The Daily News. SATURDAY, AUGUST 21, 1920. REUNION OF CHRISTENDOM.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 August 1920, Page 4

The Daily News. SATURDAY, AUGUST 21, 1920. REUNION OF CHRISTENDOM.

According to the encyclical receutiy issued by 'the Archbishop of Canterbury on behalf of the Lambeth Conference of Bishops, j there is a world craving for fellowship, and this Jed to the sub-; ject of the reunion of Christendom being entrusted to the largest committee evei* appointed by that conference. The idea is one that has a fascination for the dignitaries of the Anglican Church, and lends itself to discussion by 'jWjfe Jg. JWiaU>M&.

same, it is far more visionary than practical. Much as the prospect of a single Catholic (universal) Church is to be desired, its advent would seem to be as far off as ever. There is something very appealing in the desire for universal; Christian fellowship. The war proved how possible it is for men belonging to various churches to be drawn together in religious matters, but that is quite understandable under such intensely abnormal circumstances when the craving for fellowship was the outcome of human inter-reli-.ance, the object of which is to gather strength—moral and spiritual—to bear with courage the tense ordeal and dreadful experiences of warfare. With the advent of peace and release from the strain, normality asserted itself, and though the closer tie of brotherhood that was forged during the struggle remained, it was more or" less a fading memory. As with the men, so with the churches, though the latter were doubtless inclined to take an optimistic view of the influence of the war on Christian unity. There are, however, several notable points in the encyclical that deserve to be considered as factors that ean be of. service in promoting the fellowship of men, and the first is that the Church must itself be a pattern of fellowship. Presumably this means the Anglican Church, and, taking tjiat for granted, | there can be no doubt of the existence of the need in that direction. At present there are wifte gulfs i between the High Church and Evangelicals, while Nonconformists have attained great strength numerically. The union of the Methodists and Wesleyans was a worthy achievement in the desired direction, and the movement to bring in the Presbyterians and Baptists is gaining strength. There is, moreover, a sympathetic desire on the part of the evangelical section of the Anglican Church to welcome the return of the Nonconformists to the "fold, but the High Church adherents are more prone to desire certain modifications in the Church of Home whereby they could join forces therewith. These difficulties are formidable, but who shall say they are insurmountable? It is a good sign when the Bishops of the Anglican Church recognise the necessity of that church being a pattern of fellowship, and urges as a first step the improvement of fellowship within the Anglican communion. But the aim will not be attained fiy the tardy recognition of the value of women's work, the denunciation of Christian Science and Spiritualism, and the enunciation of abstract views on Capital and Labor. The human equation is the crux of the situation. Until all the churches not only realise this but act upon it there can be no universal fellowship— no reunion of Christendom. It is in this connection that the Great War presents a lesson that the churches must thoroughly understand before they can hope to advance the vision of unity. The padres who won the confidence of the soldiers and were able to be of the greatest spiritual service were those who really treated the men as brothers, I mixed with them and made themselves one with them in the grim phases of the struggle, in the hospitals, in the trenches, and in their recreations. It is that method and the spirit which pervaded in the war which can alone prove a lever for unity in times of peace. The clergy cannot make headway by holding aloof from the people and concentrating upon church services and Sunday schools one day in the week. It is the human touch that counts—the taking of a real personal interest in the people, and especially in the children. This is a democratic age, and the clergy need to adjust themselves thereto before they can "unite in one visible society bound by common ties of faith and ministry, those groups which are content to be separated, or are joined only in some vague federation." There is one sentence in the encyclical that strikes a new note which is very welcome: "It is not by reducing groups of Christians to uniformity, but by rightly using (heir diversity, that the churches I can become all things to all men." I That is the true spirit of missionary effort, and its practical adoption will do much to forward unity. It is equivalent to utilising the best that ean be found in all the churches and sects and forming a common base on which to build. The causes of division in the past, deep though they may be, are capable of readjustment by a process of tolerance and give and take, but the Conference evidently viewed the subject of reunion from an episcopal point of view, as is indicated by the advocacy of an episcopal form of government. This was only natural, but if the crying need of the age is to be met it will be by the clergy identifying themselves with the people iti' much the same way a,s they did with the soldiers in wartime