Evening star., 1928-10-25
Pastoral Letter of House of
Bishops Is Read at
Closing Session.
APPEAL MADE FOR END
OF FACTIONAL BREACHES
Laxity Admitted During Time Re-
vision of Prayer Book Has
Been Under Way.

WlCn solemn plea I0r "One FAMILY
Of God, one world, one church in the
| pastoral letter of the House Of Bishops
read in the Church of the Epiphany
this afternoon, the forty-ninth General
Convention of the Protestant Episcopal
Church came to an end.
The pastoral letter appealed partic-
ularly for unity within the Episcopal
Church itself, especially between the
Anglo-Catholic and extreme low church
elements, which have sponsored widely
different doctrinal positions during the
past few years.
Considerable laxity, it is claimed. has
crept into the church in recent wears
while the revision of the Book of Com
mon Prayer has been under way and
individual clergymen have gone to ex-
tremes in one direction or the other.
The prayer book revision was finally
completed and ratified at this conven-
tlon, tnuS lessening considerably the
ieeway for the different schools of
thought
Letter Calls for Halt.
The pastoral letter calls for a half
In the activities both of those Sub
merging established usage in alien rites
ana those who would depart from the
language OF the prayer book to express
Wnat rs merely the individuals wish
or opinion"
mo communion in Christendom," the
letter said, has in respect to unity q
more complex task than ours. Catholic
IN our unbroken continuity with the
Christian ages and in the fullness of
our Christian heritage, Protestant in
our participation in the great sixteenth
century movement of reformation and
freedom, we have in the good Proyi-
dence OF God succeeded during 400
years In holding together in some
fashion these two fundamental types
OF religious experience and expression.
But the extremes are far apart and
oIGen seem impossible to reconcile. The
tension is at times severe.
/ Here in America, as throughout the
wnole communion, there is TODAY a
sense OF strain. One group seeks 4
Iuller measure Of what it counts Catho-
| NC. Another Is sick at heart lest some
OF those preat values which we gained
at the reformation may be lost ore
prays hopefully for reunion with the
Cnurch OF Rome. The other seeks con-
tlnually closer relations with Protest.
In all this we would see the work
ing OF forces which are alive, the evi-
dence of the church,s attempt to meet
the continually new conditions of =
world that moves forward with terrify-
ing rapidity.
Great Truth Witnessed.
.h we see witnessed the great truth
tlaC CnrlStlanlty is not a narrow
One-sided section of life. but a Tiv;rs
creative force sweeping into hnnoan
history, selling upon human souls with
aLileaSuraole power, resiStless in its
grip upon every aspect of life. MAKING
paItlSanS as Wen as statesmen, prophets
as Well as priests. A church which
oIo not nave new movements contin-
uauy SURFING its depths, in which there
were no old hearts in despair and no
young neartS afiame with indignation
OF klndled by visions of the city of
God, would, we venture to believe he
oead church. If Catholic and Prot
eStant cannot find a way to live to-
| gether and to worship together the
faith vain" - - O"i
| The letter follows:
Inc christian Church Is a societv
70 which has been intrusted the preser.
VaCion and propagation of the Gospel
ana through which normally men find
SalVatlon % IN union with God But it
is more than that. The church is the
body of Christ and Christ is the renra-
sentative of all humanity. The church
his BODY, is indeed and ought to be in
TACT the prophecy of human destiny
IL Ioresnadows the right relations of
men TO God and one another. When
we speak of 1t as the family of God
we can rightly do so only in this pro-
pnetlc sense. 1t is the inner erollo of
tne great family Of all mankind, the
group which is conscious of the Sonship
| that belongs to all. Its function is not
10 draw men out from the human fam
ny put TO make that family conscious
of its real relation to God. The KinS-
dom for which the church works and
prays comes when men live like brothers
IN loving obedience to their Heavenly
Father.
Unity Called Goal.
| Civilization depends upon control
OF those divisive forces which prevent
a family life. Progress as the Christian
sees it is the overcoming of these same
olVlslve forces by the power of God J..
unity Is the goal. Love, brotherhood
| fellowship are only varying names for
the spiritual means and motive by which
men reach this goal. The Kingdom
OF God is the society In which the
d1v1sive forces are overcome and the
goal is reached.
IF the unity of society is the goal
OF mems striving, it is obvious that for
the church which foreshadows that goal
and has to lead society to II unity is
no subsidiary or chance ideal. It Is
essential. If the Kingdom Of God is to
come among men the unity of the
church must be won. The forces which
by setting men against one another
continually threaten society obviously
cannot be conquered by church which
has not conquered them itself. A, d.
vided church implies yet unconquered
world. Yes, admits 1t, accepts 1t. .
IN playing our part, then, as loyal
Christians and church people in the
great and moving drama of life, we
cannot escape the call to unity. One
family Of God, one world, one church.
BY example, by service, by prayer, we
must seek unity.
I'VE must begin with our own church.
No communion IN Christiandom has In
respect to unity a more complete task
than ours. Catholic In our unbroken
continuity with the Christian ages and
In the fullneSS of our Christian heri-
tage. Protestant In our participation in
the great sixteenth century movement
of reformation and freedom, we have
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