CHALLENGE TO THE CHURCHES.

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 17, 13 October 1937, Page 4

CHALLENGE TO THE CHURCHES.

The reeent conference at Oxford of representatives of the Pxotestant Churches of the world, to consider the problems of '* Church, a Community and State,'' was one of extraordinary interest and signifcance, asserts the Marquess of Lohian, writing in the Christian Science Monitor. It met under the shadow of the most formidable challenge which has ever prosentcd itself to the Churches since the early days of Christianity itself. This challenge takes two forms. On the one hand, there is the rise of the new totalitarian economic and political religions ,sueh as Communism, Fascism and Na_ tional Socialism, which either endeavour to destroy religion altogether as mere duperstition or seek to mould the minds of their people in unquestioning loyalty to the national State, leaving to religion only a field of belief and worship on condition that it has no consequences in the field of politics, On the other hand, there is the growing reccgnition that seeularism or prcoccupation with worldly values, tlfe love of money, sensuality and hum'an power, have made deep inroads within tlie Churches themselvcs and ao weakfifled tkek capacity to witney effectively to the Christian Gospe'l,