CHRISTIANITY AND WAR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2326, 7 December 1914, Page 6

CHRISTIANITY AND WAR

"REGENERATION OF ENGLAND." < In his' sermon at St. Paul' 6 Anglican Pro-Cathedral yesterday morning, -the Rev. A. . M. ; Johnson 6aid that he might have been expected to speak to them about the coming elections, but owing'to his absence in England lie had not been in close touch with what had been going on. recently. ;He thought . ho would say something about the war, and, indeed, the great world struggle now going'on must overshadow, all narrower interests. He based his remarks on the vision in the Book of Revelation of the "Waite horse.. And he that sat upon him was called Faithful arid True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war." Mr. Johnson, said they could riot help thinking of their great losses in the war, but he held that the gains were greater than the losses. It iiad.put a stop to .what looked very much like a serious war of the sexes and. the drift towards civil war. It had welded the whole ' Empire together, and had evoked a spirit of unity and self-sacrifice at Home which had been described as the regeneration. of England. New Zealand oould not Tiold out against tho religious revival which was taking place in Britain, France, and Russia. In England the churches were filled as they had never been filled for many years past. In New Zealand we would revolt against that secularism which really had its roots in Germany. . Christianity did not forbid war, and all efforts to abolish war. had failed. Tho Hague Conference did not bring about disarmament, but only laid down certain rules of war. And now, wheni" ( those rules hud buen broken there was no' umpire to appeal to. As a nation, wo were not losing anything essential to Christianity, though we were at war. The "Faithful and Truo". of the vision referred to in the text was Jesus; Christ. His garments were described as "dipped in blood." He was . de-. picted, as a warrior at the . head of armies, waging war. Jesus didl ■ not talco up and carry forward those Old Testament predictions of, the time ; when War should finally cease. There were certain' virtues which found their highest development in the strain and stress of war, and war would be no.: more only when the Spirit of Christ, had won tho world. . ,