ABSTRACT
At Madras, 1 in the late autumn of 1938, there was held a gathering of Christian statesmen, coming from all parts of the world, but especially from the young Churches of Africa and the East, for the consideration of the problems of the modern world in the light of the message of Christ. Before the meeting of the Madras Conference a unique event took place. A number of these distinguished Christian leaders, men of world-wide influence in opulent and imposing sections of the Church, travelled long extra distances in order to visit, and sit at the feet of, a Hindu leader, Mr. Gandhi. Their object was to gain from him advice as to how they might learn to follow Christ better. It may safely be affirmed that at none of the long series of œcumenical councils held in the past have the Christian leaders done such a thing. That they have done it now shows on the one hand how widespread and deep-going is the conviction that Christianity has gone wrong (largely as a result of its compromise with modern industrialism and modern imperialism): and on the other hand how profound is the belief that this great seer of India has come nearer than we have to the discovery of the mind of Christ and to the practising of the way of Christ.
