CHURCH AND STATE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2205, 20 November 1920, Page 4

CHURCH AND STATE.

VIEWS OE ASSEMBLY MODER- , AT OK.

“What is the relation between the Slate and the Clum-lr?” was a question ashed by the Kev. S. W. Currie, M.A., Moderator, in his address at the opening l of the Presbyterian General Assembly, at Wellington. He said that the Held for work on the pari of the Church opened out most invitingly to anyone who was at all fairly conversant with Church history. WHAT IS DESIRED.

“Is the Stale supreme?” he proceeded, “Is the Church supreme? Have they practically nothing to do with each other? We know the answer of the Roman Catholic Church; or, over against that, of the Anglican Church. We know something of the answer of the great -men whom we reverence so highly, the Puritans of England, and of the equally great men whom we reverence yet more, the Covenanters of Scotland. And, speaking specially of the latter, we recognise the loftiness of their ideal; 'For Christ's Crown and Covenants For this Our forefathers suffered and died; to this many still witness, and in their own way are prepared to suffer —for those men are, for conscience sake, up to this day disfranchising themselves. But, with till my respect for them, I cannot hut think the ideal an impossible 'one for men constituted as we are. We would like to see our Kings and Queens devout followers of Christ. We would like to see our legislators, and magistrates, and all in authority, men of the same type; for then, beyond question, the Kingdom of God on earth would become a greater power in the land. But to demand this is not a practical demand. We see things so differently; while to impose religious tests, as our forefathers would have dune, is a verv sure way of making hypocrites, ENTER HEARTIEY INTO POLITICS.

“We must, as I see it —and as 1 saw it forty years ago and over, when I broke front the Covenanting Church, the Church of my fathers —lake facts as (hey arc, and enter heartily into the polities of our country, and if Voluntaryism is-the price to be paid for the surrender of Covenanting principles, well, tot it l>e. As individuals we can do much to guide the destinies of the nation.-and to create and foster worthy ideals for our national lite. And that we have to do. We have no faith in the policy that would make polities merely secular, and designate (hose intere-tod in polities as mere worldling.-. ‘We take no concern in these matters,’ say some among ns. reminding one of the epitaph on the old tombstone—- “ Here lies the body of Dr. Hayward, A. man who never voted. • Of -ueh is the Kingdom of Heaven. Better, surely, the rohu-t good sense of Moody, who, meeting a man of this way of seeing things, a-ked, ‘Well, how are politics gelling on in your town thc-c days?' —it was just before one of their great Presidential election-. ‘My politics?’ said his friend, ‘are in Heaven.’ ‘Then.’ said Moody, ‘better bring them down to earth for the next -ix weeks.’ To look askance at the polling booth, to be indifferent and do nothing, is a great wrong; and for Christian men and women lo act in that way is to stay the progress of the rule of God. I would put it strongly, and say, with a. certain newspaper editor, ‘Political indifference is public crime.’ We may, indeed, expect too much from legislation, but we may easily expect too little, ft is often a buttress lo rigid, living, making it easy, as Gladstone used to put it, to do right and didicult to do wrong. And here some unwelcome conclusions follow —at least for me; for, as I see it, it is to our shame that, ns a great Church, and especially with allies in sister Churches, we arc -o bereft of power when we tackle, as we are always, in our somewhat nerveless way, tackling, the great problems of drink and gambling, of Bible- reading in schools, and just now of the law of marriage and divorce. ‘Political indifference is public (‘rime.’

“CARRY OUR CONVICTIONS TO BALLOT-BOX.

“A- Christian men and women we have to awaken the conscience of the public on those vital matters, to carry our convict ion- to the ballotbox, ami, not lea-1, to send lo Parliament men of good character, of clear vision, of loyalty to principle. So would polities be made -acred, and, I might also add, safe.. Yes, safe. ‘Parliament,’ said a good man to me years ago, ‘lowers the moral and religion- tone of every man who enters it' —rather a strong saying, let ,us hope, but. if there is any truth in the assertion, it only shows how apathetic and ineffective the hundreds of thousands of churchgoing people oulsidc Parliament are. Here is the Church's work — not to formulate a political programme, but to lit men for these high tasks, and lo create such a moral and religious atmosphere in the nation that log-rolling, and jobbery, and the sinking of convictions, and an unworthy expediency, will come, and speedily, to an end.”