The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1908-11-07
CLASS CHURCHES NOT
DESIRED BY WORKERS
Theory Of the Fatherhood Of God
and the brotherhood Of
:. Man. 60
Gives No encouragement to the
Formation Of Glass
%. Churches. ...e

~AAN 4oCoS4o1l VI organizing a. O0UrCn
within the ranks Of organized labor,
writes as follows:
Recently, a nearnest, and believe,
thoroughly sincere trades unionist ad-
Vocated the plan of organizing a
church within the ranks of organized
labor, which should be composed ex-
clusivelN Of working people who MADE
profession of Christianity. The min
listers, the officers, the teh chers the
s1ngers-an who had anything to do
with this novel organization, were to
come from the ranks of the toilers. >:
Repeatedly has it been suggested to
me that I organize the Christian
trades unionists in the labor move
ment into separate trades unions. But
always have declined to become the
advocate of such a scheme for prac-
tically the same reasons that promnt
me to d1sapprove of the organization
OF working people into separate reli-
s1ous organizations Of any kind.
The Real Objection.
Perhaps the strongest objection to
such plan is the fact that working
men themselves do not believe lin
"class" churches. I once wrote to 300
OF the prominent leaders of labor, ask
ing their opinions concerning the or
ganization Of a distinctively working
mans" church. Only three of the 300
were favorably disposed toward the
proposition. Among the reasons given
for opposing it were the following:
If true religion means anything, it
means the Fatherhood Of God and the
brotherhood of man, and an exclusive
church would be contrary to that
doctrine" while workingmen are
poor, they are also proud, and they
would be slow to connect themselves
with. an exclusive institution which
might possibly be dubbed "a poor
mans church" "A church established
exclusively for the workingman would
deteriorate. There would ultimately
arise g. secluded, isolated and forsak-
EN- spirit, that would eventually end in
strife and dissatisfaction"
/church Needs Unionists-
One Of the reasons given for the or
ganizatton Of this "workingman's
church" is that the church is making
many great and grevious mistakes"
But isn't that also true of the labor
union? Must we, therefore, pull out
of the labor union all of the Christian
men and those of high moral prin-
c1ples and place them into separate
organization? Is 1t not better to. keep
them where they are, so that through
their influence they may correct the
errors which are now being made?
This is equally true of the church. We
need very loyal Christian trades I'M
ionist In. the church, just as we need
the loyal Chistian trades unionist in
the labor union. 49,. d.,
Tho Pharsaical Spirit. :.
Such a process Of seclusion as has
been suggested would also result in a
sort of pharsatcal spirit which would
practically destroy the influence of the
Christian men who would engage in
such an enterprise. The II am better
than thou" attitude makes few con-
verts.
What we really need today is a
straightforward, manly, Christian life,
lived out both in the church and in
the labor union, without much -four
fishing of trumpets. That kind of liv-
ing will soon rectify the mistakes both
in the church. and in the labor union,
and it will also usher in the day when
there will exist a truer spirit of real
brotherhood.