The Henson Journals

[31]

Monday, April 30th, 1917.

1001st day

Lewis went back to Ripon by the 8.20 express. The post brought me letters from Norman Henderson, who is now flying in France, and from Colin Kennedy, who is in hospital in Devonshire. Last week I received a copy of the Dutch newspaper, 'De Hervorming', which contained an article "De Deken van Durham heeft gepreekt in de 'City Temple'". This was followed by a card from the co–editor D. Mulder, to which I made reply as follows:–

April 30th 1917

Dear Sir,

I have to thank you for so kindly sending me a copy of "De Hervorming", wh. has interested me much, and, though I am unfortunately ignorant of the Dutch language, I was able to make out the drift of the article. It does not surprise me to hear that you find it sometimes "very difficult to give a clear idea of the life of the Anglican Church to your readers", for the Anglican Church is now so divided and distracted as to be almost in a condition of anarchy. The advance of the Tractarian movement, wh. now commonly calls itself 'Catholic', & appears to hold all Roman doctrines except that of Papal Infallibility, has been so considerable among the clergy that the legal administration of the Church has been brought to a dead–lock. Many of the Bishops sympathize with this movement, & assist its advance: but the mass of the Anglican laity dislike it, & remain Protestant in conviction and habit. Thus a deep & widening gulf has opened between the Anglican clergy and the mass of Englishfolk to the grave discredit of religion, and the weakening of the Church. This is the more regrettable since there is much goodwill to Religion in the country, and a widely–spread desire that the Church of England shd again become the effective instrument of English Christianity. Nonconformity is certainly languishing. It is too closely associated with partisan politics, & now that all civil inequalities have been removed, & no practical grievances any longer continue, this association is as plainly irrational as it is practically unwholesome. There are [32] no valid reasons left for the separate organizations of Nonconformity, which are distressed financially, & show many signs of decadence. The decay of literalist views as to the Bible, & the great extension of historical studies have disinclined modern Englishmen to concern themselves with the beliefs of their denominational predcecessors, &, in point of fact, the opinion is generally held that a reunion of English Christians is both reasonable in itself, & on practical grounds eminently desirable. Many of the smaller allied sects are coalescing into federations, & an earnest effort to federate Nonconformity as a whole is in progress. The Church of England might well place itself at the head of this movement towards unity: & would do so were it not for the opposition of the so–called "Catholic" party, wh. looks to Rome and the East, & disdains all fellowship with the Protestant Churches. The growth of liberal opinions both among Anglicans & Nonconformists, will do something to mitigate the obscurantist prejudices of both, but English Christianity is very suspicious of the rationalistic tendency of theological liberalism, & the War, with its fearful exposure of German nationalism, will undoubtedly tell against the liberal movement in the Churches. I shall be very willing to give you any assistance in my power in forming a just estimate of the ecclesiastical situation in England, which must be as perplexing to a foreigner as it is humiliating to an Englishman.

Believe me, Yours v. faithfully,

H. Hensley Henson.

I sent with the above a copy of the Kikuyu sermon, which I preached at Oxford, and also a copy of the sermon preached in the crypt of Canterbury Cathedral.

Clarence Stock arrived while I was at Mattins, and after lunch he worked with me on the potato–patch. Linetta wrote to say that Jack Scott had been killed in France. Mr Rudling wrote to say that Ernest had just arrived in Milbank Hospital badly wounded in France. Norman Henderson sent me a cheerful letter. Colin Kennedy is in a Hospital in Devonshire.

---

Issues and controversies: Kikuyu