THE OXFORD GROUP

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 11, 6 October 1937, Page 10

THE OXFORD GROUP

House Party Rally at Dunedin GOD AND HIS PLAN The Oxford Group, a rapidly-growing body of men and women in all walks of life, whose fonr cardinal points are absolute love, absolute honesty, abso* lute unsfelfishness, and absolute pufity, commeuced a hous'e party in Dunedin recently, the first meeting taking the form of a testimony meeting. The large gathering of followers from all parts of New Zealand were given many instattces by the "team" which ftonducted the meeting of the changes which had resulted in their lives tnrough contact with the Oxford Group by their belief that God had a plan for each individual. it was stated by several spe&kers that the group believed that human natuxe could be changed, and that that change in each individual would eveutually envelop existing systems of society and, Anally, uations. The ultimate hope "was that the destiny of the world cotlld ,be guided into safer and less dangerous channels than it was taking to-day, The leader at the meeting was Mr Athol Wiliiams, a sheep farmer, of Hawke 's Bay, who had associated with him on the platform the Mayor, the liev. E. T. Cox, the Bev. H. J. tayburn, and members of the house party "team." Mr Hyburn said that the Oxford Group Movement was a spiritual revolution, aiming to bring the whole world under the control of God. It did this by winniug individual men aud women under the will of Christ. Oxford had been associated with many important movements in the past, but the group movement. which had been given its name by accident, had not only to do with Oxford, or England for that matter, but with the whole world. Within its ranks were 50 different nationalities, many denominations, beth Protegtant and Catholic, * and people of all walks of life, tradCs, professions, and occupations. Welcome by the Mayor "I would remind you," the Mayor said, "that the British universities owe their erigin to the Christiau Ghurch-, therefore, we should expect them to be the centre of warm, vital Christianity. Oxford, at least, has earned the^ reputation of being the birthplace of three great world religions movements, and it is interesting to note that these had their origin in three succeeding centuries. "The great evangelical movement of the eighteenth century, from which sprang the Methodist Church, sproad its miiuence not merely across the nation, but across the world. The High Church movement of the nineteenth century (named at the time the. Oxford Movement) was also intiuential across Christendom. The twentieth century development has taken the form of 'the group' system, and it, too, h&s become a, world movement — so that we cannot complain of the old university that it is out of touch with the life and thought of the world — for It has stirred and moved it decisively in three centuries. "To-day," the Mayor continued, "most of the world is concerned with the wouderful things that change. 1 need not enumerate these things; they are moro astonishing every day, more fascinating, moro alluring, but they change. The things that change are important things, and we do not tiepreciate them. In them commerce and mdustry have their foundations, education plays its part in their deveiopment. Xt is because religion in all the ages has been concerned primarily with these things that it has had a placo of its own in the world 's life and men and women have been drawn to it from the allurements, the exeitements. and the fascination of the world. "In each century," he conclnded, "these messages have been adorned in new form, but they are essentially the same in essenee. We look to you to rovive living Ghristianity amongst ns and wish you well in your work." Changing Human Nature The chairman, thanking tho Mayor for his welcome, said that Mussolini in his autobiography had stated that human nature could not be changed. That statement was made in such a way as to imply that if it were changed it would cause a revolution worthy of the name, because the human ciesires would 'be redirected. The Oxford Group, however, believetl Mussolini to be wrong, and that human nature could ' be changed through Christ. His contact with the Oxford Group, said Mr Wiliiams, had meant that his home was more than a place to livo in — it was a place t« helj otiiers. He had been taught to be a dift'erent kind of farmer, empioyer, and landlord, and instead of now reJating events to : himself he did it to God, so that his security was not now money, but Christ. The individual benefits that had been' derived from contact with the Movement and the changed outlooks on life that had resulted were related by many of those present, whose walks in life were in many cases vastly different. At the conclusion of the meeting Mr Maurice Hodder read several telegrains of goodwiil from group "teams" in other parts of New Zealand and Australia.