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Salient. Victoria University of Wellington Student's Newspaper. Volume 31, Number 6. April 9, 1968

Inaugural service

Inaugural service

Sir—If Mr. Jennings had read my letter carefully he would have realized that I did not miss his point that the spiritual part of one's nature cannot be isolated from one's whole personality. What I was trying to say when I mentioned dentistry was that if one is prepared to devote one's life to the care of the spiritual needs, or teeth, or whatever do not exist. I agree that spiritual needs are difficult to define and that they cannot be dealt with in isolation from a person's character, circumstances etc., but at the same time I do not suppose that Mr. Jennings goes to a chiropodist to have his teeth attended to.

It seems that Mr. Jennings and I do agree that the Church is not indispensable within the university, though I must own to being a little suspicious of his term "total participation". Mr. Jennings will have to define his term "total participation" before he can ask others to agree that only this is worthwhile.

My remark that wisdom is not acquired by anyone lacking a sound not joyous Christian faith was made in the first place to indicate that I am a Christian, and secondly and more importantly, because I considered that Mr. Jennings was guilty of watering down Christianity to suit the agnostics in his congregation and at the university, in saying that wisdom is the only end in life, Let me affirm that wisdom is a by product of a life lived in accordance with Christian principles and that only such a faith can give the humility and perspective necessary for the acquisition of wisdom. If Socrates, Job, Buddha, or any other non-Christians were wise, then may I be impertinent enough to ask how much wiser they would have been had they been Christians? After all, Mr. Jennings, Job himself said: "The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom". (Job 28: 28).

Janice N. Eames.