ONE effect of the War is its extraordinary unsettling effect on the minds of men and the foolish things they do in consequence. Some of our leaders, especially in the ecclesiastical world, have lost all balance and the sense of the fitness of things. This is evidenced in the broadcast made at the end of May by the Bishop of London, Dr. Fisher. According to this announcement the Anglican, Free (Nonconformists) and Roman Catholic Churches are to set up a joint Committee of Religion and Life. It was pointed out there was nothing in this movement which savoured of any action for the union of these various churches but it will require more than a mere assurance to satisfy many that these churches have left the King’s highway and that they are proceeding with open eyes towards a dangerous precipice. The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is reported in the Glasgow Herald to have said: “The Church of Scotland, as such, has not in any way committed itself, nor does there arise any question of union with any other body. It was an attempt, as Dr. Fisher said in his broadcast, to try to draw together Christian communions to make a common witness wherever it was possible in these days when hostility is being evidenced against true religion by our enemies. Anything that could draw Christians together is to be welcomed.” Dr. J. Hutchison Cockburn, Dr. Taylor’s predecessor in the Moderatorial Chair explained that the Church of Scotland had been engaged in the negotiations for some time. He pointed out, according to the Herald’s report that the agreement between the Commission and the Roman Catholic organisation, “The Sword of the Spirit,” stipulated that organised Christianity, to fulfil its proper function, must everywhere be secure in certain essential freedoms. “Full freedoms,” the agreement insisted, “must mean freedom to worship according to conscience, freedom to preach, educate, and persuade (all in the spirit of Christian charity), and freedom to bring up children in the faith of their parents. The Christian life is one life in and through membership of Christian society, and its corporate nature and its constitutional freedom and independence must be recognised and guaranteed by the State.” The Rev. Donald Mackintosh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow, stated that at the present stage he preferred to say little on the subject beyond that he welcomed the move. He added that he had been in close touch with the Roman Catholic Bishops in England on the matter, and that “a good feeling of co-operation prevails among us Catholics.” “I am delighted with the broadcast of the Bishop of London,” was the comment of the Rev. J. C. H. How, Bishop of the Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway of the Episcopal Church in Scotland. “I should like to see some such movement getting to work to Scotland, and I certainly would be prepared to help in such a movement to the utmost of my power, because I am quite sure that if we are going to make any impression on the country and the world we can only do it by common action.” The Bishop added that some already had been exploring the possibilities of co-operation. A joint committee of Glasgow churches, he pointed out, already existed and was working together for the welfare of youth. He was hoping that perhaps similar committees might be formed to get to work on other big problems which were facing them.
Surely the people of the Church of Scotland are not yet so far gone as to countenance this coquetting with the Roman Harlot. At the time of writing this note we have not seen any indication of their reaction to this extraordinary movement. We need in the Church of Scotland another intrepid John Davidson who was quick enough to see the movement to introduce bishops and countered it with one of the pithy sayings of Scottish Church history—”Ay, busk (dress), busk, busk him as bonnlie as ye can, and fetch him in as fairlie as ye will, we see him weill eneuch (enough); we see the horns of his mitre.” In this particular case it is the triple crown we see instead of the bishop’s mitre.