The Iona Community.
—Among the many restrictions the War has imposed on the activities of men is the closing down, for the present at any rate, of Dr. George Macleod’s quixotic scheme of training young ministers for work in the slums by giving them a course, of among other things, of rebuilding the ruins of the Roman Catholic Abbey in the historic Island of Iona. What use working among lime and mortar would be for men who are supposedly being trained for work in the slums has always been a mystery to us, as it has been to others, for the scheme has aroused questionings in the minds of many in the Church of Scotland. For the meantime, however, it has been brought to a standstill, according to a press report, thus sharing the fate of many worthier projects in the mighty upheaval.
Broken Pledges.
—During the Crimean War and again at the time of the Indian Mutiny our country was in great danger, and the Prime Minister agreed that there should be a “Day of Humiliation and Fasting,” so that people might think of their sins and turn again to God and seek His help in their difficulties. But Queen Victoria, though she was in many ways a fine woman, did not like to have a “Day of Humiliation,” and wrote a letter saying that because the Crimean War was caused by the selfishness and ambition of one man, it would be foolish of us to take any share of the blame. She said she would gladly join in a prayer of thankfulness for God’s goodness to her people, and would pray for His protection in the war, but she would not say that the sinfulness of her nation had anything to do with it. To-day we hear a lot about broken pledges, and we know that Germany has acted shamefully in breaking treaties. We know too that we are fighting for a weak people against oppression, and God hates oppression, and we are fighting on the side of truth and honesty. But we can not say that we have no sin. God has been wonderfully kind to our nation in giving us the light of His Word for so many years. Many times too when we have been in difficulties He has helped us. We all know how He wrecked the Spanish Armada by raising a storm and scattering them, and some of you who know more history than I do could tell of other times when God worked for us against our enemies. Each time we are in difficulties we turn to God, and we often forget the promises we have made once the danger is past. I wonder if you ever promised God that you would be true to Him, and then forgotten all about it?—The Irish Evangelical.
The Church of Rome in the Mission Field.
—In a recent number of Evangelical Christendom we published an article written by Canon W. P. Hares entitled “The Church of Rome in the Mission Field.” From many parts of the world we have received news of the increased aggressiveness of the Church of Rome, and from the information received it is clear that the priests are not satisfied with proclaiming the Roman Faith to non-Christians, but spend their time and strength and money in striving to induce the converts of the Reformed Churches to transfer their allegiance to the Church of Rome. The missions in the Punjab, the C.M.S., the C.E.Z.M.S., the Baptists, the American Presbyterians and Methodists have all suffered from this proselytism on the part of Rome, and we are glad to hear that Canon Hares, the C.M.S. missionary at Gojra, in the Punjab, has responded to the challenge, and in order to help his people to understand the vital differences between the teaching and practice of the Church of Rome and that of the Reformed Churches, has written and published seventeen booklets in Persian Urdu on the principal doctrines of the Christian Faith, and shown very clearly how Rome has departed in many of her dogmas from the Primitive and Catholic Faith. Not content with this, Canon Hares has also published twenty booklets on the same subjects in English. Some of these are now in their third and fourth editions. They are clearly printed, attractively got up, and are clear and definite statements of the Faith as taught by Christ and His Apostles, and also a complete exposure of the travesty of that Faith as set forth by the Church of Rome.—Evangelical Christendom.
Atheism, Paganism and Popery.
—In the tremendous upheaval in Europe Atheism unashamed is marching on and making bloodless conquests. The menace to true religion does not seem to be realised as it ought to be realised. Russia never makes any hiding of its anti-Godism. Nazi Germany, too, on the other hand, is moving swiftly to the paganism out of which she was delivered centuries ago. Atheism open and avowed is, through the diplomacy of Giant Pagan, making progress that no one ever dreamt of at the beginning of the War. What about the Papacy; is Giant Pope asleep? The Rome correspondent of the News-Chronicle says that Marshal Balbo’s paper Corriere Padano (strongly anti-Communist) announces that Britain and France desire closer relations with Roman Catholic Spain. It further reports that the Vatican Secretariat of State has received communications from “the Apostolic Delegates” in Britain and France which were immediately sent to the Pope. It is sincerely hoped Britain will not be entangled in the Vatican net and that it will have nothing to do with Roman Catholic Spain.