Evening journal., 1922-08-15
By ROBERT ". GARDINER
OF Gardiner. Maine.
Secretary, World Conference or
Faith and Order.

Faith and Order.
Suppose that instead OF one gov
ernnent at Washington there were
a dozen and that each Of US could
choose which government he de-
sired to belong TO. Suppose that
teach government were perfectly free
to carry on its affairs in any way
I II preferred.
Suppose that one government de-
cided TO raise its funds by impos-
I ing an. income tax while another
government passed a bill levying a
consumption tax. that a third gov
ernment decided TO scrap all the
battleships, while a fourth voted
10 build the greatest fleet on earth.
Suppose. furtherm ore, that a nth
government made up its mind 10
take over the roads and run them
es they were run during the war,
while a sixth was In favor of sbol-
ishing the railways and substitut
ing for them automobiles and air
planes.
Each government would pass its
own laws. have its own army. its
own Department OF State. its own
Department OF Justice; each would
appoint its own judges aud other
or1cisls. Each Of MS could choose
what laws we wanted TO obey and
what we didn't; we could shift from
government 10 government and no
one would know or care to which
we gave our allegiance.
II you can imagine this you may
have some faint idea OF how the
present religious situation In this
country and throughout this world
might seem 10 a visitor from Mars.
He would see half a dozen or a
dozen churches in the same small
town each protesting 10 be the
Christian Church, each declaring it,
self the Church OF God. each Jealous.
eager TO do good works but lacking
the strength and means to accom-
plish much each struggling to raise
money. each handicapped by the
disunlon and lack OF harmony
among the Christians OF the COM
munity
More than that II we had a doz-
en- governments at Washington in
stead Of one the result would un-
doubtedly he bad there would be
fearful waste OF energy and money,
shameful confusion. bitter disputes,
but these are. after all only prac-
tlcsl difficulties. Division among
the churches present all these prac-
tical dificulties and at the same
time a much gnaver one. The mis-
sion OF Christ was TO establish the
Christian Church-not one particu-
lar kind Of Christian Church but
the Christian Church. Any division
Of this church is sin against the
very spirit Of Christianity and |
against the Holy Ghost. In the
words Of Christ: That they may be
one, az thou Father, art in me, and |
in Thee. that they also may be
me In US; that the world may be-
ievs Thou hast sent me"
Movement Launched ~ Years AGO.
dozen years ago q small group
n earnest Christians. Weighing
hese words. resolved 10 do what /
hey could TO reunite the Christian |
Church and 70 make visible once +
more the structure of Christian /
unity. This little group has grown |
until now the World Conference /
on Faith and Order, the organiza-
lion which has sprung from their /
efforts. comprises seventy-eight in |
dependent churches. Including .
practically every Trinitsrian de-
domination except the Roman
'atholic. II IL hoped that the help
4 this church as well may be OBJ
aimed, for the late Pope Benedict
expressed himself as being keenly
,terested in what was being so-
omplished 10 promote Christian
nifty.
But some one viii saw. how
an the Christian churches uniteg
ont the Baptists think they're 9
ght7 And don't the Episeopalians
link they're right? And the Con-
regationaiists and Presbyterians
nd the Methodists the same9''
But no one expects 70 make Meth
iists out Of Presbyterlans or Epis-
opalsns out Of Congregat tionalists.
or is Il hoped 10 reduce all the
hristian churches until they are
bsolutely alike. Unity does not
lean uniformity. Everyone recog-
izes that each Christian church
assesses its own unique treasures
'hich have both a spiritual and an
istoric significance. No one ex-
ects church to surrender these
Z the same time. Just as each
hurch has something to give, so II
lso has something to receive from
very other Christian church
The object ID the World Confer
nee, which will be held in Wash
igtcn the first week Of May. 1925.
J 20 see how well the great Chris
an denominations can agree upon I
ne fundamentals Of their faith
lille minimizing the differences ;
-hich separate them. Each church 4
oes into the Conference without
ssuming obligations OF any kind. ,