The Pastors’ Fight in Germany.—The Opposition clergy have issued a declaration repudiating the proceedings of the packed National Synod of the Evangelical Church in Berlin two months ago. The declaration strongly criticises the Primate, Bishop Müller and says that the Church Government have abandoned the principles of the Reformed Churches. A number of the pastors, it has been reported, have been arrested for this message of defiance against Bishop Müller’s policy. Hitlerism has invaded the Church and seized all ecclesiastical authority and power as may be seen by the Act passed by the National Synod of the German Evangelical Church ratifying all the acts of the Nazi Church administration since Dr. Müller’s appointment. This high handed Erastianism goes right in the teeth of New Testament teaching.
Roman Catholic Irish in our Midst.—The Reformer (London) quoting from a pamphlet by G. R. Gair on The Irish Immigration Question in Britain has the following reference to Scotland: “For Scotland the story is the same. It is estimated that by taking the relative figures for Roman Catholics and Protestants (since Protestant Irish and Roman Catholic Scots are not very considerable, and in any case would cancel out each other from a statistical point of view) something like a true approximation at the relative strength of both nationalities can be arrived at. On this basis we find that the Irish formed about 9 per cent. of the population of Scotland in 1881. By 1901 they had increased by 32.5 per cent., whereas the Scots’ population had only increased by 18.5 per cent. By 1921 they had continued to increase, by 39 per cent. this time, while the Scots had continued relatively to decrease, only having an increase of 6 per cent. This is emphasized from the gains and losses in the population of school-children from 1919 to 1922. We find, in Glasgow, that the Scots decreased by 6,071 while the Irish children increased by 612. Under the Lanarkshire Education Authority there was a Scots decrease, in the space of three years, of 173, but an Irish increase during the same period of 2,958. Under the Renfrew Authority, for the same period, the Scots increase was 301 but the Irish 417. Dumbarton showed an increase of Scots of only 2,428 as against an Irish increase of actually 1,209. On the eastern side of the country the same state of affairs exists. At Dundee the Scots school-children decreased 1,435 while the Irish increased by 170; while in the capital itself, for the same three years, the Scots decreased by 1,348 as against an Irish increase of 175.” Mr. Gair’s pamphlet may be had from the office of The Reformer, Walker House, 418-422 Strand, London, W.C.2. Price, 3d.
The Necessity for the Reformation.—This is a pamphlet by the Chichele Professor of Modern History in the University of Oxford, Sir Charles Oman, K.B.E., D.C.L., LL.D., M.P. Sir Charles in the course of his studies in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, “not with reference to the Reformation itself, but with reference to the political, and more especially the military, annals of the time,” was so impressed with the conditions existent that he felt impelled “to speak out freely on the moral and mental conditions of Europe at the moment when the Reformation movement began to be evident.” Needless to say we have in the pamphlet a masterly review by the distinguished Oxford historian of the conditions of the period under survey. Sir Charles says: “A state of morals which seemed to them (i.e., the educated people of the period) normal, if somewhat depressing, seems to us so monstrous and intolerable that the mind is stirred up to real indignation, and one feels that anything was better than the perpetuation of the mental and moral outlook of the later fifteenth century.” The pamphlet may be had from The Oxford Educational Supply, Oxford. Price, 2d.—postage ½d. extra.
Modern Churchmen’s Conference.—If one wishes to have an idea of what the “modern mind” is he has only to read some of the speeches delivered by ecclesiastics and learned scholars of the Church of England in conference annually assembled. Dr. Inge who is a master of forceful, though often very unwise, language told the conference that “there is an Oriental ferocity about many of the Psalms which makes them quite unfit for use in public worship.” The Song of Solomon is also declared as: “Not a religious book at all, but a collection of love lyrics, probably to be sung at marriages.” One wonders what kind of Bible would be left to the world if men of Dean Inge’s outlook had to do with it. Dr. Bethune-Baker also expressed himself in regard to the New Testament books as would be expected from a thorough-going Modernist. These men never seem to realise that the tide of modernistic scholarship is ebbing and that they will soon be left high and dry—at least high, as they were always dry as a result of their un-believing scholarship. They will soon be back numbers even in their own theological world.
Sabbath Baking in London.—The question of Sabbath baking in London has been raised mainly through the practice of the Jews making use of the Lord’s Day for this purpose. Those interested in the bread production of the Metropolis, both employers and employees, have made up their minds to call a one day strike to call the attention of the public to the matter. Mr. J. W. Banfield, M.P., general secretary of the Operative Bakers’ Union, says the Evening Dispatch (Edinburgh), declared to a reporter to-day that the menace of “Sunday” baking had grown so much in London that the bread trade was compelled to take action of a drastic character. “There is no use approaching the Government,” he said. “We can only arouse public opinion by co-operation among ourselves. It is not only the operatives but employers who would like to see the practice cease. For in actual practice this development of ‘Sunday’ trade means that shops have to be open on seven days a week, and both masters and men have to work the whole week. It also seems to me,” Mr. Banfield observed, “that this is a question on which we might make an organised appeal through the Churches—which are still some of the best organised bodies in this country—and ask churchgoers to refrain from buying bread baked on ‘Sunday.’ Even that, however, may not stop the custom, and we have seriously suggested that, in order to rouse the Government to take action, a one day strike against the baking and the delivery of bread would be effective, more especially if it were repeated at intervals till something was done. For the present, no particular day has been suggested, for the idea obviously requires careful consideration, but it is just as well that the public should know that a practice which, if left to develop, would strike at the fundamental principle of one day’s rest in seven, must stop so far as the baking industry in London is concerned.” We call attention to this matter, not because we believe that the above Unions are actuated wholly by religious motives in their proposed action, but to show what the working men of the country might do when the rest of the Sabbath Day is being filched from them by corporations whose one aim is to make money.