PICTURES AND PULPIT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 198, 19 February 1914, Page 6

PICTURES AND PULPIT.

;» WHY I'KOt'Ui ARIC XON'-CllL'KCll-GOJiliS. •IIINISTKUS DISCL'.SS THE I'ROJU-K.M l»y Telegrapn.—Press Association. Auckland, Tuesday. Tin', Congregational Lniou of New Zealand held~a conference to-day on the subject, "ilow fur c.'in wo go in point- ' [arising the Gospel'!'' An interesting discussion followed. The discussion wi l s opened by the Kcv, C. lleighvay. of Dunediu. "Let peopie have done," said .Mr. Iluighway, "with tin; cant of cla'tn I :ng for Die majority of non-eliurfh-goers that they were outside because the ser- | vices were below their level of interest. That was simply untrue. Katlier, the services were above their level. Was it not 11 fact that nil high work thai made large demands upon thought and earnestness was unpopular'; Were the best books eagerly sought and earnestly read'! .Scrappy stuli' of the most demoralising kind was perpetually increasing in response to the ravenous demand, hut books of profound thought and iustructiveness were found in the litinds of but few. Patrons of the theatre would scarcely venture to doubt the beauty of Shakespeare's poetry, or his dramatic genius, but nevertheless the majority of them preferred modern French plays and light frivolities. They found their level there. If a university professor announced a scries of scientific or literary lectures, could he maintain an audience even ill one of the smaller public ■halls'; Where, then, was this high thoughtfulness which was said to make men turn away in disgust from the in- i tellectual poverty of churches'! The 1 chief reason why people were outside not only the churches but also all good ■ things of life, was because the higher j, side of their natures was deliberately . neglected and forgotten. They lived | on a low plane, and tried to avoid disj cipline and work that was imperative 1 !to nuke folk. This was the hcartI break of Christ, and it was still the heartbreak of to-day. Those who tried to influence others for good knew how dillieult it was to rouse them to any kind of moral earnestness respecting their failing. The very last thing people wanted to hear about was their sin. | There was a large section of humanity crying to the Church that if it could | show them how r to get clothes and food, ' better houses and easier circumstances,' they would hear it, but if it were going to talk about their souls and their faults they would not listen. They did not want to hear about sin, or even | to think that there was anything very ! wrong with them or their way of liv■ing. When man wanted to enjoy him- ' self he would pay the price and go [ whore he eould get his money's tvortln, < but it was degradation when the ser- \ vices of God's house, with their solemn appeal about the unseen and eternal, were regarded as interesting entertainments for a somewhat idle hour. "Chris tianitv, as men teach it, may easily be pojyjlar," said Mr. Hcighway in conelu ision; "as Christ taught it, it cannot, ,for it rebukes sin. It puts restraint upon self-indulgence; it means cruciilixion of self; it tells the wealthy pietist who grinds his employees to 'give unto your servants what is just and equal,' and of course he does not like that. It tells the Servant not to purloin, not to answer again, and he does not like that either. Hod heir ,us to do all we can to win men, but we j dare not modify the truth because it is J unpleasant and therefore unpopular." I ''Our work is not to bring ChristianI itv into conformity with the modern mind, but to bring the modern mind into conformity with Christianity," declared Kev. J. Heed Olasson, of Wellington. "The Gospel cannot be popularised. Natural man is opposed to the spirit of God. and our duty is to so preach the Gospel as to bring men into harmony iwith God."

The Rev. W. A. Keay, of Newton, had a number of questions to ask. As 'Christ used the pictorial method, was it not permissible to \i.-se waving pictures, the world of song, and the realm of art?

"We must learn the language of the age if we are to preach a living messagu to the age," declared the Rev. 11. ,loh\ison, of Christchnreh.

"We can go to any extent the mind of man van devise,'' said .Mr. ,f. \V. Sibree, of Samoa. "That is our duty. We should apply the Gospel to people to whom we speak. The Gospel can he popularised without being minimised." "It is not necessary to present the truth in its boldest and direct form." said the. Rev. A. K. Hunt, of Wellington. "Great 'scientists often present their truths in a form that can be understood by children. We cannot popularise the Gospel in the sense or' lowering or lessening its demands, lint any means of presentment, such as those mentioned, song.--, pictures, etc., are permissible if we can convey the truth.'*

Rev. Dr. Ad'ency. late principal of the Lancashire Independent College. t'.uglaiul. suggested that all the 'speakers were in agreement. If they only knew it, it was a question of iess stillness and starch.

In reply, the Rev. Ileighway said his position was that they' must not Into "tickle the ears of the groundlings." Pictures were all right in their place.