THE GROUP MOVEMENT : A VALUATION---IV
By the DEAN OF ST. PAUL'S.
.LIKE Sir Michael Sadler, I write of the Groups as an outsider, and with less knowledge than he of effects produced in individual lives. One who tries to make some estimate of the value of this movement is met by perplexities.. In the first place, it seems difficult to judge precisely how far the influence of • the Groups extends. One hears from good authorities in the Universities that the number of adherents is very small and the number of fresh converts at the University still smaller. Still more confusing is it to find that one careful observer thinks that the Groups may be dangerous for the young but very useful for the middle-aged ; while another, equally competent, holds . that they have no message except for those under thirty. Again the personnel seems to change in a curious way. One learns .that this or that distinguished, person has cast in his lot with the Groups; only to find, some months later that either he has cooled towards the movement or it has cooled towards him, and some other eminent man has stepped into the place of its semi-official .philosopher.
But, on the • other hand, there is good evidence that the Groups have had remarkable success in some circles. The mission in Geneva, of which Mr. Cunningham writes, beyond question made a profound impression. In a remote mountain inn in Austria this year I met a Danish business man who had been " changed," and was ob- viously speaking the truth when he described how very many of his own countrymen had been profoundly. altered in character and outlook by the Groups.
My impression is that a large proportion of those who have been converted by the movement are those who have been subjected to religious influences in childhood, but for whom belief has been a matter of acceptance rather than a source of inspiration. In the Groups their faith has' " come alive." I do not say that no genuine pagans have been converted, but it happens that I have not known any.
The Group Movement is distinguished from other religious revivals in that it not only does not aim at founding a new sect, but is definitely on its guard against the danger of adding to the divisions of Christians. We must recognise this with gratitude and admit that the Church as a whole needs every help it can get to revive its spiritual life ; but there are disquieting signs that the sect spirit is not completely exorcised. No doubt it is enthusiasm and gratitude which lead some members. of the movement to speak as if no genuine Christians were to be found outside it, and to disparage all the religion which they themselves had known before their contact with Dr. Buchman, but it is an ungenerous enthusiasm which contains the seed of sectarianism.
The appearance and the success of the Groups must be regarded as a criticism of the Church. They appeal to very many because they provide that which the organised bodies 'of Christians fail to provide. I am sure that Sir Michael Sadler is right when he says that many in our time suffer from loneliness.. We. have heard, perhaps ad nauseam, that Christianity means fellowship, and the Churches have certainly moved towards a realisation of that brotherhood in Christ which was, the ideal of the primitive Christian community, but too often the fellowship has been only superficial friendliness and good will. There is a thirst in many a soul to throw down the facade behind which it normally lives and to take inside another human being. No doubt " sharing has its dangers, and it would be bad medicine for some, but for others 'the candid revelation of two personalities, one to the other, brings just that courage' which is needed. We have all felt that, though we should desire evangelists to be good men, we should 'listen more attentively to preachers if they revealed to us that they were men of like passions with ourselves and had faced in their own lives the problems which trouble. us.
Another asset of the Groups • is precisely that characteristic which shocks many good people—their breezy and even slangy language about religion. The Christian religion has developed a vocabulary of " sacred " words which express its message ; only unfortunately. they have become so sacred that they. convey little meaning to a large proportion of our contemporaries. The very modern phrases in which the Groups couch their message are no doubt inadequate ; but at least. they mean something and make a direct impact on. minds which would be closed to more decorous terms' It was a stroke of genius to substitute " being changed " for repentance and redemption. • No small part of the power of the Groups arises from the fact that they arc engaged in experimental religion. As Dr. Micklem truly remarkS, the Christian Church is now compelled to be everywhere a missionary Church. It is engaged in " mental strife," restating and rethinking its gospel in the face of modern knowledge. We may think that it is not doing so badly in this difficult task, and that at least the outlines of a reasonable faith for the modern world are emerging. But apologetics are not enough, and indeed to some minds are of little moment. It is not sufficient to be convinced that, though the traditional dogmas must be revised, we may be sure that the spiritual values which they represented 'can be conserved. We need to have our faith related to our. personal lives • and to feel that belief in God and Christ makes a difference not only in our conception of the universe, but in our daily conduct. There is a short answer to perplexity—see if it works. But I suppose that the chief source of the • Groups' strength is that they have reaffirmed the central idea of the Gospel, that Christ is our Lord and Leader. The time is ripe for such a message. One of the most remark- able facts of our time is the resurgence of personal leader.' ship. Men are not satisfied to serve principles or to be governed by committees. They seek a leader, and perhaps the greatest question before us is, what kind of leadership will humanity find 'I The Christian claim is that there is only One who can satisfy the longing for a true Leader and that He can lead all men at all times. If the Groups will help us to . make our faith in Christ our Lord and Leader effective in our own experi-' enee, they may have all the .defects which their critics allege, but still be raised up for our good by the Spirit of God.
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