Thank you for correcting the text in this article. Your corrections improve Papers Past searches for everyone. See the latest corrections.

This article contains searchable text which was automatically generated and may contain errors. Join the community and correct any errors you spot to help us improve Papers Past.

Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image

“POTTED PIETY.”

SPORTSMEN’S SERVICES. DESCRIBED AS DANGEROUS MOVE. AUCKLAND, Dec. 5. As convener of the Public Questions Committee of the Auckland Presbytery, the Rev Lawson Marsh of Devonport, yesterday made a reply to the published remarks of Canon James, in answer to criticism of the proposal to hold a Sunday morning service specially for sportsmen, Canon James’s retorts were directed particularly to comments on the scheme made by the Rev D. C. Herron, of St. David’s, on Sunday evening. “Canon James deserves at least credit for discovering a new field for missionary work,” said Mr Marsh. “Among Sunday sportsmen he finds some of the very best and most serviceable of our fellow-citizens, and, very properly, he wants to win them into the fellowship of the church for fuller service of the Kingdom of God. He proposes, therefore, to arrange a service of minimum duration, to leave these most serviceable people free in the meantime to spend the rest of the day in sport. He says that they would be happier for it, though apparently Jie is not sure they would be better. “Does Canon James really believe that those who at present have no interest in the fellowship of the Church compared with their interest in sport are likely to lend themselves to any scheme calculated to win them into fuller service of the Kingdom of God' If so, .1 shall have to concede what I have long tried to disbelieve, that the Canon's zeal is not according to knowledge. We love him for his ingenious charm, but are forced to conclude that be is, after all, 'an ecclesiastical Peter Pan. His bitter reply to recent. criticism savours more of panic than Peter. He speaks as though it were an outrage to criticise so well-intentioned missionary efforts, but the Canon forgets that others besides sportsmen have a conscience about Sunday, and if bis plans seem to such not utterly 1 utile, but dangerous, because they would tend to lead out of the fellowship of the church many who are at present in it, surely they have a right to say so. “If Canon James bad made bis experiment quietly, instead of blazoning it abroad, along with some very unfortunate remarks about the hardships of having to atttend eleven o’clock service, no one would l ave made public criticism, but the publicity given raised the whole question of Sunday services and, put all those who do not agree with the Canon into a very false position. To try to meet the necessities of modern life is a duty binding on all of us, but it is one tiling to provide an extra service, and quite another to suggest that the primary duty and privilege of Sunday can be dispensed with in half an hour. In effect Canon James condones Sunday sport by a special

service to bless those who indulge in it. What does truth', honour or chastity matter if we end in a hole at the cemetery ? “The greatest need cf this age is not to he met with potted piety on a Sunday morning, followed by a repetition of Saturday’s physical exercises. Only a frank and glad recognition of the claims that God and humanity make on our heart, mind, soul and strength can save our land from the vulgarity of secularism and the loss of all that makes us great. The unworthy personalities introduced and the strictures on Mr Herron’s scholarship are really apart from the controversy, and I can safely leave them to the good sense of the public.”

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/HOG19291209.2.13

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Hokitika Guardian, 9 December 1929, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
592

“POTTED PIETY.” Hokitika Guardian, 9 December 1929, Page 2

“POTTED PIETY.” Hokitika Guardian, 9 December 1929, Page 2

Help

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert