MORE ABOUT EVOLUTION

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 715, 15 July 1929, Page 14

MORE ABOUT EVOLUTION

CHRISTIAN STANDPOINT VIEWS OF A METHODIST Preaching in the Methodist Church, Takapuna, yesterday, on “Christianity and Evolution,” the Rev. H. L. Richards said that the < antithesis set up by a certain section of the Christian community that there were two schools upholding Christianity or Evolution was most unfortunate and unwarranted. From the point of view of this particular school, one could be either an Evolutionist or a Christian, hut not both. This was simply not correct, for there were many Christian people whose loyalty to Jesus Christ was beyond all question, who were convinced believers in the evolutionary hypothesis.

“These men and women,” said the preacher, “.are both zealous in good works and are profoundly religious, and they simply cannot see that the particular manner by which the Almighty brought this world and its inhabitants into being has anything whatever to do with the matchless message of the Gospel of Christ to the heart of humanity.

“It seems to me,” said Mr. Richards, “that only those out to defend and maintain a certain outworn and outgrown dogma of Biblical inspiration are in' fear and trembling, those not sharing that particular notion are unmoved and untroubled.”

The preacher declared he was not there either to submit proofs for, or to utter condemnation of the doctrine, but to plead for a wide and generous tolerance of opinion on the subject, and to do what he could to prevent in any way a recurrence in these days of those unhappy doings in the past whereby many good and able* men were called upon to suffer grievously because theri ideas on certain questions were not those prescribed by tradition. “All truth is of God,” said Mr. Richards, “whether it be religious, scientific or philosophic, and in the last analysis is indestructible. Only error is doomed to extinction. Therefore, what have we to fear who love truth? Surely nothing.”

BAPTIST FAITH

WHAT THE CHURCH HOLDS “PROSPECTS ARE BRIGHT” An exposition on what Baptists stand for was given by the Rev. R. Stowards in the Mount Eden Baptist Church yesterday morning. “The distinctive principle for which we stand is not baptism by immersion,” the preacher said. “Supported by leading scholarship we believe baptism is immersion. We are not Baptists because we baptise—we baptise because we are Baptists.

“We stand for a regenerate Church membership—for the supreme authority of the New Testament as the only rule of faith and practice. We hold that religion is spiritual not formal. We put the emphasis not on outward forms and ceremonies, but on inward faith and character. Religion, we say, is a matter of conscience, an experimental fellowship of the soul with God. We believe the Church is first an organism then an organisation. The inner life determines the outer form. The mission of the Church is the hallowing of God’s name and the extension of His Kingdom. The mission of the Church is not eccelesiastical or ritualistic, but ethical and spiritual. “We have not built our conception of the Church upon an ordinance. In our view the Church is a theocracy. Christ is sovereign in His Church. Neither Pope of Rome nor King of England is on the throne of the Spiritual Kingdom. We exalt Christ as Lord of All. The Church is a body of spiritually vitalised disciples owning supreme allegiance to God alone,” the speaker declared. , “The Church is a democracy—a body of equals—Sons of God through the grace of Christ —not two groups—the inferior called the laity and the superior called the clergy. One is our Master and all we are brethren. Pastors and deacons are not to lord it over God’s heritage—-ministry, not authority, strike the keynote of those offices. “Baptism is a formal avowal of discipleship, a public confession of faith in the Saviourhood and Lordship of Christ. The communion is a simple and solemn memorial of our Lord’s passion. We have a brilliant history. We stand in a magnificent succession. Our prospects are bright and promising.”

“SACRAMENT”

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCHES “Sacrament” was the subject of the lesson-sermon in all Churches of Christ, Scientist, on Sunday, July 14. The Golden Text was from John iv., 23: “The hour cometh and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him.” Among the citations which comprised the lesson-sermon were the following from the Bible: “For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till He come. Wherefore, whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup.” I. Cor., xi., 26:28. The lesson-sermon also included the following passage from the Christian Science text-book, “Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures,” by Mary Baker Eddy: “Are all who eat bread and drink wine in memory of Jesus willing truly to drink His cup, take His cross, and leave all for the Christ-principle? Then why ascribe this inspiration to a dead rite, instead of showing, by casting out error and making the body ‘holy, acceptable unto God,’ that truth has come to the understanding# “If Christ, Truth, has come to us in demonstration, no other commemoration is requisite, for demonstration is Immanuel, or God with us; and if a friend be with us, why need we memorials of that friend?” Page 33.