TRAINED APOSTLES

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 16 November 1927, Page 5

TRAINED APOSTLES

THE NEED OF THE HOUR PRESBYTERIAN MODERATOR’S WARNING. MISAPPREHENSION ABROAD TO-DAY. (Per Press Association). Christchurch, November 16. A sermon by the retiring Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (the Rev. G. J. McNeur) and an address by the newly-elected Moderator (the Rev. James Aitken, M.A., of Gisborne) were features of the proceedings at the opening of the General Assembly last evening. The church was well filled with representatives from ail parts of the Dominion, of whom the roll number was 291. The Rev. James Aitken said > “An ignorant preacher will make ignorant statements, an untrained mind will .confuse fundamental issues, and their effect on the world out of doors is to produce a false impression of what Christianity really is and to hide Christ

from men’s eyes “There is an immense amount of misapprehension abroad to-day, and the Church is not free from blame in the matter. She has been fur too ready to assume that any preaching is better than no preaching. A tremendous responsibility rests upon the Church to set Christ before the world as He really is, and for the discharge of that duty she simply must have a competent and qualified ministry. This problem cries out for study and consideration.” EVOLUTION AND RELIGION.

Evolution and religion were also touched on by the Moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly, (he Rev. James Aitken, in his opening address. Mr Aitken said: “A thorough-going evolutionary philosophy is inconsistent with materialism and is friendly to belief in God.”

The atomic theory. Darwin’s “Origin of Species,” and the doctrine of evolution were dealt .with in the address, which pointed out the effect of the growth of the geological sciences on the former conception of a universe like “a vast machine revolving through the ages—blind, aimless, and incapable of real change.” The speaker stated that the universe was, in truth, a vast community of organisms with a life history and a life purpose. Matter was more and more being conceived in terms of the spirit. The Moderator urged the Church to bring herself to breathe a humbler spirit and even to learn from science a more profound faith in truth itself, and in its progressive revelation. The Church must cease to regard herself as possessed of the last wefid in revelation.