IF WESLEY REAPPEARED.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 248, 10 March 1913, Page 5

IF WESLEY REAPPEARED.

WHAT HE WOULD TAKE IX lIAND. THE C<>M£LETB ADJUSTMENT OF I'v Cable—Press Association—Cflpy»'fc r ' , k ■" Sydney, March S. ftl his retiring address Mr. Meek, expwsldent of tlu- Methodist Conference, dealt with the (juestion of fixed Creeds ami freedom iiwuglit-. He urged the necessity of tolerance in the matter of theolo'ncal thinking and of keying abreast with the losl intellectual life and knowledge of the age. He declared that could Wesley reappear to-day one of the first things he would take in hand would he the complete adjustment of Methodism to present conditions and knowledge. Mr. Meek's utterances led to much heartburning and correspondence in the press. ' ljlC conference hist night discussed the matter in a lengthy. and. for some time. v.U'Ol debate. While agreeing with Mr. Meek as to the necessity for freedom to think and the need of progress, and expressing the soundness of Meek's fundamental faith and doet'-ine'.. some speakers were of opinion that his pronouncement, being of an ■ otlicial character, might, make in the direction of shaking the faith and loyalty j of Christians in the community.

Eventually a resolution was earned drawing atten'ion to "ie fact that Mr. Meek had intimated that the view* expressed voiced lii-s own opinions, not those of the ehuri'h. that the Methodist Conference was profoundly convinced that the doctrinal standards of their church were much in harmony "wiih the revealed word of Cod its was legitimate or that cot'.ld he desired, consistent with the delijiite holding and preaching of the doctrinal truths on which the church was built. Prior to the carryiii'i of the resolution Mr. Meek declared it was his message to the church, and he was going to stand bv it. lie was astonished that so many intelligent men should misrepresent him :'s lie had been misrepresented during the debate. The president assured Mr. Meek that lie had the personal love and confidence of members or the conference.