THE PURITAN ATTITUDE

Evening Star, Issue 22464, 8 October 1936, Page 16

THE PURITAN ATTITUDE

BAPTISTS AND MDRAL ISSUES OF DAY (PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS TO ASSEMBLY [Prat United Press Association.] AUCKLAND, October 7. The Puritan attitude to conduct and its relationship to the important moral and spiritual questions of the present day constituted tho main feature of the presidential address on ‘ Puritanism and To-day,’ delivered by the Rev. A. Anstico, of Christchurch, at the first session of the fifty-fourth annual assembly of the Baptist Union of New Zealand, which opened to-night. There are nearly 200 delegates from the Baptist churches of the Dominion. Appreciation of tho services, rendered by Dr Charles North as president was expressed by resolution. “The break up of Christian home life is a sad and disastrous feature of to-day, and presents a pressing problem to church. - Sunday school, and social worker alike,” said Mr Anstice. He said the honour of the creation of home life, as it was known at its best, belonged to Puritanism, and was so credited to the Puritans by impartial historians. He dealt at length with the history of Puritanism and the principles that guided the Puritans in their faith. “ This is where a quiet, but very real, conflict is in progress to-day in onr own and other communions,” Mr Anstice said, referring to the Puritan attitude to conduct. “There is a very_ definite sphere in the realm of conduct in which this conflict is evident. It is in sex relationships, including i the sanctity of the marriage tie and 'the integrity and dignity of home life, recreation, and pleasure, and chiefly its relation to Sabbath observance, drinking, and gambling, the uses of the drama, and the effects of suggestive works of fiction, and business probity and sincerity in all human relationships.” Mr Anstico said list might be enlarged and much said under- each heading, bub the issue with Baptist people might ho stated in a few welldefined queries. Should Christians dance, play cards, gamble, or mix in world frivolity? How much of a Christian’s time should be devoted to sport and amusements? Should not a church member bo scrupulously honest aral truthful? These and others might be at this moment live issues in different churches. “The word .-‘prejudice’ is lightly used in a careless age, but wc must not lose sight of tho truth that the Puritans were Bible lovers, and that their prejudices are Bible prejudices,” continued Mr Anstice. “Have we, who have been spoken of as the extreme wing of Puritanism, a word of authoritative and intelligent guidance to give to-day on these important moral and spiritual questions?. For not alone is the attitude of the Christian to worldliness involved. Socmlogy, and, in fact, science generally, as it is exercised concerning tho well-being of mankind, must take note also of conduct.”