Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1918-06-30
Highly Irregular"
Kansas City journal.

Inc presbyterian organ the Cnn-
inent, countains an extremely inter-
esting account of terribly "heret-
lear service held at Camp Grant the
other day. Nothing like il was ever
heard of before. All the canons az
ecclesiastical law were violated
creeds and dogmas and formal nro-
fessions OF faith were cast aside
The robes of ceremoniaIism were
stripped from the body of denomina-
tionalism and one of the most unique
and at the same time significant re.
liRious services ever held in fbis
country took place.
Yet no trials for "heresy'' or for
iufractlon of ecclesiastical discinllne
VIII be held. The temples of de-
nominationalism will stant intact.
though "bombarded" by these rev.
olutionary departures Eyerybody
| concerned felt immensely better
after the "bombardment," and evarv-
body felt that the church eyangeii-
cal had taken one step further in tho
direction of unity of purpos. and
Significance and sufficiency OF the
essentials. Everybody felt. especially
that in taking this step the church
emphasized the fact that, though
divided by little partitions OF onin-
ions and creeds, II was fundamen-
tally serving the same great mr.
! poses, striving toward the same great
erd and above all helping tho ma.
tion prepare its soldiers for the ac.
complishment of task before which
creeds and sects and denominations
are as nothing.
Il all came about in this way: 4
certain brigade at Camp Grant was
under quarantine and permission
was obtained by the Y NJ c. A. au-
thorities to hold quarantined union
communion service, in which all
men. whether they belonged TO an
/ evangelical church or not, should
| partake of the communion. Those
who were not communicates OF any
church were given the opportunity to
express their preference at this union
meeting. the original purpose heins
| to hold special reception meetings
for each denomination, according to
! the prescribed forms. The union
communion service was held, parti.
clpated in by 800 splendid young
Representatives OF American man
| hood clad in the service garb. Nine
teen young men expressed a desire
- unite with various denominations.
Instead. however. OF holding the in
sdividuaW reception service. accord
ing to the rtualistic codes Of Metho-
dism. Presbyterianism, Episcopal
anism. etc. the various pastors took
counsel one with another and in
effect they asked themselves, as the
| Continent recounts il:
why have half dozen different
forms Of reception? These men were
all accepting the same Master; why
emphasize differences?
80 DR.. William H. Fulton. pas
ton of the First Presbyterian church,
was persuaded to act for all the
churches represented In the same
single service of question and an
swer all nineteen soldiers confessed
their faith in their common Lord
and were received at the same time
into a half dozen different churches.
Not regular? OF course IL was
not regular That was the very
glory of 1t. Most of the great things
in human history, indeed, have been
irregular But, 1t all means tina,
the church as never before is looking
her task squarely in the eye. II
means that the church really does
rot care more for her forms and
her ceremonies than she does for
her Lord. Such things are the
promise Of the coming day"
Nothing could be more inspiring
than this. even though 1t be an iso-
lated instance of inter denomination
Inc ~.
Ing duplicated in one form or an
other all over the country. The war
Is emphasizing, as perhaps nothing
else could. the essential oneness OF
all religious effort. the greatness OF
the mighty task confronting the ma
tion and the church and the small.
ness. by comparison, OF the things
which divide the sects one from an
other. No man can tell a Methods,
| from a Presbyterian. an Episcopalian
! from a Congregationalist, a Catholic
from Protestant, a Jew from a Gen.
tile, by any distinguishing marks o.
denoininationalism or race or dogma
when all are marching, fighting and
dying side by side.
1t would have been still more in.
spring II a service could have been
held in which all sects and creeds
and races could have participated
to teach the fundamental lesson OF
absolute oneness of purpose Every
man who goes to the front challenges
, TIE representative of every sect and
, creed and the representative OF no
, sect or creed whatever, ITO make in
cision for our blood, to see whose
blood is reddest. his or mine" The
red blood is flowing on a dozen
fronts and the reddest is the bravest;
1 the bravest Is not determined by de-
l nominations or ecclesiastical canons
3 not by racial differences, not by So
1 cial distinctions. not by ritualism OF
, ceremonialism, but by courage and
patriotism and love of man for man.