SAME OLD ROUND

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2816, 6 July 1916, Page 6

SAME OLD ROUND

"PLEASURE, GAMBLING, DRINKING."

MISSION NEEDED

TO BRING RELIGIOUS REVIVAL

Allegations of need for religious revival were made at yesterday's sitting of tho Anglican. Synod by the Rot. E. I. Sola, who moved"That this Synod respectfully asks tho Mission Committee (of which the Bishop is chairman) to consider the advisability of a Diocesan Mission, to bo led at as early a date as may bp compatible with careful preparation. 1 ' Mr. Sola said that ho bad read of Toligious revivals in European countries since the beginning of the war, but ho had not heard of any such revival in New Zealand. Here the wax had had little effect on us. The same old round of pleasure, and gambling, and drinking went on, and in many minds the awful nightma.ro of the carnival still appeared. No religious saorifice was being made, and no preparation was boing made for the utilisation of tho victory which he believed would come. Wheu, victory came we should be in a position, to use that victory for the glory of God. Tho nominal Christianity that was so often met was tho worst thing the Church had to deal with. He would far rather" deal witli a. man who was an agnostic by conviction than a man who was a nominal Christian. People said that Christianity had lost hold of tho people, but tho truth was that the sentence' should run the other way Tound—-tho peoplo had lost hold of Christianity. The attendances at church services wore poor tribute? to the Christianity of tho people. The Sunday' evening services were poorly attended, and tho week-night services of prayer for our soldiers drew about thirty peoplo, while the picture shows poured out their hundreds. Even parents of the soldiers neglected to cross the street to attend such services. He thought, that a mission should be promoted, and met a suspected objection as to tlie securing of missioners by suggesting that the most suitable ministers could be chosen from the various dioceses.

Tho Rev.- Mr. Fan court seconded the motion.

One speaker objecfrd to the motion on the ground that it was undesirable "to stir up religious fervour"; they did not want fanaticism, but deep, healthy Christianity.

Mr. Balcombo Brown heartily supported the motion, and ho thought that if the effort was made it would bo blessed by God.

The opinion was expressed by one of tlie lay delegates that a big change had come over the world in tho last two years. Men were right out after God. and the angels of God were right out after ineu. Men would be coining back from the front, after hearing the best sermons of all. the sormons preached by th» whistling bullets.

The Rev. A. M. Johnson thought the Church in Now Zealand should fall into line with tho Church elsewhere; in other lands efforts to bring about a revival were being organised. Mr. Blundell supported the motion, and paid that people were driven away from the churches because of .materialism and want of spiritual worship. The motion was carriod on tho voices.