The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-01-30

long ago, when 1t was accepted without
 question that competition was the life of
 churches as well of trade. The new
 sense of community life means a new
 sense of responsibility. America said
 MT Macdonald, by all the laws of na-
 tional life, is under obligation to take
 It's place more and more dominantly as
 a factor in the worlds redemption That
 the men of America are realizing this
 obligation and rising to meet it Is the
 message that all these conferences will
 carry to church life everywhere The
 churches must gain larger vision as
 they see what mighty things the spirit
 of brotherhood is bringing to life among
 us."
 It is difficult for us here in America
 to realize the prominent position in poll
 tics taken by the bishops of the Eng
 lish church. Of course, if they have a
 seat in the House of Lords, the very fact
 that they are Lords Spiritual" renders
 1t not only fitting, but necessary that
 they rise to the serious responsibility
 which thus devolves upon them The
 last two months have seen one of the
 greatest struggles in English political
 history and on many occasions very bit-
 ter things have been said on either side.
 It has been the custom of the Bishop
 of Manchester to send out at the begin
 ming of the New Year a letter to his
 diocese in which the prominent issues of
 the day are considered. This year when
 everyone expected that he would have
 some pretty vigorous remarks to make with regard to the political issues at stake, he produced no small astonishment
 as well as pleasure by a. review of subjects which. showed that wide vision which looks. beyond the immediate tur- moi to the general movements of the
 m c an urba 1ch fsy1,a
 of vision" are especially needed, for cer-
 tainly there never has been an era in the
 history of civilization when such world
 wide movements have engaged the rest
 less minds of the active thinkers and
 workers in the great struggle of life as
 are seething about us at the present
 moment. The New York Churchman
 in speaking of the bishops address says
 as follows: His main subject was the building up of Christian empire and he took occasion to point out the need of statesmanshp in treating the various world religions with which Bnglishmen come in contact in their widespread do- minions. We have imagined he said, that we were tolerating them when we were. in fact, destroying them Was 1t part of Gods will for us that we should by our education make 1t impossible for the enlightened Mohammedan or Bud dhist to believe as his fathers believed. and to retain creed which, with all i its faults, has real, practical hold on his daily life?' This Is a question which l has long distressed the minds of Christian 1 people. We have destroyed native creeds and by our supineness in missionary en- | terprise we are unable to tell all who would hear of the more excellent way. i The Bishop of Manchester insists that l we must be in truer sense than we have vet been a Christian empire; Chris | tian in not being ashamed of our re- 1 ligion; Christian is parting with polluted l gains, such as the opium traffic in China; | Christian in unlearning that contempt for colored races which is most un-Chris- l ton of all our prejudices. Meanwhile,
 our missionary efforts must be on a new [ basis |"
 Perhaps you will remember that some time ago I mentioned some facts which regard to the Church of Sweden. It seems that some of the promientn au- thorities in that communion have been 1 somewhat distressed at the attitude taken l toward their church by recent English 1 writers. Professor Stoderblom of Up ] sale has taken violent exception to cer- l tain statements which have appeared in l the English Church Times. The Swedish professor maintains. with quotations from 1 reliable sources, that the Church of Swe- l den has more independence than the /, Church of England. The diocesan bish- { oprics are, indeed. filled by the crown, 1 but it's choice Is limited to three men | elected by the chapter of the cathedral 1 and the clergy of the diocese. As to ' Swedish orders, Dr. Soderblom refers to
 the favorite opinion of Roman Catholic i authorities on the subject, especially mo- | ticing the acknowledgement of Archbishop ! Spalding that Swedish bishops have an | eniscopal character