A SUGGESTION

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 24, 23 October 1917, Page 6

A SUGGESTION

| _ Sir, As the quadricentenarv of the | Reformation is to be observed by most of tno Protestant churches next Sunday, ; may 1 make a suggestion as to t'he best way of celebrating it? Many of your readers must agroo with me that controversy is not desirable just now, as, unfortunately, experience has shown that, on this subject, controversy is inseparable from strife. The activities of the Protestant Political Association may be very necessary, but, to my mind, this seems to be a wrong tiino to institute action of that kind. The temperance movement, the Labour movement, and other humanitarian movements of that class, must inevitably suffer through dividing working .people on sectarian issues. A more reasonable, and more Christian, suggestion would be tho following:—Let there be a revival of Biblereading in every church. The ignorance of the Bible to-day, even nniong Church members, is more than deplorable. • The Bible we believe to bo the bulwark of Protestantism. Very well, then! What could be more fitting than to celebrate the quadricentonary b'* instituting a Bible reading and Bible study campaign? I always keep in my pocket a. number of Scripture union cards, lo be used for daily reading of the Scriptures. Whenever I come across a likely person, and happen to think of it at the time, 1 oll'er him one of these cards, free gratis I provided he will pledge me his word to I read the set passages each day. We do not know how many lives, particularly young lives, wo are influencing for good that way. if ay I suggost such a prac- ' tieo to my fellow-pastors in view of the j approaching quadnceutooary ? The surest

way to advance Protestantism is to advance Uie Bible—l am, etc.,

C. BOUGHTON JORDAN. Eketahuna, 22nd October.

P.S.—Nothing 1 have written above, however, prevents me from holding that it is a Protestant minister's right, if ho bo desires, to give, for education purposes, say, once, a year, a lecture or sermon ou some phase of the Reformation,—