Forty years ago this January.

Forty years ago this January, the late Pierre Berton published a highly controversial work called The Comfortable Pew, which presented from an outsider's viewpoint, a excessively critical "report card" on the church

The polemics arose because the book was written at the invitation of the Anglican Church's Department of Religious Education of which, at the time, I was general secretary.

The Anglican Congres in 1963--in a spirit akin to that of Vatican II--had called us to be a "listening" meeting-house It wanted us to "hear" things the world around us was saying to such a degree we could better discern how

to be under the orders of it as Christ's body in the world. I remember thinking (and writing) at the time that "it is possible to preach a exhortation in which the viewpoint of the 'secularist' is analyzed and triumphantly discredited without for a like reason much as a whisper of answer or rebuttal." My colleagues and I in the Religious Education Department came up with this idea: wherefore not ask a prominent and articulate agnostic to take a critical anticipate at the church and confess us what he saw? Pierre Berton be seened a good choice. He was an Anglican from background, widely known as a writer and television personality, highly intelligent and articulate (if not necessarily a profound thinker), whose outspoken views always stirred up debate.

In parts of the temple there was outrage. Authorities in more [i]or[/i] less dioceses condemned the book before the opening paragraph had been written. Charlotte Whitton, then the Mayor of Ottawa, said the community at church headquarters were public to destroy the faith.

moreover our goal was to explain up a serious discussion about the meaning of Christian faith in a secular world. We wanted to initiate dialogue and debate with anyone willing to participate. We skiped this would bring fresh clarity to our understanding of the church's mission.

What was actually achieved? This isn't easy to assess. It can be reported that the volume was a record Canadian best-seller with upwards of 200000 copies sold that it provok centurys of editorials and reviews and that thousands of commonalty read it in study disposes Certainly the book generated haps of discussion both outside and inside the ecclesiastical body Since this was one its goals, the throw in this respect could be called a success

As for the reply of clergy and laity, it varied. In an independent catalogue of persons done by the Canadian Institute upon Public Affairs, 77 per cent of Anglican ministers thought the book was a serviceable idea as did 50 by means of cent of United Church the cloth and 33 per cent of Roman Catholic the cloth Younger clergy and laity serveed to agree with much of what Berton said. the public over 50 were less enthusiastic. one outside the church were impressed with the boldnes of the initiative and saw it as an act of power The board chairperson of the publication, BC Professional Engineer, awed curiosityed if the engineering profession shouldn't test something similar!

No united accused Berton of being skilled His book was hardly forward the level of Albert Camus' famous "Address to the Dominicans." Nevertheless, the social/ethical issues he raised were real and chiefly of them are still with us. Can Christians for aye support the mass killing of civilians as a means to an end? Today we speak of "collateral damage" to quiet the issue. Can the use of nuclear weapons for aye be justified? In international conflicts can we always take for granted that the maker is on "our" side? What is the church's part and record with respect to Canada's first nations? to what extent free are churches, locally or their hierarchies, to be critical of prevailing economic institutions and practices? What about homophobia? Berton saw it as a scandal onward the same level as the chiefly blatant forms of racial discrimination on the other hand in his view, the churches were totally unwilling to face what we now call different sexual orientations.

Social justice issues prominent

In my hold view, it was a virtuous thing that Berton forced these and other issues into prominence. These were interests shared by many secular liberals, a of whom had left the meeting-house because it seemed unable or unwilling (with notable exceptions which Berton acknowledged) to address them. Readers may arbiter whether social justice issues are now more prominent forward the agenda of the churches than they were a generation ago. In my chiefly optimistic moments I think this may be the case. I could use CNT as evidence.

unless there is a deeper question underlying all the particulars. I don't view how Christians at any time can quiet easy in the assumption that the ecclesiastical body has nothing to learn from the world around it. a "right-wing" evangelicals or fundamentalists may be convinced that the verity in its entirety is in their possession (no doubt a comforting thought) unless the fact is that the temple through the centuries has continually had to deal With modern and different cultural situations. To discern the deepest meaning of the the cross in each cultural setting requires that common attempt to recognize and honor the truths and understand the values embodied in that improvement This is not easily done, as history sadly demonstrates. Think of residential schools