The Daily News. THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 1914. RELIGIOUS DISCUSSION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 174, 22 January 1914, Page 4

The Daily News. THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 1914. RELIGIOUS DISCUSSION.

The threatened storm in the Church of England over the question of "open Communion" in the East African mission field, looks at present as if it would die down without any serious consequences. " The matter in dispute is being handled very tactfully by the dignitaries of the Church, and it has for a time at least been removed from the arena of public discussion. As the question at issue h one of great importance, because of jts bearing on the unity of the Christian Church, we think it well to further elucidate it, from further information to hand by mail from England. The note of sectarian alarm was first sounded when reports were received of a conference hold at Kikuyu, in East Africa. This conference embraced the missionaries of all the Protestant societies working in British East Africa, where there is a united. Mohammedanism, u united Roman Catholicism, and a sadly divided Protestantism representing a dozen varied types, independent and even mutually opposed. To minimise ihe danger of failure of their efforts, the East African Protestant missionaries met to see how far they work in har- ' mony and present a solid front, so as , lo leave the way open for the ultimate formation of a united native Church in British East Africa. The Government desires this consummation, and has even legislated lo that end. The Kikuyu Conference agreed upon a scheme of federation, which was submitted to the various missionary authorities at Home. The conference was followed by a united Communion service. The suggested basis' of common action was the acceptance of the Apostles' and Nicciie Creeds and the Holy Scriptures, baptism in the name of the Holy Trinity, the use of a Common Book of Prayer, and the granting to non-Anglican ministers of a position equal to that of lay readers, who may preach, but may not assist in the administration of the Sacraments. This appears a common-sense proposal, in which the dissenting bodies make more concession than the Anglican Clinrch does; but the Anglican Bishop of Zanzi- | bar added to the alarm that was enter--1 tained by the narrow, sacerdotal see- "' tion of the Church at Home by virtually demanding the impeachment of the Bishops of Uganda and -Mombasa because of their action in agreeing to the Kikuyu memorandum. In a long letter, headed "Exeelsia Anglieana," conceived in such a spirit that even the Church Times confessed that it published it unwillingly, the Bishop of Zanzibar doI clared that "the parting of the ways" had been reached. He urged seven objections to the Kikuyu agreement, as follow: (1) II does not contain the Creed commonly called the Creed . of St. Athannsiiw. (2) It does not contain the Rite, or Sacrament, of Confirmation. (.'() It does not contain the Rite, or Sacrament, of Absolution. (4) It does not contain Episcopacy. (5) It does not provide a priest for the celebration of the Holy Communion. (7) It does not know' the Catholic Church, or the Communion of Saints, except in such a general sense as is already admitted by the. four Protestant bodies that have joined the Federal ion. -Vow these seven points may be matters of very great moment to the Anglican Church, but it can hardly be contended that the observance of them is a vital necessity to Christians or that neglect of them constitutes the Seven Deadly Sins. Bishops, priests, confirmation, infant baptism and so forth are all inventions of man, which have been grafted on to the sublime simplicity of primitive Christianity, and there seems no sound reason why heathen tribes, emerging from barbarous paganism, should have their progress hindered by divisions on such non-essential points, more especially as the consequent failure of Christian mission effort means the greater success of the religion of the False Prophet, which is everywhere-, even in England—audaciously asserting it-elf as superior to the religion of Christ, and insolently patronising the Son of Coil as having been, in his way and time, a good man and an authentic prophet, approved later by .Mahomet. In England, as Mr. (.!. K. Chesterton pointed out (he oilier-day, the Church "lias returned to its best and noblest and most disagreeable days: it is not appealing l„ a Christian society-it is defying a pagan one." And yet, in these circumstances, there are people fatuous enough to believe that it is right to dispute over priesthoods, sacraments, vestments and so forth. Well might we exclaim, with the Theologian in Longfellow's "Tales of a Wayside Inn":— "Must it be Calvin, and not Christ? ■ .Must it be Athanasian creeds, And holy water, books and beads? Must struggling souls remain content W' -'< cils and Decrees of Trent? And shall it be enough for these, The Chri-liau Church the vein- embalms With evergreens and boughs of palms And fills the air with litanies? ! know that yonder Pharisee Thanks Cod that .he is not lite me! In my humiliation dressed, f only sl-uid and beat my breast And pray for human charity." As we remarked, in a former nrticle, il is a hiipcl'ul sign to find the Anglican Church divided on the question of open ' Communion in the missionary field. The ' indication- now are that (Tic voice of \ the majority of Anglicans will support I

the Kikuyu recommendations. Early in December lust the Anglican Church Missionary Society mot in London to consider tlie situation, and passed ft resolution rejoicing in the steps taken towards co-operation and mntiial consideration between tlio missions at work in British East Africa, and tvhok-hcarlodly sympathising with the Bishops of Mombasa and Uganda and their brethren in their desire for further co-operation i.ncl advance along the pathway towards such union as may eventually be according to God's purpose. There is, of course, a danger that a. schism wilf arise in the Church of England; but even so, that would be a lesser evil than the deliberate adoption by the whole Church of an attitude of narrow 'sacerdotalism. Many earnest people in England are of opinion that Christian unions will cc:-.ie to the Old Country by way of the foreign mission Held. Newspaper influence is strongly on the side of toleration and united action. The London Times, in an article, says it regards the united Communion service at Kikuyu as in itself of high significance and gracious promise, and it lends its weighty support to the federation scheme as calculated to "facilitate a gathering up of the scattered forces of the Christian cause against a degraded and disintegrated heathenism, and against the resolute and united army of Islam which otherwise will enter in and possess while we are composing our petty differences 'of administration."