Fourth General Assembly of NCC

WORLD NEWS

Christianity in the World Today

The Triennial General Assembly of the National Council of Churches of Christ met in St. Louis the first week in December to review and appraise the work carried on by the staff and General Board. Some two thousand delegates were divided into 21 groups to consider 75 programs carried on by the Council. They listened to 22 major speakers in addition to reports of staff members.

Dr. Edwin T. Dahlberg, pastor of Delmar Baptist Church, St. Louis, was unanimously elected president of the Council and will hold office for three years. The congregation of which he is the pastor belongs both to the American Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention.

Faith In Man

The former president of the Council, Dr. Eugene Carson Blake, gave the opening keynote message by calling the delegates to a new faith of man in man. He said, “Of all the failures and weaknesses of the Christian Church, there is none today more costly to our cause than lack of faith in one another.” In regard to the political aspect, Dr. Blake said, “The free world faces a true crisis in that it will be as dangerous to continue 100 per cent skepticism of totalitarian communism as it would be to believe all the protestations of peaceful intentions that come from the Kremlin.” His greatest concern, however, was with the distrust that existed among the churches composing the National Council of Churches. Variety of faith and differences of opinion were welcome since uniformity and monolithic structure would be the death of the NCC. That faith and trust in man had a limited character was revealed the following day in Dr. Blake’s address on the “State of the National Council.” He maintained there was more confidence in the NCC being a council of churches since it was evident that the Council was not the instrument of the controversial Lay Committee or Liberal “Ecumaniacs.”

Issue Of Segregation

No issue stirred the Assembly more than the sore problem of segregation. Dr. Martin Luther King deplored the use of physical violence. He said, “The alternative to violence is the method of non-violent resistance. This method is nothing more and nothing less than Christianity in action. It seems to me to be the Christian way of life in solving problems of human relations. This method was made famous in our generation by Mohandas K. Ghandi, who used it to free his country from the domination of the British Empire. This method has also been used in Montgomery, Alabama, under the leadership of the ministers of all denominations, to free 50,000 Negroes from the long night of bus segregation.” He further declared, “We must say to our white brothers over the South that we will match your capacity to inflict suffering with our capacity to endure suffering. We will match your physical force with our soul force. We will not hate you and yet we cannot obey your evil laws. Do to us what you will, and we will wear you down by our capacity to suffer and in earning our freedom we will so appeal so your hearts and consciences that we will win you in the process.”

Col. Francis Pickens Miller of Virginia pointed out that the two races in his state are drifting apart with growing mistrust of each other. He said, “While legal segregation is on its way out, a new and in some respects even more distressing form of segregation is rushing in to take its place—segregation of the mind, of the spirit and of the heart. And this new form of voluntary segregation is not unilateral—it is bilateral. I am reminded of the seven devils that came to occupy the house after one had been cast out.”

The Church was pointed out as probably the most racially segregated major institution in American life. Dr. Liston Pope, dean of Yale Divinity School, declared that “the churches have lagged behind the Supreme Court as the conscience of the people on questions of race, and they have fallen far behind trade unions, factories, schools, department stores, athletic gatherings and most other major areas of human association as far as achievement of integration in their own life is concerned.”

The Assembly reaffirmed its renunciation of the pattern of racial segregation, both in the churches and in society as a violation of the Gospel of love and human brotherhood. In light of the refusal of some taxies in St. Louis to convey Negroes it resolved that future meetings of the General Assembly would take place in such communities “where the prevailing practice in restaurants, transportation and all other public facilities, is service to all people without regard to race or color.”

Nature Of Unity

Dissatisfaction with denominational divisions appeared in many speeches. The Rt. Rev. Henry Knox Sherrill, presiding bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church, stated, “I cannot believe that the present condition represents the mind of God.” He pointed out that when problems of church unity are discussed there must be a fearless facing of the truth. Bishop Sherrill said, “There are diversities of gifts, of course, but the purpose of Christ cannot embrace contradictory, even competing ideas and aims. Truth may have various manifestations, but essentially, truth is one. There is a unity in the mind of God. Our present unity, such as it is, stands only as a symbol of what can and should be.”

A strong stand for organic union was made by the Rt. Rev. Rajah B. Manikam, Bishop of the Federation of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India. “Cooperation in itself was not and is not enough,” he said. He admitted that union did not always result in greater missionary activity. The Bishop stated, “It is not to be denied that United Churches have not become far more missionary-minded after the union than before. Union has not always begotten Mission.” He insisted that union cannot be achieved if the negotiating parties insist on settling every disagreement in doctrine, theology and polity. Bishop Manikam concluded, “the churches in the States and their missionary societies would do well not to put any impediment in the way of the young churches desiring to unite with one another. They should select and send to the East such men and women missionaries as will not look at each other critically over denominational walls, nor desire to perpetuate those historic divisions which, whatever they may mean to the West, have far less relevance in the Eastern context. They should do all they can to further ecumenical missions wherever possible, and in turn seek to unite with other churches in their own homelands.”

Conciliar Movement

What promised to be a controversial amendment in regard to increased representation of local, city and state councils was deferred to a future Assembly. This amendment previously received 40–27 endorsement by the General Board. Promised opposition by Dr. Franklin Clark Fry of the United Lutheran Church undoubtedly caused the postponement of the amendment. He had previously pointed out that the passing of the amendment would cause the NCC to lose its character of being a council of churches. At present the General Board has 54 per cent representation on the part of constituent denominations. The passing of the amendment would drop this to 50 per cent representation.

In a major address, Dr. Truman B. Douglass of New York City made a strong plea that more authority be granted to local, state and national councils. Dr. Douglass maintained that in some aspects councils embody more fully the Church of Christ than denominations. He declared, “There is a Church of Christ which transcends all the churches. This true Church is never perfectly embodied in any of our existing churches, nor will it ever be so long as we continue in our present divisions and in separation from one another. The councils of churches embody some aspects of the Church in its fullness which are not made manifest in the churches.” Concerning the NCC he voiced the opinion, “that at a number of crucial points its witness is more faithful and more nearly adequate than that of the member denominations.” He further maintained that the NCC has a kind of authority over the churches and, “When the Council mediates the judgment of the Church upon the churches, as it surely does concerning their disunity, it becomes the Church in one of its modes.”

Nuclear-Space Age

The Russian Sputniks succeeded not only in causing nations to gaze into the stratosphere and work feverishly to defend their plot upon earth, but also caused church leaders to gaze into the heaven of heavens and work feverishly to defend spiritual and moral values against encroachment of a scientific materialistic concept of life. Woven through many of the main addresses at the Assembly was a grave fear that the nations might fall prey to Russian atheistic materialism. This was expressed by Dr. Roswell P. Barnes, “ ‘Greece captured took Rome captive.’ More than once history has witnessed the irony of a people unconsciously and unintentionally assuming the cultural characteristics of the nation it has defeated in a contest of power. As a nation we could establish technological superiority and succumb to the very materialistic dialectic which we abhor.”

Dr. O. Frederick Nolde, a Philadelphia Lutheran, charged that Americans were acting like spiritual adolescents at a time of scientific maturity and called attention to “the stupidity of corporate humanity.” He said, “We are in danger of falling into the trap of those who by their own profession are atheistic materialists. God have mercy on the children of men if the two giant powers of the world, in deed if not in word, recognized as their only governor dialectical materialism.” Charles Parlin, New York attorney, found some elements of hope in Russian scientific advance. He said, “In the progress of communist technology, now being so dramatically advertised to an apprehensive world, are factors of hope. There was search for truth and accuracy. There was vision and imagination. There was bravery of concept and daring in execution. Here are virtues where our peoples meet in common respect. It gives substance to the hope of the Russian churches that their country can some day be restored to the family of Christian nations.” But, alas, as the apostle Paul pointed out long ago, the world by wisdom knew not God. The study of natural revelation can never make a nation Christian.

The General Assembly adopted a document that stated the crisis was fundamentally moral and spiritual. For a solution it stated, “efforts must be redoubled to realize the final goal of world-wide disarmament in the framework of the United Nations.” The document was chiefly a call to the nation “to demonstrate the values of our society in economics, political procedures, and human values.… to take new diplomatic initiative.… to give increased moral and spiritual leadership to the world.… to build international understanding and good will.” The churches were called upon to shape public opinion and to urge all men to repentance and faith in God.

Miscellaneous

Four church bodies with a total of 478,000 members were voted into the National Council. They are the Armenian Apostolic Church of North America, the Polish National Catholic Church of America, the Free Magyar Reformed Church in America, and the Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese. This brings to 34 the number of constituent communions within the NCC.

Six million copies of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible have been sold since it was published a little more than five years ago, it was announced by Dr. Luther A. Weigle. This version headed the list of nonfiction best sellers in 1952, 1953 and 1954.

Concerning corruption in the labor movement the Assembly stated, “We believe the labor unions are responsible for the situation that has been revealed; but so is management; so also is the Christian Church. The degree and kind of responsibility may differ but we all share in the responsibility.”

Freedom of association was upheld. Churches and churchmen were urged to recognize the gravity of the threat to all associations and to all liberties when the freedom of any legitimate voluntary association is assailed.

The Assembly urged the government to revise “the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 to eliminate discrimination based on race, color and sex, revise the national origins quota system and provide more adequately for the admission of relatives, and of refugees.” Concern that moral issues “be clearly set forth” in connection with the retention or return of alien properties in the United States seized during World War II was expressed in a resolution.

The Assembly declared that technical and economic aid “should not be primarily for political and military association but for the purpose of helping people to help meet economic and social needs and opportunities.… Oneness in Christ across the nations requires mutual aid and trade.”

The Council voted to hold its fifth general assembly at San Francisco in the summer of 1961. This date was set in order to avoid conflict with the general assembly of the World Council of Churches scheduled to meet in December of 1960.

J. MARCELLUS KIK

People: Words And Events

Sunday Home Showings—The Denver Board of Realtors has voted to end the open-house showing of homes on Sunday. Said many salesmen, “Thank goodness we can finally get to church on Sunday.” One Denver realtor, Max Moore, said, “We plan to run pictures of churches in the Sunday paper, saying, ‘This is our open house today.’ ”

Better Films—The best way to raise the moral standards of movies is for top actors and actresses to improve scripts through their story acceptance clauses, says entertainer Bob Crosby. The stars will listen, he said, if enough people insist on better movies. “If the performer realizes he is losing his box office, he would be pretty stupid to continue that type of show,” Crosby said.

Service to Humanity—Evangelist Billy Graham, Mrs. Clare Booth Luce, former U. S. Ambassador to Italy, and Gen. Alfred Gruenther, president of the Red Cross, have been cited for their “distinguished service to humanity” by the National Institute of Social Sciences. President Eisenhower praised the medal winners as “symbols of the diversified power of our nation.”

101st Birthday—Dr. Arthur J. Brown, secretary emeritus of the Board of Foreign Missions, Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A., celebrated his 101st birthday recently at a small New York dinner party. During the same week the vigorous ex-missionary served in his usual active role as senior elector to New York University’s Hall of Fame.

Fourth Century Church—Discovery of the oldest Christian church ever excavated in Israel has been announced by the Israeli Antiquities Department. The church was uncovered in the village of Shavei Zion on the Mediterranean coast. An inscription on one of its stones sets the date of construction of the basilica-type church during the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great in the fourth century.

Religious Liberty Stamp—A three-cent stamp honoring religious liberty, to be released by the Post Office Dec. 27, has the Bible as its central design. The stamp will commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Flushing Remonstrance—a protest by citizens of Flushing, N. Y., against an edict banning Quakers by Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant.

Protestant Pastor Sentenced—Pastor Siegfried Schmutzler, 42-year-old chaplain to Evangelical students at Leipzig University, has been sentenced to five years of hard labor by the district court in East Berlin on charges of counter-revolutionary activities. Lutheran Bishop Hanns Lilje denounced the sentence as the newest “grave assault” in a concentrated campaign by the communists against the evangelical churches in the Soviet zone. Student groups also protested.

The Last Issue—Our Hope magazine, founded 63½ years ago by Dr. Arno C. Gaebelein and continued monthly without interruption for 772 issues, stops publication with the December issue, Dr. Frank E. Gaebelein, publisher and son of the founder, announced. The magazine, which is merging with Eternity beginning in January, has constantly stressed the exposition of the Scriptures, especially in relation to premillennial and prophetic exposition.

Digest—Dr. F. Townley Lord, London minister and former president of the Baptist World Alliance, has accepted a position on the faculty of Furman University, Greenville, S. C.… Dr. John A. Mackay, president of Princeton Theological Seminary, is on a trip to Hungary and Ghana.… The goal of $4,000,000 for a new Methodist theological seminary near Delaware, Ohio, has been reached, Bishop Hazen G. Werner of Columbus announced.… Finland and Norway are expected to bid for the Fourth Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation in 1962.… Dr. Fred C. Wiegman, 58, died in a December automobile accident, four months after he assumed the presidency of the Ohio Synod of the United Lutheran Church in America. He was the fifth president of a ULCA synod to die in the last 14 months.

Rejected Again

For the second time in two years, congregations of the Lutheran Free Church have rejected a proposal to merge with three other Lutheran denominations.

The proposal was defeated by only 17 votes. Of the 1,156 ballots cast by 342 congregations 754, or 65.22 per cent, were in favor of resuming union negotiations and 402, or 34.78 per cent were opposed. A two-thirds majority was necessary for approval.

Involved in the merger are the Evangelical, American and United Evangelical Lutheran churches scheduled to form the American Lutheran Church in 1960.

Broad Range

A statement on world problems ranging all the way from the Middle East to outer space was adopted by The Methodist Church’s Board of World Peace at its annual meeting in Cleveland, Ohio.

On the Middle East crisis, the board declared: “The United States can accomplish more for peace and democracy in the Middle East by sponsoring bold solutions to its economic and social problems under the United Nations than by sending arms to unstable or feudalistic governments.”

On the question of rights to outer space, the board urged the UN General Assembly “to declare the title of the international community and to establish appropriate administrative arrangements.”

Crumbs From Table

The mainstream of theology in America today is closer to evangelical Christianity than at any time in history, a Minnesota educator told the eighth annual conference of Lutheran foreign students at Columbus, Ohio.

Dr. Edgar Carlson, president of Gustave Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minn., told the seminary students that theology has its own domain today.

“There was a time when the theologian lived off the crumbs from the table of the psychologist, the philosopher and the sociologist,” he said. “But developments in biblical theology have been so decisive that theology is recognized as having a definite field of its own.”

Worth Quoting

“When I first came to the (Catholic) University (of America) as a student 40 years ago, there were 17 million Catholics in America. I found a University only 28 years old and comparatively small.… Today the Catholics of America have doubled in number to 34 million and our Alma Mater has developed correspondingly.… If now we were to look forward another 40 years, it will bring us to the end of the century. The Catholic population will, no doubt, have doubled to at least 70 million people.”—The Most Rev. Bryan J. McEntegart, Bishop of Brooklyn and former rector of the Catholic University of America.

“This is no time for Americans to be proud, snooty and unsympathetic. What free-world peoples want from us today is companionship in their sufferings, not cocktails in their socials.”—Dr. Caradine R. Hooton, General Secretary, Methodist Board of Temperance.

A Christmas Gift

Children out at our house were living in a popeyed wonderland of wants as Christmas made its jolly approach last December.

The wants ranged from a “twactor, twain and twuck with all the twimmings,” to a bicycle and grown-up dolls. As the postal bombardment of Santa Claus continued without let-up, the “littlest angel” with grubby hands was finding such constant tension too hard for him.

Much like the boy ordered to the bathroom by his mother to wash his hands, he splashed some water over the dirt, only to be sent back with the admonition, “Wash off all those germs.” Returning to the gruesome task, he muttered, “All I ever hear about around here is God, Santa Claus and germs, and I can’t see any one of them.”

Something different was needed to get the spirit of Christmas into its true perspective. The woes of wanting had to be changed into the joy of giving. An ideal solution presented itself when the family discussed the situation during devotions and decided to sponsor a Korean orphan.

Selection of the child was left to World Vision, Inc., an American organization that cares for more than 9,000 orphans in the Far East. Dr. Bob Pierce, president, founded the work and has spearheaded its growth.

A short while later the child’s picture arrived in the mail. Her name was Moo Hee and she was a beautiful two-year-old resident of the Sung Lac Babies’ Home in Taegu. World Vision said, “We don’t know anything about Moo Hee’s parents. She was brought to this home by police women.” Other babies have been found in ditches and garbage dumps. Some parents have brought children to the police with this request, “If you can’t find a home, then kill it.”

The cost of sponsoring an orphan is $10 per month, and the entire amount is sent to Korea by World Vision.

In order to make the project a family affair in which every member had a stake, jobs were assigned and the pay scale set. Each contributed monthly to the support of Moo Hee.

With other savings, the children sent gifts to their new “sister” and wrote letters telling her about life in America. They received letters from her nurse, written in Korean and translated by the World Vision staff.

Without fail, since the beginning, the children have prayed each night for the little girl halfway around the world. Before that, the prayers had been of the “God bless me” variety. Now their treasure was going to another and their hearts were there also.

I visited Korea recently to prepare a special series of newspaper articles, but had received definite orders from the children: “Go see Moo Hee if you have to miss everything else.” And they purchased clothing for me to deliver.

Having learned well the chain of command during four years in the Navy, I did as directed—gladly. Sung Lac was clean and looked comfortable, a sharp contrast with the surrounding area. The home was filled with children.

The nurse patted an adorable little girl on the head and said, “This is Moo Hee.” She didn’t quite know what to make of the big American who picked her up and let him know it in the only way she knew—with a flood of tears. The clothing he had brought was far too big, but the children had thoughtfully bought a doll that was a perfect fit.

She sat on the floor with the doll and didn’t utter another peep. As I sat there with her, I marveled at the way in which God had worked. Moo Hee had done far more for my family than we would ever be able to do for her.

Outside of Christ, Moo Hee had given the children out at our house the greatest Christmas gift they will ever receive.

She gave them the desire to care about others!

GEORGE BURNHAM

Wanted By Fbi

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has asked clergymen to be on the alert for a man who has preyed upon Protestant ministers by posing as a theological student and as a former assistant to an Air Force chaplain.

He was identified by the FBI as Paul Cline Gross, about 30, sought on charges of conditional release violator and impersonation. A number of fraudulent checks have turned up in his wake.

Gross has served time at the U. S. Penitentiary, Lewisburg, Pa. Aliases used include Captain P. Cross, Paul Cline Cross, Cline Droce, Major Ralph Gross, Paul Clyne Gross, Clide Ross, Paul Ross, Paul Clyne Cross, Paul G. Woods, Paul Woodward and others.

A native of Knox County, Tenn., he is described as follows: Height, 6 ft. 1 in. to 6 ft. 3 in.; weight, 180 to 220 pounds; build, medium; hair, brown; eyes, blue; complexion, medium; race, white; nationality, American. He has a half-inch circular scar on the back of his left thumb and may wear horn-rimmed glasses. He is reported to be stoop-shouldered, with a hump, because of a broken back.

Gross may be armed and should be considered dangerous. Any person with information about him is requested to notify the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U. S. Department of Justice, Washington 25, D. C. or the special agent in charge of the nearest FBI Division.

Question Deadline

The Census Bureau must make a firm decision by next April 1 as to whether a religious affiliation question will be included in the 1960 census, a spokesman for the agency said.

The bureau has made no decision as yet on including the question, “What is your religion?”

Some religious groups favor such a question as a means of securing valuable statistical information. Others oppose it as a violation of the separation of Church and State.

The bureau spokesman said the April 1 deadline is made necessary by the huge printing job required to prepare the forms on which data for about 180,000,000 Americans will be recorded.

Congress will have a voice in the final decision since the bureau must clear plans for the enumeration with appropriations committees before funds for printing of the forms are approved.

These funds will be included in the budget requests which the Department of Commerce submits to Congress in January for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1959.

Far East

Praise In India

A Hindu leader in Madras has praised the humanitarian and educational work of Christian missionaries in India and branded as “unproved” and “exaggerated” charges that they use improper pressure to win converts.

Dr. A. Krishnaswamy, member of the Indian parliament, took exception to the findings published by an official commission of the Madhya Pradesh state government, which recommended that foreign missionaries engaged primarily in proselytizing be withdrawn from the country.

The commission, headed by Dr. Bhamwami Shanker Niyogi, former chief justice of the Nagpur high court, charged that missionary work was not prompted by strictly spiritual motives. It said attempts were being made to create “Christian pockets” with a view to disrupting the solidarity of the Hindu society.

Dr. Krishnaswamy said that “even if the instances mentioned in the commission’s report had been substantiated they would not have justified the commission in arriving at the conclusion that foreign missionaries pursued activities of an undesirable character.”

The Indian legislator said the Niyogi commission’s findings “provoked outspoken criticism not only from members of the Christian faith but of other faiths as well.”

“The consensus of opinion in India has been, and is,” he said, “opposed to drawing up a bill of indictment against missionaries. It was, therefore, not surprising to find responsible men belonging to different political schools of thought criticizing the Niyogi report, not only for erring in its presentation of facts but also for overstepping the bounds of propriety and national interests.”

Mayor Of Madras

Mrs. Tara Cherian, an active member of the Church of South India, has been elected mayor of Madras. She is the first woman ever named to the post.

Mrs. Cherian, 44, is connected with many welfare organizations. She has headed the advisory board of the Hospital for Women and Children in Egmore, Madras, for nearly 20 years. She also has served on the senate of Madras University.

Medical Mission

An unique mission stirred Christian and medical circles recently in Ceylon. It was undertaken by Dr. Jacob Chandy, Professor of Neurology and Superintendent of Christian Medical College, Vellore, South India. He was accompanied by Dr. Paul Brand and other doctors of the same institution.

The men of medicine came preaching rather than to treat patients, although many of the sick were seen privately. Members of the Student Christian Movement of the Medical College of the University of Ceylon invited the team to give Christian testimony, to sharpen ideas of what it means to be a Christian doctor and to give lectures on professional medical subjects.

Dr. Chandy is a noted brain surgeon and Dr. Brand has had much success in restoring hands crippled by leprosy and in equipping lepers for a useful life.

One result of the mission came when several medical students announced intentions of working in mission hospitals.

—W.R.H.

A Working Day?

Sunday as a holiday, or holy day, may be eliminated in Ceylon if a proposal of the Buddhist Religious Affairs Advisory Committee is adopted by the government.

The advisory committee has recommended to the Minister of Local Government and Cultural Affairs that weekly poya days should replace Sunday as the day off beginning Jan. 1, 1959. The poya day is determined with reference to the phases of the moon which means that full moon day, new moon day and a day one week before full moon and new moon are all poya days.

Claiming that Ceylon’s present 26 holidays hinder a vitally necessary increase in production, the committee made five proposals:

The same holidays are to apply to everyone.

Poya day and the half day preceding it should be holidays in the place of Saturday afternoon and Sunday.

In addition, there shall be 12 extraordinary holidays. These include Good Friday and Christmas but not Easter.

Hindus, Christians and Moslems shall be given the right to select any two other days on which they will be entitled to leave as a matter of right without these days being counted against their annual leave.

The privilege now given Moslems in getting short leave for religious purposes on Friday afternoons should be extended to Christians by allowing them to come an hour late to offices on Sunday.

Combining the first and fourth provisions strongly suggests that Christians and other non-Buddhists would enjoy three days of holiday each week. Since this would presumably have an anti-Buddhist tendency, such could hardly be the intention of the advisory committee. However, the matter has not yet been clarified.

It seems unlikely that this plan for eliminating the Sunday holiday will be adopted for the simple reason that the rest of the world is largely committed to the present arrangement. But the proposal indicates that strong, official forces in Ceylon are devoting thought and energy to making this country as Buddhistic in culture as possible.

—W.R.H.

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