INTER-CHURCH RELATIONS Notwithstanding the hopelessness of efforts towards reunion with Rome, the connections of the Church of England, and friendly relations, with the rest of Christendom have grown con siderably during the present century. Between Canterbury and the Eastern Orthodox there has been some rapprochement; in 1906 a Society of members of each obedience was formed to promote reunion; the years of the War brought the Church of England into contact with Churches abroad ; later appeals were made to the Archbishop from the Russian Church in her trouble with the Soviet Government, and the support given may have done much to save the life of the Patriarch Tikhon. The Patriarchate of Constantinople has been officially represented in discussion of Anglo-Orthodox relations, and in 1922 the Synod of Constanti nople formally acknowledged the validity of Anglican Orders ; the Churches of Jerusalem and Cyprus have since concurred. Old Catholics of Holland gave similar recognition in 1925. With these Churches, relations are being maintained. None the less, honesty compels the admission that the Eastern Churches would only con sider organic union on a dogmatic basis, and that of a kind and content which, except to the more narrow of the Anglo-Catholic party, appears out of the question for the Church of England. In 1920, two Anglican Bishops assisted at the consecration of two Swedish Bishops and occasional intercommunion between the two Churches has been established. With the English Nonconformists the hope of reunion was brighter, but has recently passed under a cloud. All approaches to Rome, however tentative, retard this more practical hope. The Lambeth Conference of 1905 reaffirmed as the basis of reunion what is known as the Lambeth Quadri lateral, namely, the necessity of the acceptance of (a) Holy Scrip ture as the rule of faith, (b) The Apostles' and Nicene Creeds, (c) the Two Sacraments, (d) Episcopacy. The matter was brought prominently into notice by the Kikuyu Controversy in 1913 and 1914. With the encouragement and the consent of the Bishops of Uganda and Mombasa intercommunion had taken place with the Protestant Churches in East Africa. The Bishop of Zanzibar (Dr. Weston) appealed against it to the Archbishop. The result was a pronouncement that full intercommunion was at present impos sible ; nevertheless a welcome at Holy Communion in Anglican Churches was extended to non-episcopalians isolated from their own communions. Since the "Appeal to the Christian People" of 1920, Anglicans and Free Churchmen have conferred at Lambeth under the Chairmanship of the Archbishop of York; both Arch bishops have given addresses at annual assemblies of Free Church men; Free Church ministers occasionally preach in Anglican Ca thedrals and Churches with episcopal approval. None the less, the demand of Episcopal Ordination has proved an insurmountable barrier. The Lambeth appeal acknowledged Free Church Minis tries to be real ministries within the Catholic Church : Free Churchmen naturally do not see the logic of the requirement of a fresh commission on their side, while Anglicans would receive only a formal recognition to make them acceptable within the present limits of the Free Churches. They feel that episcopal ordination could add nothing to the existing and acknowledged validity of their ministries. The Baptist Union has repudiated the proposals; the Congregationalist reply urged the necessity of loyalty to Re formation principles, and, while refusing ordination sub conditione, Congregationalists would be willing to accept a solemn act of mutual recognition. At the moment of writing, all official con ferences are closed indefinitely. It is not easy to see what any of the churches are ready to surrender in order to attain union ; but it is not rash to predict that the fact of episcopacy as an ancient and workable system of government and order will ultimately be accepted, provided that all theories of its divine authority and necessity are abandoned. In the mission field, and particularly in South India, schemes for reunion are more hopeful.
During the last 12 months (1928) no fewer than three inter national Conferences have been held—at Stockholm, at Lausanne and at Jerusalem. Though the Stockholm Conference was mainly directed towards the development of an international Christian consciousness in social matters, the basic hope of all three has been for closer and united co-operation between the Churches. The Lausanne Conference, after years of preparation, was attended by more than Soo representatives of some 90 denominations. Many questions of the Ministry and organization were discussed; ad vance was made towards a common understanding of the Gospel. The Eastern Church representatives made it clear that they could concede nothing in respect of the Creeds, or ever allow the valid ity of non-episcopal ministries. Lausanne was on too vast a scale to achieve anything definite : its chief value was in the ventilation of views and in promoting friendships.
There has been steady extension of missionary activity in every part of the world, but the growth in available men and money has not kept pace with the growth in opportunity, or even with the maintenance of work already undertaken: In 1903 the United Mission Boards approved the holding of a great pan-Anglican Congress, which met in London in June 1908, when 25o Bishops, with clerical and lay delegates from all parts of the world met for conference. Yet, by 1911, the most vigorous missionary society, the C.M.S., even after sacrificing the greater part of its Capital Fund in 1905, was faced with a deficit of £48,000, and restricted its work. The S.P.G. and the S.P.C.K. continue their work, not without great difficulty and anxiety. The Church cannot ade quately cope with the great mass movements towards Christianity in India; she has not been able to keep pace with the acceleration of change in East Africa, and in the East generally. It is stated that nothing but an immediate and large increase in staff and funds will conserve or develop the work in tropical Africa. This state of affairs is not due to a falling off of interest. Home missionary endeavour has been centralised. The C.M.S. and S.P.G. have withdrawn their quarterly papers, and a new one, official for the Church of England, called "The Church Overseas" replaced them in January 1928. The Church Assembly has its Missionary Coun cil. In 1926 a World Convention of 2,700 delegates assembled at St. Paul's. It was designed to arouse missionary interest on a large scale. The Assembly published four Reports or "Calls"— from the Far East, from Africa, from India, and from the Muslim World. A fifth Report dealing with the obligations of the Church towards her own countrymen overseas was published in 1927. These exhaustive Reports give an account of the achievements, present work and obligations of the Anglican Communion in the Mission Field. They reveal chiefly how great the changes have been in the recent past and how much has been accomplished from very slender resources. It is estimated that to keep up existing work, 433 new missionaries are needed at once, 120 more for urgent extension and 180 annually to replace the inevitable wastage. In money, at least £250,000 per annum is needed. There has been a progressive movement towards autonomy on the part of Dominion and Missionary Churches. The Church in India is now (since 1927) separate in law from the Home Church, though remaining in full communion with it. Canterbury remains the acknowledged Mother See, though neither claiming nor exer cising a primacy comparable to that of the Pope.