Can Churches Save The World?

Radio Record, Volume XII, Issue 27, 16 December 1938, Unnumbered Page

Can Churches Save The World?

Bishop of Wellington’s Message of Hope 2 and Faith To *"Record’’ Readers

AS this Christmastide approaches and still armaments are being piled skyhigh by every nation in the world, when bombs are still dropping on innocent noncombatants in Spain and China, when a whole race of Jews is being persecuted for the madness of one man, when the fabric of civilisation sways and trembles before the windy breath of dictators ... in this fantastic age the ordinary men and women of New Zealand are searching for some hope. They are asking: "What can save the world?" Last week the "Record" asked the Ri. Rev. H. St. Barbe Holland, Bishop of Wellington: "Can the Church save the world?" ENEVA, home of the Threague of Nations, was afraid. It was the time of the crisis. In Geneva: everyone had been talking of war, wondering with fear what the outcome of the Czechoslovakian dispute would be, wondering even whether there would be aliy meetings of the League Assembly a year hence. In the midst of the tension the President of the League Council, Mr. W. J. Jordan, New Zeajand’s High Commissioner, was giving a luncheon in the Hotel des Bergues, official residence of many national delegations to the League. He. was giving the luncheon for his League colleagues to meet and hear leaders of a Christian movement, the Oxford Group. gc tine with Mr. Jordan as "* hosts were the Foreign Minister of Holland, the President of the Norwegian Parliament and the Rumanian Minister at. The Hague, who is President of the First Commission of the League. The great dining-room was packed with 500 guests from 53 nations. One of the shrewdest men of the north, Stortings-President Hambro of Norway, the man who pilots the finances of the League, rose to,introduce the leader of the Oxford «Group, Dr. Frank Buchman. Today, said the Norwegian statesman, he and his colleagues, had asked the Oxford Group to Geneva because the group had suc-

eeeded where statesmanship had failed, creating a constructive peace within itself for which others had vainly fought for years, It was a strange moment this, when statesmen i representing all nations threw up their hands ‘in despair of solving human problems by the gifts of human brains and _ intelligence; and called in the aid of God. N_ Britain, tob, during the crisis, the country was swept by a spiritual wave © that reached its height when the Archbishop of Canterbury ealled the people of the nation to prayer. The Dean and Chapter of Westminster threw open the famous Abbey day and night.

Chairs were arranged near the Tomb of the Unknown ‘Warrior ‘and people of all kinds came in and knelt facing the tomb, pledging themselves: to be constructive peace makers. At Westminster Abbey on the Sunday morning a great congregation of 3000 thronged the church. Mrs. Neville Chamberlain sat in the sub-Dean’s stall. The people of Britain prayed for peace. A new phrase began to ring in the land. THE WORLD MUST HAVE MORAL AND SPIRITUAL REARMAMENT. The Hon. Miles Phillimore, Oxford Group member, who recently yisited New Zealand, reports to the "Record" that during the: crisis 33 M.P.’s, Lord Baldwin and i5 associates, Lord Bledisloe, tennis

player "Bunny" Austin, and Jiugi Kasai, member of the Japanese Diet, Lord Baden Powell and many others wrote to the "Times" supporting the cause of moral and’ spiritual rearmament. T was with this phrase in mind that the ‘‘Record’’ last week asked Bishop St. Barbe Holland: ‘‘Could the Churches save the world? Could they bring peace?’? ‘*Yes,’? said the Bishop, *‘provided the people remember that peace is only a byproduct. Peace ean only come from a truer Christian standard of life. . {Turn to page 2.)

D SeriAL O THIN MAN Author begINg TD-AY

CAN CHURCHES SAVE US cont'd from Page 1

"Ft can’t be made to order. It ean’t be bought at a multiple store. "PEACE COMES OUT OF FREEDOM FROM FEAR." BY T in Germany today, the ‘‘Record’"’ pointed out, the Church is under the heel of the State. Fhe Church might change the heart of the rest of the world, but how can it change the heart of the people in the totalitarian States? It is quite true, said the Bishop, that the Church is only allowed to exist in Germany so long as it does not interfere in polities. The basis of the Church is the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. The doctrine of the brotherhood of man is repugnant to the totalitarian State. The brotherhood of man means breaking down the barriers between the nations. It is a doctrine which euts. into the roots of the growth | of totalitarian States. Then how can the Church hope to break down this resistance of the totalitarian States? asked the ‘‘Record.’’ By witnessing in every nation, where it gets the chanee for what it feels to be its mission, said the Bishop. -¢° | The only way it ean witness. today in Germany is by men like | Pastor Niemoller suffering. Pastor Niemoller refuses to aecept his liberty at the price of silence on what to him are the essential elements im_ the gospel. . | AND in New Zealand, said the sishop, just as in other. nations, the Chureh has toproduce men and women who stand constantly in the life of this community. for the Chris-_ tian ideal of the development of the human race into oue family. fhe Church in New Zealand must imbue the whole of our people with that as being the fundamental hope of the future AND THE ONLY. HOPE OF THE FUTURE. The more nations that can stand for that, the more certainly will it become a matier ef common conscience. ‘We are not going to fight the totalitarian States,’’ said the Bishop. ‘The Church must wait for the breakdown of those States from withia.’’ The job of Christian counivies is to witness to the brotherhood of man, believing that ultimately the souls of the individuals in those other eountries will not submit to the erushing of their freedom of thought and their freedom of expression. . "We must remember,’’ said the Bishop,’’ that a great many of the people of the totalitarian States have aecepted their loss of liberty as an emergency measure to enable them to win hack their self-respect., But I. cannot believe that instinct for freedom of thought and devel-

opment of personality will allow that to be a permanent condition."’ ANY of the young people of today, the ""Record’"’ pointed out ta his Lordship, hold that Mr. Chamberlain’s policy, which is not opposed by the Church, is one of expediency. They say that the old moral standards have gone by the board. *"*T do not think that is true," said Bishop Holland. ‘‘ We cannot make the German people relinquish their leyalty to the present regime by going to war with them.’’ War of international proportions today would sink the

world into ehaos from which it would take 50 years to recover, Finanee would collapse and half the world would be povertystricken. ‘The people would revert to peasants. What would have been the good of launching a war like that in order to make other nations give up their form of government ? If there is something inherently wrong in that form of government, it must fall from its own faults. Is it not better for it to happen in that way? History is so short a thing really. What are ten years, 20 years, in the life of the human race?

WAR SOLVES NO PROBLEMS; IT MERELY CREATES THEM. TE phrase, moral and spirittal rearmament, said the Bishop, means that the only hope for the world today is that there must still be nations that keep witnessing so that the fundamental Christian ideals do not perish. For the eventual salvation of the world they must keep them in the forefront, working them out in their own communities. IT MUST BE DONE IN NEW ZEALAND. It is not enough to say I’m going to be good and go to church. The Christian ideals must he worked out in the own circumstances of every individual, in his own life, in the life of his family, and in his business. The Church must see that each

man will seek to build in his own sphere the true Christian virtues of love, truth and honour. "I do hate this idea of just going te church to be a Christian," said the Bishop. "Christianity has to be relevant to the needs and realities of the day. "TI want to see Christian businesses in New Zealand, Christian. homes, "YOU CAN’T MAKE THE WORLD BETTER THAN YOU ARE YOURSELF." lf Christ came to Germany today, the "Record". suggested, He would be put into a concentration camp. lf.to France, He ‘would be sent to a_ lunatic asylum. If to England, He would become merely ignored as the Hyde Park Corner orator. In Germany He would certainly be put in a concentration camp today, said the Bishop. "But in England," said the Bishop, "I believe there still exist people who would follow Him and do Him honour."