ON the title page of one of his books this broadcasting chaplain, Rev. Ronald Selby Wright, is described as the “Radio Padre”; Senior Chaplain to the Forces 52nd (Lowland) Division; Minister of the Canon-gate (The Kirk of Holyroodhouse), Edinburgh. Those of our readers who have at any time listened in to Mr. Wright’s talks will have a good idea of the kind of teaching that comes from him. It is evident that Mr. Wright has attained to a fairly high degree of popularity judging from the number of books issued in his name by various publishers containing his talks to members of the Forces over the radio. We purpose giving our readers samples of his teaching as culled from one of those books—Let’s Ask the Padre: Some Broadcast Talks. At the outset it may be said Mr. Wright has certainly the knack of catching the ear of his audience, he speaks to the men as one of themselves, and does not hesitate to introduce a slang phrase here and there, and an occasional swear word. Some of the advice he gives is pointed and admirable for its commonsense but it is when he enters the domain of the Christian religion as set forth in the New Testament that we feel we are listening to a language that is half in the speech of Ashdod (Neh. xiii, 24). Here is a sentence that speaks for itself:—”This is not the finished world we are in to-day. The universe—I think that’s a better word than world—is always growing, and as a part of it, man must be growing too, always looking towards and striving to reach the perfect pattern.” Here we have boldly asserted a theory, while we are in the midst of an upheaval which has struck with resounding force a blow at it, which had doped the minds of thousands of the intellectuals of the world and which we had fondly hoped had received its deathblow on the seven seas and the blood-stained battle-fields of the world, to say nothing of the persecutions and horrors of the concentration camps carried out by men whose minds were energised by Satanic power. “Striving to reach the perfect pattern” indeed! This is the kind of teaching which captured the minds of “the superior race” who are arrayed against us in deadly conflict.
As was to be expected the universal Fatherhood of God is taught though not on the basis of New Testament teaching but probably on the principle that so many are doing it. “We are all the children of the Father God” so says Mr. Wright.
The following extract indicates that some chaplains are found at times in places where they should not be—”It is by no means an easy question. Do you remember how you first put it to me? It was at a dance (incidentally, it is perfectly astonishing the number of questions or requests for New Testaments or to come for confirmation that padres get at places like dances—however, that is by the way)—well, this was at a dance, and you came up to me, you will remember and said: ‘Why are we here?’ and I at the time, not thinking of what you were getting at, gave what I thought was the most sensible answer: ‘I suppose because we’ve both got tickets’; and you laughed and said: ‘No, no, I mean why are we here on earth, what are we here on this earth for?'”
In connection with Sabbath keeping, while advising men to remember that some have consciences in this matter, he nevertheless says: “It ought to be the most joyful day of all, and if you begin by worshipping our Risen Lord, there won’t be much wrong with the way you spend the remaining hours (the italics are ours). Very well, then; secondly, after we have been to worship God with the community, we can go out into the fields. Now that can be interpreted in anyway you like, so long as it is in a Christian way. ‘You mean play games?’ Why not? But don’t annoy those folk who want to rest, older folk and tired folk, and don’t look down on other people who don’t like to play games on ‘Sunday.’ They have a conscience as well as you, and they include some pretty fine people—men like Jack Hobbs and Eric Liddell, the Olympic runner” (p. 76).
Mr. Wright’s teaching on Heaven and Hell leaves very much to be desired. There are certain sentences that seem to indicate that he is a believer in the Mohammedan doctrine that those who die in battle go to heaven. Mr. and Mrs. Jones receive the sad news that their boy is killed in action—the boy’s all right is Mr. Wright’s comment. But how does he know? Our author says ‘there is an awful lot of rubbish written about both Heaven and Hell’ but Mr. Wright has done his own part to adding to the heap. “Frankly,” he says, if I took some of the pictorial pictures of Heaven as literally true, as some people do, I’d rather neither be nor go there—you, know, streets paved with gold trumpets, harps and all the rest. Heaven indeed! It’s just about as near a picture of Hell as I can imagine. The literal pictures of Hell are just as absurd—you know, a furnace using up enough coal to give the Minister of Fuel the most excellent reason for prosecution and imprisonment, only unfortunately you can’t imprison the devil” (p. 68). This is probably meant to be smart but there are some subjects that are beyond the legitimate sphere of wit and smartness and one of these is Hell as set before us in the figurative language of Scripture. “Now, if we look at the Christian picture of Heaven and Hell” says Mr. Wright, “we see that what is meant is not a geographical setting, but a present state, which very much according to our present state continues into a future state. To put it quite shortly, in other words, Heaven is where God is, as much when we’re alive as when dead. We can be in Heaven here and now, in Hell here and now, so when Fred Astaire—was it?—sang: ‘Heaven, I’m in Heaven’ or somebody else sang ‘I’m in Heaven when I see you smile,’ they were expressing Christian truth—though perhaps not consciously and not for quite the best reasons—in a much more real way than some one who says, ‘If you’re good, when you die you’ll go to Heaven'” p. 68). In his attempt to avoid one misrepresentation of Heaven and Hell Mr. Wright has presented us with a greater. If we understand the Bible teaching aright, Heaven and Hell are something very much beyond what has been experienced in any present state or condition and it is only robbing Heaven of its endless glory and happiness and Hell of its awfulness to say that they can be experienced here in our present state.
In the talk about prayer Mr. Wright tells us that prayer is just getting down on our knees and asking for God’s help; “its getting down on our knees to give God worship and get up off them again to help God and help Him win His victory which we pray may be ours too” (p. 95). Helpless impotence helping almighty Omnipotence! This is something quite different from what the Apostle means when he speaks of believers being workers together with God (II. Cor. vi. 1).
If we are reading the following paragraph aright Mr. Wright is evidently a confirmed believer in prayers for the dead—not simply the blessed dead but the dead generally. Here is what he says: “And then lastly, I always feel we should remember in our prayers all those who have passed over, for in the eyes of God the dead and the living are as one. And I like to feel that they are near me when I’m praying, so I like especially to remember them at this time each day” (p. 99). Let it not be forgotten that Mr. Wright, according to the title page of his book is a minister of the Church of Scotland. Will the courts of that Church turn a blind eye to such teaching or will they allow it to pass unchallenged. If so, what has become of discipline in that Church. We have by no means touched on all the objectionable statements in this book of Mr. Wright’s talks and in looking over what we have written we cannot but sincerely regret that teaching of the kind criticised should be given by a chaplain to our troops.