The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-08-07
PROCEEDINGS
CHRISTIAN ANTI-sLAvERY CONVENTION.
HELD AT CHICAGO, july 3, 4, s.
n EPORT ON HOME MISSIONS.

CHRISTIAN ANTI-sLAvERY CONVENTION.
HELD AT CHICAGO, july 3, 4, g.
REPORT ON HOME MISSIONS.
The Committee to whom was referred "the
Relation Of the Churches to Slavery through
their Home Missionary operations" beg leave. to
submit the following resolutions
RssOlued, That Home Missions rest upon the
obvious and scriptural principle that the spiritu.
ally strong should support and aid the weak, and
that those who have the bread Of life should i'm
part to those who have not.
Resolred, That Home Missions generally in this
country have heretofore been conducted upon the
principle that the members Of the churches plant
ed and aided may hold slaves, and that conse-
quently, the members of Home Mission churches
actually have held and do hold slaves in all parts
Of the country where slaveholding is permitted
by law.
RESOLVED, That, in the judgment Of this Conven-
ton, churches whose members are permitted to
hold slaves are drawback and corruption to the
Gospel Of Christ, for the simple reason that, pro-
Tossing to teach and represent the religion Of
Christ they do actually teach only religious SEN
timents and observances, emitting that "Judg-
ment y or justice which is among "the weighHT
matters of the la,pn and that "righsOnHeSs" which
is the basis of the Kingdom of Godn
RssOlred, That it therefore follows that most of
the Mission Boards ecclesiastical and voluntary,
which now receive and disburse by far the lar
gest proportion of the Home Mission funds raised
by the evangelical churches of this country, are
planting and sustaining religion which is fatal
ly adulterated-" another Gospel which yet is not
another
ResOlued, That, without sitting in judgment up
on the motives of the men who have hitherto
managed Home Missions, or denying or depreciat-
ing the good which has been DONE claiming per-
lection for ourselves is the obect and Intention OF
this Convention to labor and pray for the casting
out Of Slavery from Home Missions in this coun-
try.
ResOlUed, That for this purpose Committee be
appointed to ascertain, as accurately as may be
done in the course Of the ensuing year, the num-
Der of slayebolding Home Mission churches Of all
denominations in this country; the number Of
slaves owned by the members of said churches
and, generally the statistics Of slaveholding Home
Missions in this country and report the same to
a future Convention. as basis OF further action
Rssolued, That, in the mean time, measures be
taken by this present Convention, by the employ
ment of Agents Correspondence, or otherwise to
have the question submitted TO each Of the Home
Mission chsfoss., - DsS3; !2=9.2-c wv ~
Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota, and
TO ascst%iD. either by-s vote of each church, or
paper Nreusteh l5r ,sus,ures, whe'nei ,hv meih-
bers of these churches do or do not wish 10 De
allied, through their respective Boards, to slave
holding churchesin the slave States and that the
results of this inquiry be laid before future
Convention.
Resolusd That in order to enable said churches
to decide on their duty intelligenty the practical
working and moral and religious effect OF slave
holding Home Missions upon the country and |
upon religion in general be clearly stated to them,
with the objections taken by Convention to Mis-
sious conducted upon such principles, to wit:
Ist That q Mission Board which aids some
slaveholding churches proclaims its willingness
to allow slaveholding in all of its churches, and
that nothing but the laws of the free States, pre-
venting slavery prevent the introduction of slave
nv into all these churches, far as as agency is
concerned and that such Board is therefore a
slavery propagatng Board, and that the Secre-
tqries Agents and Appointing Committees Of such
Board are engaged in propagatinga slavehoding
Christianity which is at best but q corruption OF
he religion of Christ and therefore they to be
considered as brethren walking disorderly, and TO
70 Withdrawn from II they persevere after earnest
nd faithful remonstrance.
Cd That Home Mission churches in free
states, aided by Boards which support slavehold-
ng churches in slave States, are morally, and by
heir annual contributions which 60 to the gener-
i fund, partakers of the sins of those slavehold
ny churches and they are therefore "going with
multitude to do evil"
Sd Convention further hold that the success Of
he Wesleyan Methodists, and of the Rev. John
J. Fee and others, in establishing free churches
n slave States, proves that 1t is practicable to
liant the South with slavery excluding gospel,
md that measures be taken to collect and report
o future Convention information necessary to
carry forward this great object
4tn. Convention object 10 sending young minis
ters from free States, to preach an anti-slavery
gospel and administer pro-slavery disciplinein
churches, as calculated to break
down their consciences, confound their under
standings on moral subjects, and to corrupt their
hearts by fatally sdulterated religion and that
this Convention have reason to believe that many
once worthy young men and ministers have been
already so corrupted.
5th. That this Convention object to slavery sus-
tanning Home Missions, that they tend to give
respectability to slaveholding in the whole ooun-
try that the slaveholdiDg churches which they
establish must eventually prove curses, rather
than blessings, where they are planted and that
relatively they are fast corrupting the sentiment
of the churches at home
Your committee therefore recommend that the
execution and carrying out of the measures herein
be referred to q special committee,
with power TO raise the needed funds, and employ
the necessary agencies, responsible to God and
future Convention, to which they are to report.
BY order Of the committee
J. BLANCHARD, Chairman.