UNITY OF CHURCHES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 47, 24 January 1938, Page 7

UNITY OF CHURCHES

A MOMENTOUS DEVELOPMEbtT«, SCOPE OF PLAN. DECISION NOT EXPECTED YET. (United Pre6s Association—By Electric leiegrapn—nopyngnt..) (British Official pireiess.) ttoGßl, Jan 22. The report, the resum oi many years of discussion ana worn or a joint coulerence mciudmg tiie Arcnbisnop of xoi'K and eleven oisUops on tne .Anglican side and leading Congregationallscs, .baptists and methodises on the t ree • ciidrcn sme, wiucn was made puoiic yesterday, was commended to tne attention or the ciergy anu laity of cnurches by botn the convocation of Canteroury and the Federal Council or tne Evangelical Free cnurches. The report looks to . the reunion of the Church of England and the Free cnurches in a great United English. Church, with perhaps V ,OUU,OOO members, in which various denominations might come together without loss of what is specially valuaole in then- distinctive traditions.

- The plan provides for spiritual freedom, with gome form of State recognition.

PROPOSALS ONLY TENTATIVE. It is emphasised on both the Anglican and the Free Church side that the proposals are most tentative in character and published for the consideration' of Anglicans and Non-conform-ists in the hope of furthering th« cause of unity, but with full recognition that the time for negotiations has not yet come. Fusion would include some form of State recognition as an expression of the nation’s religious allegiance. Baptism and Holy Communion would be accepted as an essential condition of Church membership. The use of the Sign of the Cross in Baptism, the wearing of a surplice, and kneeling to receive Communion are practices upon the universal adoption of which it is suggested Anglicans might not insist. Participation in Church government would be confined to Communicants over 18 years. The United Church would accept the Apostles’ and Nicene (heeds, but acceptance of creeds would not exclude reasonable liberty of interpretation. Organs of government, in addition to the General Assembly, would be a diocesan synod and a congregational council. The Sees of Canterbury and York would retain their status. POSITIONS OF PRIESTS.

Priests would assume the title of presbyters and the congregation would have an effective voice in their selection. Present denominational forms of worship, apart from an agreed form of Holy Communion, would be acceptable. It is suggested that at first there might be more than one bishop in each diocese, each of the uniting Churches being represented in a College of Bishops. A common pledge lays it down that all members would be able to receive Communion equally in all Churches, complete spiritual unity being obtainable only on a basis of freedom of opinion on debatable matters and respect for even large differences of opinion or practice. The now Church would pledge not knowingly to transgress upon the longestablished traditions of any Churches from which it is formed.

Acceptance of the scheme would heal a breach which has lasted 300 years since the original schism led to the formation of non-conformist churches. The plan embodies all agreements reached since the historic Lambeth reunion, appeal 18 years ago. The Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr Cosmo Gordon Lang), who is chairman of .the joint conference with Dr A. E. Garvie, (leader of the Free Church delegates) in a preface to the announcement states: “We invite wide consideration of the plan, because we believe it is calculated to dispel prejudices and point the way to fuller agreement, and so at last to the union for which we pray.” The plan has been referred_to the Churches. No early decision is fikely. Dr Garvie, commenting on the plan, says that the Free Churches Council recommended that it should be considered, but other Churches would do nothing until the Anglican Church acted through the Lambeth Conference, due in 1940.