LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Disappearing Clergy
$;‘,—The Reverend Mervyn Stockwood's article, Disappearing Clergy, must have caused distress to many who profess and call themselves Christians. Mr. Stockwood seems to regard the Church as some kind of social institution whose success or failure depends on the wages paid to the clergy, and whose function is to run "the boys' club, the football team, the old folks' social centre and the evening classes." The idea that God has any interest in the Church or that He can do anything about its material conditions does not seem to occur to Mr. Stockwood, who does not even mention God in his .article. Does. Mr. Stockwood really believe that the spiritual life of pritain depends on Acts of Par- liament? According to my reading of the Ordination service it depends to a far greater extent upon the labours of the clergy, helped as they are by the Grace of God.
The whole tone of Mr. Stockwood's article is distressing, but there are three points that seem to call for ffirticular comment.
(1). Mr. Stockwood says that "young men are holding back from Ordination ... they hesitate to embrace It profession which is rarely free from financial anxiety." The priesthood Is not a profession; it is a vocation. We are called by God to our work. The man with a true vocation knows that God will see him through. The man who is deterred from seeking orders simply bediuse of financial worry has not a vocation and should not be ordained.
(2). Most of the clergy of my acquaintance are overworked and quite unable to find time to do their visiting and preaching as they should.• How, then, can they find time for "writing or broadcasting " ? Anyway, is the B.B.C. prepared to let any bachelor priest go on the air whenever he is hard up ?
(3). Would the Swiss idea of a voluntary tax really solve anything ? What priest would dare to refuse the *lurch's ministrations even to one who had contracted out ? That is not the way to preach the love of God.
This continual harping on money matters by ministers of religion does not impress the laity. Our business is to preach the Gospel. Can we expect to be taken seriously when we tell people to trust in God if we show in so many ways that we doubt whether in fact He is able to see to it that His ministers are adequately clothed and fed ? Money may be important ; but even more important is it that we should believe in the God whose ministers we are. Why don't we try trusting Him for a change, and see what happens ?—Ypurs sincerely, K. C. STUART.
65 Milton Hall Road, Gravesend. Kent.
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