THE CHURCH AND THE WAR.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 1 July 1916, Page 2

THE CHURCH AND THE WAR.

(To the Editor). Sir, —In my opinion 'Tail- Play" makes some astonishing / mis-fetate-monte. One cannot discuss his letter verbatim, but 1 would oalll your attention to the following paragraph: ' 'One wonders whether wail-meaning people ever read the Bible, with ita appalling holtocau* of the innocents, and where the leaders of these Butcheries were "leading Christian men." I take exception to these last three words. A Christian man, I tak3 iit, is one who has a living faith in the Christ "who went about doing good"; one who strives to keep His ocminandanents and live up to His teaching. Now we read 01 the birth, tile life and the work of Christ only in the New Testament. II "Fair Play r ' can prove from the New Testament that the "leaders of butcheries" were heading Christian men," I wiH donate £o to any patriotic fund under Government supervision. Such knowledge would be quite a new Tovelatioa to me. AVe read of the Jewish king Herod who caused the murder of "the innocenite" ; of the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilaite, who allowed the n cm-Christian Jewish people to have Christ crucified:; of Saul (who beforo his conversion to Ohinstianity) persecutcdi the followere of Christ, but nowhere in the pages of tTve New Testament have I read of Christians being "the leaders of butchers.'"' Tho early Christians, like tiheir modern representatives, had mamy faults and failings*. The temptations of tli'e world tile flesh and the devil were often too strong for them wheij they lost touch wit l ! the Irving Christ, but none of them (so Far as I am awarej are ever represented as having fallen as low as "F«ir Play" would have use (believe I am, etc.— H. T. STEALTJY. The Vicarage.. Levin, July 1, 1916.