e Church. The remedy for the present condition of things is not to be found in attempts to fight it by sensational methods, but rather by downright honesty and thoroughness in the work of the Church and the ministry. Mere routine will no longer suffice. People nowadays will not stand a mere round of services because the timo has come for them. Tito man with a message should make that message felt, and tho Church itself should bo active. It' should not trv merely to get adherents, but'should do its work for tho world. Unfortunately a'great deal of the present-day indifference is in the Church: itself! "There can bo no doubt that in England thero has been a very great change in the attitude of the Church to social problems. Complaint was' formerly mado that the Church took no notice of these questions. Nowadays it is keenly alive to them. Tho growth of the Institutional Churches, ivhidh havo associated with them organisations for recreative and practical social activities necessarily bringing them into contact with social questions, is ono sign of the fact that tho Church of to-day is facing these problems. It cannot bo said now with nearly so much appearance of truth as it was once said that the Church is on the sido of the rich to the neglect of the poor,"and tho people who are said to be exploited, and so forth. I think the churches aro not only not blind to the 'great questions of the hour, but are trying to fit the peoplo to face them. This is ono of the most hopeful signs in tho churches of tho present day. Undoubtedly, it should be the Church's policy, and I think the Church has suffered greatly m tho past through having neglected it Of course, it is not tho duty of the Church to deal with these problems as such, because they are economic questions, but to call attention to them, and to show where they are urgent, and where justice and humanity must como in. The Church must not be allied to any one party. One great change that I have seen in my own timo. in, the attitude of tho Church is in regard to the Temperance question. Now, »\' tho churches are strong for Temperance reform ; originally the campaign was carried on quite apart from church work." SERMON AT TERRACE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. At the Terrace Congregational Church yesterday morning Dr. Adeney gave an impressive address, taking for his subject the passage in the Book of Revelations referring to the tree of life. Dr Adeney commenced by stating that the Book of Revelations had in theso days fallen into neglect—not for- want of commentators, but largely owin" to their number and rivalry and the variety of their opinions as to the koy of the enigma. Much of tho strange imagery and legend of the book did not appeal to us; but there were other parts, such as tho letters to the Churches and the vision of the heavenly, city, which contained valuable lessons for the present nge. It was true that people were saying that thoy had no time for dreams of heaven; they wanted tu religion for the earth and for to-day. But the ideal city of the Book of Revelations was to be established on earth under heavenly influence—such a city as Wellington ought to be, and might be if the Spirit of Christ had free course. It was a matter of immediate and present interest. Dr. Adeney went on to say that all human thi.igs were liable to fluctuation—joy and sorrow-, loss and gain. What was there to stand against tho changes and chances of life? Where was absnlute assurance, the haven of rest to be found, the'tree of , life, tho one thing to brave the storms ? It was broadly speaking, religion; the good news of t-he_ Kingdom of Heaven; access to God. No doubt New Zealand, like other parts of the world; was at present passing through a period of religious indifference—not open hostility, but the spirit that cared for none of these things. This feeling was perhaps not so widespread as people thought. It was largely a matter of dissatisfaction with the Church, and the fault was not altogether with those who stood aloof. The heart ache and the restlessness still existed. The race for wealth and amusement could never give permanent satisfaction, for the soul hunger—the hunger for God—remained, and it could only bo satisfied by the tree of lifo. Tlio leaves of this treo were for tho healing of the nations. This pointed to the world-wide aspect of tho Gospel, and tho missionary work of the Church. A selfrcentred and self-contained Church, without service to mankind, must sicken and suffer. In tho fierco competition of the world the weak went to the wall and everything was taken by the strong; but Christ brought lieln and healing to the sick ami suffering. It would bo a noblo thing ; f the great British Empiro thought less of its own aggrandisement and commercial prosperity and moro about, tho freeing of the 'slave and the delivery of the oppressed, and used its great power against cruelty and tyranny. But these tilings could best be done "not by force, but by spreading tlio knowledge of God in Jesus Christ. The Empire had a wonderful opportunity of being, ereat, not merely in wealth nnd power, but in service for the healing of the nations. That should be the mission of the Em* pire. Now Zealand was in a special wav responsible for the islands of the South Seas, which were being largely exploited by the trader, while tho work done by the Church was comparatively small. It was Now Zealand's special mission, if it desired to realise tjio ideal of the city of God. to send tho healing leaves of tho tree of life to these islands. But it should be remembered that the citizens at "home also wanted healing in sickness as well as food in health, nnd fruit and leaves—healing and food — were the two products of thn tree of life. Tlipv wore to he found in tho Gosrwl of the Kingdom of Heaven which nfovid?d for the needs of tho aoulj of ell sum-