The Henson Journals

[14]

Monday, April 27th, 1925.

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We are now committed to a venture which is only beginning. Owing to the great attention & public notice drawn to the Mission by the Press and other means, the world knows that the Church has made great claims in the Name of Christ. Any slackening on our part, any falling away – and the devil's activities are very marked when men's hearts & thoughts are being turned to God – will be disastrous to us, & dishonourable to Christ. Any failure, or partial failure, will be ours, not His. The real persevering work begins now, and is a challenge to our belief in the power of incessant and intercessory prayer.

Bp. of Tasmania on the Healing Mission in Hobart, quoted by Hickson in "Heal the Sick", 160

The pronouncements of the Bishops in Hickson's book give a mean opinion of episcopal intelligence, &, perhaps, even a meaner of episcopal discretion. They indicate a state of intellectual prostration before phenomena, which were no doubt surprising & impressive, but which were neither unprecedented nor inexplicable. To pin their credit, & the credit of Christianity to so familiar & dubious a factor as that provided by a popular faith–healer is extreme folly.

[15]

This day has been laboriously wasted. I went through Hickson's book again with the object of extracting his theory of Christian prayer. According to the Archbishop of N. Zealand, 'the biggest gain' of the Healing mission in his province 'was not the healing of the sick", but 'teaching the people how to pray'. The method was by successive services of public intercession to create an 'atmosphere of intense prayer' in which the actual 'laying on of hands' should take place. In fact 'mass suggestion' was organized with great care. "We were told the power of prayer & abundant faith could still work miracles, &, hearing this, these disfigured wrecks (the lepers on Robben Island) prayed for relief with the fervour of men who hoped against hope". But the poor wretches do not appear to have gained anything, only some vague assurances from Hickson of healing in the future!

Mr Hughes, the son of the late Rector of Winston, came to lunch. I offered him the living of S. Thomas, Gateshead. Clayton and I walked round the Park with the dogs. That foolish political parson, Watts, the Vicar of Shildon, came to see me with respect of his curate, Sumner, whom he accuses of lack of tack. Well, he is beyond all question an expert on that subject being himself incomparably the most tactless incumbent in the diocese!

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