Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-05-27

Bishop Warren A. Gambler does
not favor the proposed plan OF
unification" between the Northern
and Southern Methodist churches.
He regards it as dangerous and
hurtful to both.
He says Bishop Nicely, Of the
Northern church. also strongly con-
dennis it.
To q representative of The Jour
nal, Bishop Gambler Saturday gave
| the interview which is found below.
''He said: 81 am just leaving for
La Grange, where, on tomorrow, l
have engaged to preach the com
mencement sermon for the La
Grange college; but I can give you
my views in a letter which [ sent
to leading minister on yesterday,
in response to a request from him
that I give him my opinion of the
plan.
'"In that letter / said:
I'm my. judgment the proposed
Plan of Unification' is unwise and
dangerous: and l believe it would
odism, if it were adopted, hurting
.
Church, South.
Advantage With North
ut is not strange that the gen.
eral conference of the Methodist
Episcopal church North adopted it
with such haste and unanimity. The
plan gives them so much adavan-
tage over our church that most nat
urally they leaped to seize the prize
| whit in
sight, apparently forgetting all other
considerations.
1T is not untrue or unkind to
say that the plan furthers the pol
icy of that church with reference to
the disintegration and absorption o.
our church, which a number of their
leaders have openly avowed and per-
sistently followed for over fifty years
L enclose n copy of the plan and
call attention to q few of its obvious
defects.
90 The letter of transmittal' in
which the joint commission lays it
before the respective general con-
ferences does not accord with the
history of the past nor with the
facts of the present. 1t is as fol-
lows:
We. the commissions on the uni
fication of the Methodist Episcopal
church and the Methodist Episcopal
church, South, holding that these
two churches are essentially one
church, one in origin, in belief, in
spirit, in purpose, and in policy, and
desiring that this essential unity
may be made actual in organization
and administration throughout the
world do hereby propose and trans
nit to our respective general con-
ferences the following plan of uni
tication and recommend its adoption
by the two churches by the pro-
cesses which they respectively re-
quire.'
1.-The two churches are not 'es-
sent1ally one church. as is thus aft
firmed
Diverged i'm Spirit
after living together, with much
strife and contention, from 1884 to
1S44-60 years-they have lived as
separate churches from 1914 to 1924
$50 years. They have lived apart
20 years longer than they lived to-
gether, and during these eighty years
OF separation they have constantly
diverged in both polity and spirit,
more and more every year
In the very paragraph quoted
from the letter of 'transmittar it is
shown that the two churches have
different processes for amending
their constitutions and enacting 9th
er legislation
"They separated in 1914 on a sharp
and irreconcilable difference concern
ing the poity of the church with ref
erence to the episcopacy.
Even the terms by which mem
Il
different in these two churches. Our
church asks of candidate for mem
bership nothing more than belief of
the doctrines contained in the Apos-
ties Greed, while the northern church
asks, DO you believe in the doctrines
of the Holy Scriptures as set forth
in the Articles of Religion of the
Methodist Episcopal church?'
''Now, l heartily believe in the Ar.
ticles of Religion, but / do not be
lieve any such condition of member.
ship should be imposed upon candi
dates for membership, including lit
tie children and uneducated people
who cannot truly say that they un
derstand all the Articles of Religion
much less believe tlem I believe
the imposition OF such a condition
upon candidates for membership is
unsCriptural, being more than Christ
himself requires.
Women Licensed in North
The northern church has licensed
women to preach for 8 number OF
years, and the general conference oil
1924 has enacted a law which pro
vides for the ordination of women tC
the orders of deaconssand elders. II
true that this general conference
efused TO pass q resolution admit
ing women to the itinerant ministry
out in this refusal they were incon
siStent with their action in providing
~ the ordination of women; for 8
'Ncal preacher can be used as a sur
ply in charge Of q passionate. In fact
here hay >>0 already some womer
NsSicned to pastoral work in the
Methodist Episcopal church (northl
This is contrary to the poity of the
Methodist Episcopal church. south.
most notable difference in pol
lty is found in the paragraphs o
their respective constitutions b.
which extra sessions of their genera
conferences are called
Long after their separation il
1914, both churches had on this poin
the same constitutional provision
made by the constitution making con
ference of 1908, and which was a
follows:
The general superintends, will
or by the advice Of all the annua
conferenccs-og il there he no gen
eral superintendents all the annua
conferences respectively-shall hay,