The Church and Politics
At a meeting at Leicester last Saturday the Archbishops Canterbury and York made a firm stand against the argument t leaders of the Church have no right to pronounce judgements the field of politics and economics. Dr. Temple resolutely ma tained that since it is the duty of churchmen to discuss the ends in human life, they cannot ignore activities which are means those ends ; while Dr. Garbett demanded that the Church sho support the Beveridge security plan on definitely Christian ground and dismissed as contemptible the objection that it would desu initiative. " It is morally as wrong to starve a man into work to compel him into it by the threat of the whip." Again and aga in the recent past it has been a just ground of complaint again the Church that it has turned its back on the great social questio which profoundly affect the liven of the masses of the people. was felt that if the Church had no convictions of right or wro on these vital matters men could not turn with confidence to i guidance on other matters. It is a great gain to the communi that the two Archbishops should be insisting that Christian teac must play a part in the great social and economic movements whi are transforming the world. It is true that a churchman, as churchman, has no claim to speak as one having an intuitive know ledge of the mysteries of banking. But he has a right to sp of the moral laws which are operative in the sphere of bank as in every other sphere ; and where he finds practices which h believes to be contrary to Christian doctrine, it is his duty denounce them. How could the expectations of those who look f a "Christian democracy " be satisfied if Christian leaders were co demned to silence on what democracy sets out to achieve?
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