WHEN THE WAR IS OvER

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2623, 19 November 1915, Page 2

WHEN THE WAR IS OvER

THE CHURCH'S OPPORTUNITY

MODERATOR'S ADDRESS

Whan, the Presbyterian General Assembly met at Auckland on Tuesday, the Rev. William Scorgio, of Mornington'Parish, Dnnoclin (the Moderator), dolivored an address on "The Church's Supremo Danger and Supreme Duty." He said: One? of the questions every intelligent Christian asked himself from t'ime to time was, "Why has the gospel as tho revelation of God failed-to enlighten. the world, capture the human race, and lift men to God?'' Many answers had been given. Some blamod the Church for its laziness, others the preachers for their dullness, and others tho people for their indifference. These might all be true; but/ might not the deeper cause be that the Christian Church had lost her power, because she had marred her great message by delivering it in the language of the intellect, tho forms of logic, and the terms of dogmatic theology? After sixteen centuries of, controversy the Clmrcli had como out of the conflict with a perfect confession, a broken Clinrch, and an imevangelised world. Now the whole Christian Church ought, to consider whether the time has not fully come for her to put l aside her spirit of dogmatic exclusiveness for tho spirit of Christian • comprehensiveness; her _ attitude of sectarian rivalry for Christian co-operation; her policy of emphasising the small points of difference and ignoring the large points of agreement between church and ohurcli. Surely after sixteen centuries of controversy and exclusiveness, of mutual discord, jealousy, and rivalry that have wasted her energies, inflamed her passions, degraded her character, and counteracted her message, it is time to give the spirt of charity, co-operation, and comprehension a chance. It is the infirmity of ordinary reformers to see only half-truths, so that, in casting out error, they begin with charity andWd with animosity. But to get into this- spirit you must rise above that sectarian spirit which can see nothing beyond "our church," "our doctrine," "our worship," "our confession," into tho comprehensive spirit of Christ, by opening your minds to receive, retain, and live out all truth.' The supreme plea for this appeal is the condition of Europe to-day. There are three elements in human nature— the divine, the human, and the demonic. Tho central nations of Europo have killed Hie divine and welcomed the demonic, and so we have an eruption of paganism, barbarism, and demonism unparalleled •in intensity, cruelty, and ferocity, before which the Church, Papal and Protestant, stands hopeless and helpless. When tho war is over what is to be her attitude and message to the torn and bleeding combatants? Is she to repeat her old dogmas and revive her old sectarian shibboleths, or carry tho message of Christ, in the word's of Christ, and in the spirit of Christ, to comfort 1 , cheer, and inspire the stricken peoples? Tho whole Christian world and the whole Christian Church arc passing through an unparalleled experience that will open up into an unparalleled opportunity. Will the Christian Cliurch be bravo and wise enough to meet it, a.nd make the most of it? Surely, in the presence of suoli an opportunity, her first duty is to close her broken ranks by wiping out all sectarian divisions in a great evangelical alliance, so that, with an unbroken front, she mav faco the stricken nations of Europe with tho gospel of the grace of God. For when Papal, Protestant, Moslem, and Pagan soldiers can fight together' l against-a common foe and "forget their religious differences in the attainment rf a common end, surelv it is not askng too much from the Christian churches to ignore their trivial differences >f opinion and unite in one great cam- ! wign to capture Europo for the Kill"lom of God. ° 1