The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-05-11
FOR CHURCH union
"The Church of America" Pro-
posed by Presbyterians.
General Assembly Would Have
One United Body.
WAR BELITTLES PETTY FORMS
Have No JuSti-
ficatiOn Now.
Let Each Local Church Rule
Itself as 1t Likes.

most important topics coming before
the general assembly of the Presby-
terrain church in the United States OF
America at Columbus, O., May 1926.
will be an overture proposing an or
ganic union of all evangelical churches
urder the name THE Church of
America" and an overture reviewing
the proposal of the union of the
northern and southern branches of
the Presbyterian church.
The latter overture has come up IN
several general assemblies in recent
years both in the northern and south
ern churches, and while the spirit of
reunion apparently has prevailed on
both sides, some obstacle each year
has arisen to prevent reunion. Prog
ress was made toward reunion in
1917, when the northern church held
its general assembly in Dallas, Texas.
In 1913 all four branches of Presby-
terianism held their general assem-
biies simultaneously in Atlanta, Ga.
The overture proposing an organic
union Of ALI evangelical churches OF
America was originally introduced in
the presbytery of Madison, Wis, by
DR.. George E Hunt, of Madison, on
March %, 1918. Since then this same
overture has been endorsed in many
other presbyteries over the country.
Disunion Is Weakness.
In its preamble the overture states
that the divided state of the church
.'has not only made it hitherto i'm
nossible for her to be the messenger
OF peace to a warning world, but also
impossible for her to meet the needs
Of any great world crisis, so that the
religious needs of our present world
upheaval are being met chiefly by
Law organizations under the church
control"
It observes in the allied forces
fighting in the trenches of Europe for
a common cause, the breaking down
or national walls and sectarian walls
among millions facing death and CIV
ing ''promise of a new world more
unified and brotherly and increasingly
impatient of artificial barriers" all OF
" hich -au for organic church union.
IT recalls as another solemn reason
for such union the burden of Jesuss
PRAYER for His followers the night
before His death, five times repeated,
that they might be one, IN perfect
unity
The United Greed.
The following is proposed as the
creed for the united church:
% I'VE believe in the God and
Father of Jesus.
(2) I'VE believe in the historic
Christ as the Divine Savior and Mas
ter of all men.
90 I'VE believe in the Holy Spirit
the hearts of men, the Divine GUIDE
to the essential truths Of the Bible and
of life.
90 I'VE believe in the word of God
as contained in the Bible.
CD I'VE believe in the Kingdom OF
God on earth, founded on the Father
hood of God and the Brotherhood of
Man and that the Christian church is
the Divinely appointed and chief
agency for the establishment of this
Kingdom.
CD I'VE believe in political, eco
nomic and social democracy, equal op-
portunity to all men for life, liberty
and happiness and that this is in
volved in Jesus's ideal of the Kingdom
of God
Cd I'VE believe that Jesus's ideal
of the Kingdom includes personal i'm
in heaven hereafter.
90 I'VE believe in the liberty of
private judgment in all matters per-
tanning to specific doctrines involved
in the above statement of faith and in
the same liberty in matters of sacra-
ment, forms of worship and local pol
ity'
Local Self Government.
Granting potency to various forms
of church government, but exclusive
essentially to none, the overturers
propose a general po1ity," in which
local churches shall drop their de-
names and take the gen.
eral name of THE Church of Amer
ica," with such local prefixes as they
see fit. Each church shall adopt it's
own form of worship and government
by majority vote of its members
Each church shall choose it's own min
lister by it's own method. In localities
where there are more churches than
can we'll be supported combinations of
churches shall be made by >amicable
adjustments. Where petty friction
makes this impossible, committees
properly selected will make such set
Elements as are deemed best.
Local churches of a state shall be
grouped IN convenient district organ
lzatlons made up of representatives
annually elected by the churches. one
minister and one layman from each
500 communicates or fraction thereof
Ihese district bodies shall have the
usual state functions, apart from or
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