The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1914-12-10
engaged as secretary Of the league
ami continues to hold her position
as sncl.
AREUNlOMSTSBARRED2
Can Members Of Labor Organizations
Join Nazarene Church,

rs a labor union a secret society?"
| This is the momentus question that
has agitated the membership Of the
Pentecostal Church of the Zazarene
! for several weeks past The issue
| has been brought forward by the fact
that several members of the labor
unions in Oskaloosa have been ac-
cepted by the membership commit
tee of the church and their action
was afterward approved by the ON
cial board and they were finally re-
ceived into full membership by the
pastor, Rev. A J. Behner, From a
moral standpoint these parties would
be an honor to any church, but UNI
| fortunately the manual or discipline
of the church contains rule that no
one who Is member of an oath
bound" organization shall be admit
ted to membership.
This naturally brings the leaders
to the consideration of a second ques-
ton, What is an oath-bound organ
ization?". As already stated, Rev.
A. ]. Behner received these mem
bers of the labor unions into mem
bership in the church, after they
had been duly approved by the off,
cial board In view of this fact, Rev.
f. A.. Clark, the district superfnten-
dent of the NazaFene Church, has
brought charges against Rev. A. ].
Behner. the local pastor, and in these
charges Rev. Clark specifies three
counts--frst, that of mal-administra-
ton of church law; second, that of
INSTRUMENTATION to the authorities OF
the church, and third, that of un-
Christian conduct
The trial of Rev. Behner, before
the examining board of the Nazarene
Assembly, has been set for Tuesday,
December Is. In all of this contro-
versy, Rev. Behner has had the CO.
operation and support of his official
board and their position is that the
labor union is not secret society
ami is not an oath-bound organiza-
ton, but is like many other societies
that are organized for a special and
definite purpose. Rev. Clark and his
supporters claim that it is, according
Ito the rule stated, an oath-bound or
ganization and so comes under the
condemnation of the church.
Primarily the guilt or innocence of
Rev. Behner hinges on the first
charge, that of maladministration
and the second and third are simply
incidental.
The labor union members who are
involved in the outcome of this trial
are identified with the brick layers
union, the carpenters union and tne
United Mine Workers, and in a sense
their future relationship with the
church is at stake, They stand as a
unit and are fully in accord with the
position taken by Rev. Behner and
the official board in tAe matter All
Of them maintain that the labor
unions are not secret societies or
oath-bound organizations and they
never claimed to be. They are all
active and Jealous in the work of the
church and their loss would be detri-
mental to a marked degree. The Of
flea; board, which is back of Rev.
Behrer in this controversy, compris-
es F. NJ. Huh, c. J. Gillett, J. d. Mar
tin, B. Frank Shoemake and William
CrCsson. The case is now in the
hands of the higher authorities of
the church and their decision will be
watched with great interest by the
peaCe-loving citizens of Oskaloosa.