CHURCH UNITY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10278, 13 May 1919, Page 6

CHURCH UNITY

AND THE ATTITUDE OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH.

Press Association. WANGANUI, Alay 12,

The Rev. Gray Dixon, Aloderator ot the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand, is at present paying an official visit to Wanganui. Speaking at a welcome gathering, the Moderator said that ho appeared among them in the interests of unity and tno historic continuity of the Church. It wasteiy straii-m that the sister national church of tno Empire, the Anglican Communion, for which they had all respect, and with which, as with every branch •of the one Catholic Church, they uesired the fullest co-operation, should so studiously ignore their historic and national position. Anglicans spoke of them as Nonconformists, but members of tho Church of Scotland were not Nonconformists. As a- matter of fact they would make themselves Nonconformists by joining the Church of England, whoso places of worship were m the Scottish Statute Book designated as “Episcopalian meeting houses ” Surely it was possible for English and Scottish churchmen to cold:ally recognise one another. The Scottish Churchman with his broader outlook, was amazed at tho pathetic spectacle ot English Churchmen solemnly shaking their heads over supposed difficulties in the way of united worship with Christians who held the same essential Catholic faith. They seemed to share the spirit of the Highland chief who, calling upon Governor AlcNab, of Canada, left his card, with tho superscription: “Tho AlcNab.” Returning the call, the Governor left a card with the designation on it in largo characters: “The other AlcNab.” Especially m those times ot enlightenment it believed every church to remember that there was mor than one AlcNab in the world.