Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-07-12
OLD-TINE RELIGION
n EST, 81 SRI; IS s ~. $50,
WHERE is Professionalism GOING?
BY BISHOP w. A. {


r TNDER the caption above Mr.. Glenn
Frank publishes in the June number of
~ the Century an article which is inter-
esting, if not important.
He Is a writer of some insight and Of ex-
cellent style. However, he betrays next to
no knowledge of church history and nothing
at all of theology. Indeed he seems to hold
such knowledge in great depreciation, if not
in degree of contempt
He assumes to speak for the laymen of the
churches, although most of the intelligent
laymen in the Protestant churches would not
agree with half he says. This, however, is
a common, if not altogether candid, device
which certain class of writer's employ to
strengthen their position by invoking the
support of an invisible and ina ginary con-
stituency.
In the course of his article Mr.. Frank
confesses his utter inability to answer his
own question He says: II do not know
where Professionalism is going. Nobody
knows
1t is quite clear that he does not know
where Professionalism is going; for on the
premises which he assumes he could not give
a reasonable account of whence it came or
whittier it is going. He misa pprehends it's
past, and hence cannot forecast it's future.
But it does not follow that nobody knows
because he does not. There are others who
are more knowing than is he, and who,
ANXIOUS
about the matter.
Mr.. Frank regards Professionalism as "a
medley Of religious movements and "a tan
gled mass of tendencies that differ as day
differs from night" This is to contradict the
history Of the past and not to write it,; and
it is also to misread and misrepresent the
facts of the present.
What seems to be the point of Mr.! Frank 6
criticism is that Professionalism is divided
into denominations who hold divergent ten
cts This he considers destructive of it's
unity.
Nevertheless upon this point he speaks in
opposition to his apparent position, fol-
lows.
But when I speak of the imperative need
for an increasing unity in Professionalism l
do not mean what is commonly called
church unity l mean a deeper unity of
spirit and purpose. l have thrown in these
observations on ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS as a sort
of aside. So many discussions of church
unity are couched solely in the political
terms of ecclesiastical compromise and in the
economic terms of the elimination of the
waste of competing church plants! Frankly,
l do not see that any great spiritual gain is
likely to come as the result of a church
unity that is broISh hit about by the same
sort of arguments that effect mergers of
steel plants and cotton mills. Professionalism
needs unity that will come as the result of
a new vision of itself and it's purpose, as the
result or new spiritual and intellectual
awakening"
He does not seem to know that the kind
of unity which in this para raph he describes
and commends Professionalism already has
and has had from the beginning. The
Lutheran and other RefornerS on the Eu-
ropean continent were not members of the
same ecclesiastical bodies as those to which
the Reformers in the British Isles belonged
but they were one in spiritual life and pur-
pose and intellectual awakenng." And so
Professionalism has continued unto this good
day, the great Protestant churches cooper
ating with the finest spirit of brotherliness
in many notable interdenominational efforts
and enterprises.
Mr.. Frank suggests that Professionalism In
order to achieve the singular unity which he
seems to desire without being able to define
clearly, must go back Ito Jerusalem" what
ever that may mean.
Upon this mysterious point he says:
For instance, the average Protestant lay
man has not made profound or detailed
study of the Roman, the Greek, and the He
brew elements in contemporary Christianity
When he asks whether Professionalism should
return to Rome, to Athens, or to Jerusalem
he doubtless over-simplifies the problem To
him think Rome represents simply the ten
dency toward vast and authoritative organ
izat1on that standardizes belief and save in
the of the exceptional mystic or saint