THE CHURCH AND THE WORLD

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 87, 7 January 1919, Page 10

THE CHURCH AND THE WORLD

*— —- [ NEED FOR REVISION OF ATTITUDE ; ' SELF-CONFESSED FAILURE l ; fTho Church- has not the influence it ought to' have attained in the general life of the country. There ' aro many in every class throughout the nation who do not come under ! Christian influence, and would resent , the guidance of the Church. There ;' are others who nre ready to listen and yet feel that they do not get I what they need. The Church often fails to give its message effectively, and ninny of the clergy are deficient ' in spiritual earnestness, in intellectual j capacity and outlook.—Beport of the ,', Archbishop's Committed j The 'committeo appointed by the Archj bishops to consider methods by which the ' i teaching office of the Church can bo I more effectively exercised recently issued I their report. . The charges of failure, j intellectual, practical, and social, which ! have been brought against the Church j are first dealt with; the causes of the | failure, in so far as they exist, are in- ! vestigated, and finally remedies are gestedi Dealing with the charge i flint tho Church has failed in (lie task of giving its message, the committee deprecate nn ' exaggerated view of the allegations, and ! add: "In spite _of some alarming I features, we recognise the wide influenco, j both direct and indirect, of Christian j (caching and morality in this country, i tho spiritual power and-intellectual abil- ] ity of many of the clergy, and the existj once of a large body of loyal laymen. Yet wo feel that there is much truth in the charge." The committee then makes the statement quoted at. the head j of this article. j Commenting on the lack of ability in tho clergy, the committee state:—"While there has been an increase in the intellectual attainments of the people, the intellectual capacity and equipment of the clergy have not increased in o. like proportion. This is due .partly to the fact that fewer able men 6eok ordiilation, partly to the fact that the interest of the Church has been turned from the ' intellectual problems. The greater demand for men to serve the JJoioire and the country, the poor prospect of a living wage offered in the Church, the restricted influence of the Church in the universities,- and the inadequate"training .of the .clergy alike contribute to this result." . Tendencies of the Age. Among other notable admissions in this document aro these:— "The general causes of the failure of the Church to obtain a hearing for its message at the present time lio in'certain .tendencies 'of the age. There has been 'a gradual severance ■ between tho sacred and the secular as department after department of life has risen into independent activity. Religion, has become ono department among many instead of tho animating and guiding spirit of the whole, and religious thought isin danger of being, crowded out by a multitude of rival'mental occupations. It .must be remembered that tho scope and capacity .of the human mind are limited, and it is quite possible for many men, or for a whole generation, to be so absorbed in a particular aspect df life that they havo no thought left for- other things.' / "To tho manifold intellectual intorests must be added the practical demands of life. The growth of wealth nnd of the means of communication, tho widen area of civilisation, the greater rapidity with which things, can be done, havo increased the demands on the time, the i.oncrgy, and the power of a large section' of the people. Many men'have to work far harder than in old days' to obtain a ' livelihood or to conduct a business; and, ! when the day's • work is over, they havo little capacity or time for thought on other things. There has also been an excessive devotion'to the pursuit of pleasure and amusement. Such absorption in material aims is a great danger to a country. destroys its spiritual life. Out of -Touch With Life, "It has been represented to us that behind all defects and influencing in an unfortunate manner the action of the Chui-ch lie:-, a theological failure. Tt is somewhat difficult to estimate the force • of this criticism, because exceptions are apparent to any statement that wo may make. There is in the Church of England a considerable volume of wise reverent, and thoughtful theology, written by those who aro in close touch with , the life of the day. Yet it remains true that there i 3 a large body of tho clergy, and a much larger body of the. laity, who have not come into contact with this. "There lias been a tendency to Tely too much on the authority' of office and to ■"■neglect personal experience. Too often the- authority of. tradition has been emphasised without a full conception of tho living work of'the-Spirit. The right relation between- the life of faith v n.nd the use of institutional moanß of grace has not been observed. By many people, therefore, religion lias come to be regarded as a separate department of life, confined to the practice of certain acts and'to certnin times and places. The clergy have failed, to recognise how essential an element in their ministry 'is the proclamation of the Gospel. Hence their preaching is often without anything that can be snoken of as the good-news';.it is not a'lwavs fitted to be an instrument of the Spirit for producing a living faith. There has been a tendency to contrast the intellectual with the spiritual, instead of realism" that God's Spirit works in man. by ilhfminadng all his powers, and that the highest spiritual work is also intellectual. The result has been- n depreciation and a fear of the honest' operation of the in-' tellect.- .Freedom of research has been discouraged, tho minds of the clergy have been cramped, and their authority weak- . ened. Intellectual Sloth. "Many people,' especially among the clergy, owing to intellectual sloth and indecision, never seriously endeavour to make |ip their minds on disputed questions, such, for instance, as Biblical cri--ticism. Sometimes, they shut their eyes and refuse to allow that such questions exist at all. Jlany preachers, owing to lack,of intellectual courage, ignore great subjects on which restatement is needed, such as the Atonement and'the eternal consequences of sin, because they fear to provoke antagonism, and thus integral parts of Christian teaching nre entirely omitted. "In, particular : it is felt that the interest of the clergy is often Srnwn away to questions of secondary , importauce. They are engrossed in minor matters of Church tradition, and do not speak iu a real and living manner on great and fundamental problems which are exercising the minds of many people at the present day. They nre apt lo speak iu a conventional language which: wearies and irritates their hearers. A general complaint is that behind'the devotional teaching, the .pastoral and the wide activity of the clergy, there is not a reasoned theology which can build up the religious life'of the laity. The cause of this lies, as we proceed to show, in the intellectual failure of the clergy."