Children's Schism

New Zealand Listener, Volume 37, Issue 933, 28 June 1957, Page 15

Children's Schism

N the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem, or it might be the Church of the Nativity at Bethlehem, or perhaps both, pilgrims may find several services proceeding simultaneously, according to the rites of the several orders which share the building. Barbarous behaviour, of course, unless you happen to take an antiquarian’s delight in that sort of thing. but not so uitferent, in its way, from some of the things we do in religious broadcasting in this country. For example,. the children’s song services on Sunday, where the speakers change regularly once a month like the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. There may not be anything to choose between the speakers, but the one must go and the other must come, in order to maintain the mathematical equality of denominations according to the number of their adherents. I dan’t know what children think of this arrangement, because I don’t know any children who listen to the song service, which may in itself be their reaction. I can imagine what would happen to the weekday children’s session if the compere changed every month. At present the song service has little hope of build- ing and keeping an audience, however much the denominations taking part strive to improve their contributions, as I know they do.