THE CHURCHES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16487, 28 February 1914, Page 8

THE CHURCHES.

THE KIKUYU CONFERENCE

CHRISTIAN UNION IN EAST AFRICA/

THE HISTORIC MEETING DESCRIBED.

A graphic description of the now famous Kikuyu Conference is given by the Rev Norman Maclean in his recently published book, “ Africa in Transformation.” Air Maclean, who is tho minister of the Park Presbyterian. Church, Glasgow, was present at the conference, states tho “Daily Telegraph,” and took part in its proceedings. The difficulties that beset Christian missionary work in Africa presented themselves very clearly to Mr Maclean. Ho points out that the chief obstacle in the way is “ that which is created bv the riven and divided state of Christendom. Mohammedan ism presents to heathenism a united front; Christianity is broken into fractions. Behind Islam there is the drivingforce; of an intense realisation of one fact-- 1 There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is His Prophet ’; the power behind; Christianity seems often to be only the desire of one faction to supplant the other. The faith of the Mohammedan becomes forged into steel on tho anvil of fanaticism; that of the Christian becomes soft as lead in the cooling winds of controversy. The amazing thing •is that Christianity should, in, its present condition, be winning victories: that it is sweeping masses of the heathen into the fold is undoubted. That it should do so in its present plight is the proof of its vitality. Were Christianity united in the campaign against .heathenism and Islam, its day. of final victory would speedily dawn. ,-v. “At present Christianity offers to the heathen -neither <a common policy, a common. Gospel, nor -a common worship, On one side of Lake Nyasa the Universities Mission trains the African in a highly ornate and.litur : gical worship; on the other side .of tho lake the Livingstonia Mission grounds the African in the principles of Puritanism—every man prays and worships as he pleases. In Livingston in the Sabbath rest- is gr imly enforced ; in the Universities Mission the Sabbath ends at noon—at least the Sabbath as Livingstonia knows it. A native Christian from Livingstonia crosses the lake and he goes to worship with In’s fellow-Christiaus in Likoma Cathedral. The result is lie can make nothing of the strange, ornate, and unfamiliar worship. ‘lf God had meant us to wea r all these things when w© pray, a man would bo born with a shirt on him,’ said a Christian, native to Dr Laws as his impression of surplices. BEWILDERED AFRICAN.

“ A native Christian conies from Likoma to Livingstonia, and lie is repelled bv the absence of everything that he has been taught—no Common Prayer, no outward attitude of reverence, and a grappling with the problem of election, of which he has not previously heard. . . . . .And in every sphere of Christian activity in Africa it is the same. The Baptists confront the Universities Mission saying. ‘ You must lie immersed to bo a - Christian. The Seventh Day Adventists confront the Baptists, saving, 1 You must keep the seventh day holy, and not the first, and so be a Christian.’ The Brethren confront the Baptists and the Friends the Brethren, and l each raises his testimony to the truth. ./.And the African, in his bewilderment,,-.- asks, ‘ What is the truth?’d’ ■ , -:• / “'By-hbife,” writes Air Maclean, “is the hindrance to the cause of missions created by this- situation realised so Keenly as by the missionaries, and nowhere is there so keen a desire for their removal as in tlie mission fields themselves. Everywhere missionaries are moving towards the realisation of a common policy, a common worship, and at last a united Church. . . • Rut the strange thing I found was that the Universities Mission, which claims Dr Livingstone as its founder, refuses to have part or parcel in any conference with other missions, 1 and stands aloof from every effort to remove the evil which now afflicts tlie enterprise of missions in Africa. . . The attitude of the Mission is not only alien to the spirit of Christianity and inimical Ho its interests, hut it is directly contrarv to the resolutions of the Lambeth Conference—the voice of the world-wide Anglican Church. In this the. Universities Mission, cannot shoiter itself behind the Archbishop of Canterbury.

THE CONFERENCE OF THE AIISSIONS.

Air Maclean then describes his visit to Kikuyu, and how on his arrival there he was taken to the conference of the missions in British East Africa. “It was,” he declares, “the most wonderful gathering I ever saw. It had represented in it all the Protestant missions in the Protectorate —Church of England, Church of Scotland, the African Inland Alission (.American), the Friends’ Industrial Alission (Quakers), the United Alethodists, the Lutheran Mission, and the Seventh Day Adventists. Bishop Willis, of Uganda, was in the chair, and Bishop Peel, of British East Africa, was in a front seat. On the right of Bishop Willis sat Dr Arthur, of the Church of Scotland Mission, and on his left ’the secretary of the conference. The place of meeting .was the schoolroom of -the Church of Scotland Alission, and tlie subject of discussion was the federation of the missions in East Africa. For three year's preparations were being made 'for this end. The originator of the scheme was Dr Henry Scott, of the Church of Scotland Alission, whose death British East Africa still mourns. It was Dr Scott and Bishop Willis who laid down : the principles .on which the federation could bo achieved ; it was left to Bishop AYillis to carry them through. A COADION POLICY.

“ There were moments of intense feeling, as when Bishop Willis quietly asked a Seventh Day Adventist, 'You grant that lam a Christian?’ ‘Yes/ was tlie answer. 4 You would admit me to your Communion?’ went on tlie Bishop. 4 \ T es,’ answered the Seventh Day Adventist, ‘ but not to full membership until you were baptised.again.’ Laughter always eases the strain, and the strain was thus eased. No difficulty was put forward which Christian forbearance and charity, were not nblo to remove. And tho historic Conference of Kikuyu passed tlie scheme for tho federation of the missions in British East Africa. In the history of missions the day will doubtless prove of epochmaking import, it was the first- day on which Anglicans, Presbyterians and Methodists united in a common policy. THE BASIS OF FEDERATION.

“ What is the foundation on which this federation is to be reared? The best way to answer is to quote the official documents:— With a view to ultimate union of the native churches, a federation of missionary societies shall bo formed. The basis of federation shall consist in:—

1. The loyal acceptance of the Holy Scriptures as the supreme rule of faith and practice; of the Apostles’ and Nicone Creeds as a general expression of fundamental Christian belief, and in particular belief in the absolute, authority of Holy, Scriptures as the Word of God; in the Deity of Jesus Christ; and in the atoning death of our Lord as the ground of ,oiu* forgiveness. 2. Recognition of common member-

ship between the churches in the feder* ation. .

3. Regular administration of the' -two '. Sacraments by. outward signs.:

4. A common form of CTiu'rch.orgari« sation. '•-$ '

“The missions in British Africa,’/?' comments Mr Maclean, “ have. eohred the problem of how to combine Episcopacy and Presbyterianism. The form of organisation for'the future native Church will consist of Parochial Council, corresponding to the KirkSession : District Council, corresponding to the Presbytery; and Representative Council, corresponding to the Synod. This is already tlie organisation by which the Uganda Mission has been developed, completed by tli® Episcopate as the cope-stone—a perfect blending of Bishop and Presbyters. ‘‘ RISING TIDE OF UNITY ” )

“■ Meanwhile, each Society is autonomous within Tts own sphere; only the organisation cf -tlie future native Church is to be developed • along these lines. And the federated missions are to respect each other’s-.spheres,’ to observe a; common Church discipline, have a common prescribed .course y>f study lor the native ministrv, aiid each minister shall he ‘duly set'apart by lawful authority and bv tho lavinijon of hands.’ The unanimitv "with winch Anglican and Presbyter insisted on that last clause was a revelation ol tho fact that: priest and preshysteP are at one in regard to things essential; and, most important of all. they are to develop a common order of Christian worship, so that native Christians shall everywhere feel at home. One last quotation from the official document must suffice: 4 All recognised ministers in their own Churches shall- be welcomed as visitors to preach in other federated Churches.’ ” THE ORIGIN OF THE CONTROVERSY. Then came the incident cut of which arose the discussion that has made tlie obscure African village of Kikuyu . a household word i wherever the English language is spoken. “On the evening of that day, June 20,-on which tho Conference passed the scheme of federation,” says Air Maclean, “a service of Holy Communion was held in the Scottish Church at. Kikuyu. Bishop Peel administered the Sacrament; i. a minister of the Church of Scotland preached the sermon, and all the mission delegates received tho Holv Communion from, the Bishop’s "hands. There was no question of difference between them. All the things, that ever separated Christians were submerged by the rising tide of love and unity which had borne them upward to that hour. It was a day the impulse of which will be felt throughout every ; mission field in the world. The missionaries in British East Africa and Uganda- have given the Christian world an object-lesson in -the spirit of unity. They have shown how it is possible for Christians to be ‘ one that world may believe.’ ” DR KELMAN ON PRAYER. PRAYING INSTEAD OF WORKING. Dr John Kelman, of Edinburgh, introduced to the audience as “a Scottish preacher whose teaching had brought illumination and guidance to many, especially to the student world,” : addressed a meeting of University students. and others in Woodhouso Aloor AVe-sleyan Church, Leeds, last month on “ The Problem of Prayer.” . He said the problem was as wide as human life itself, and as deep as human experience. Whatever else prayer might or might not be, it was at least a quite essential of a complete human life. Tlie difficulty of the problem really centred in tho small point of whether and to what extent they could fet the things they .asked from God. eople who felt this difficulty most were-those who- made the .mistake of praying for what they, should' have worked for. Prayer must stand in the scheme of life as one of, many agencies. It conlcl never take the place of the reasonable ways in .which life led un to its best results*, -'.and some of the most complicated arguments w'ero founded upon the forgetting of this fact. Whether answered or not, they must pray, for prayer was part of their manhood. As civilisation advanced, all sorts-/of subtleties and expediences pressed'uppn them —in business and in society—hut prayer lifted the spirit aboveallt circumstances which made sincerity, difficult. Throughout human history the man who had gone to God in prayer was the strong and irresistible ■' human force. | - THE SECESSION MOVEMENT IN GERMANY. A REAI ARK ABLE GATHERING. A few weeks ago there was a r«. markable gathering in one of the big- , gest Halls in Berlin. It was a midnight meeting, and it was. called, on .behalf cf the secession movement, which - has now set in with such tremendous- impetuosity. It was held-. at midnight, so as to enable cabmen and.train conductors and chauffeurs to attend after their day’s work. The place was packed to the doors, and the speaker oS the evening was Adolf Hoffmann, one of the most prominent leaders .of- tn« Socialist Party. On the tables in front of the audience were printed forms containing the text of . the formal application to the authorities forsecession from the State Church. One had only to sign one’s name and address, and everything else would be arranged. . ■ : • Some pastors put in an appearance. They thought it their duty to combat the 'movement. The chairman allowed them to speak, but they were howled down and covered with opprobrium. The meeting lasted till five o’clock in the morning. Hoffman received ovation after ovation. 'The people-frantic-ally cheered as lie quoted those pSS» sages in the Bible which treat of rich and poor, of masters who do not stiQ* ciontlv reward their servants, of ;,the powerful who oppress the weak. The: entire audienco. sprang to their feet* , cheering hysterically when lloffmah / turned to the pastors and asked,i “ Gentlemen, do you over preach from these texts?”