Sia,—What does Canon Collins really mean by some of the
phrases he uses? In the third paragraph of his article on `St. Paul's and the City' he speaks of the Church in England. Therefore his remarks are for the guidance of all. As a Methodist minister 1
would be very interested to know just what is the privileged position of the Methodist Church and how we struggle and strive to preserve the status quo, though what that is in these days is not easy to say. In what way do we 'silence the voice of prophecy for the sake of preserving our own and secular vested interests'? I have not met any of our ministers who feel themselves unduly muzzled. But perhaps I move in the wrong circles. Every penny we receive is given voluntarily. We do not subsidise our ideas through taxation.
Canon Collins's various assertions may be true of St. Paul's; I do not know. But that they arc true of the 'Church in England' is really a little imaginative. Moreover, City Fathers are not the only race who are tempted to serve God and Mammon. Those of us who work in different surroundings find such habits at all levels. Or does a trade unionist auto- matically become sanctified?
If the Church has lost influence it is not because it is class-conscious or privileged; it is because the accent of the New Testament witness to a Crucified and Risen Christ is toned down to meet doubtful political opinions and temporary phases of thought.
—Yours faithfully, E. 0. SUTTON Munster Park Methodist Church, 30 Napier Avenue, Fulham, SW6
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