Evening star., 1932-02-21
MILLIONS ARE AFFECTED
BY CHURCH UNITY MOVE
Forming of Religious Groups Over Many
Years Gigantic Trend Costing Enor-
nous Sums and Sacrifice in World.

Council Of the Churches OF Christ 70
America, composed Of 81 p-oceseant de-
nominations (including two denomina-
tions as consultative bodies) The coun-
Gil was brought into being in 1908 and
has fostered the church federation
movement in cities and States. organ
lied united appeals. and INDUCED in
research. The Rev DR.. Samuel Nc
Crea Cavert, general secretary Of the
council. who is an able spokesman for
Christian unity. said in the last annual
report of the council:
III We leave out of account the di-
vision between Catholic and Protestant
there is hardly single denominational
group that today has any distinctive
point of view not widely accepted by
others, or any monopoly Of the values
which it originally emphasized Pres
ent-day Methodists gladly admit that
| Episcopalians are not devoid of a. con-
Germ for a first-hand experience OF reli-
gion as John Wesley appealed for. and
Congregationalistsd do not think of them
selves as the only group that has
genuine passion for freedom.
THE truth is that the major COM
munions today are conscious Of being
heirs Of the whole Christian heritage,
not a mere fraction of it. This is not
to deny that there are vital differences
in doctrines and outlook upon the work
and worship Of the church; the chief
differences however cut straight across
denominational lines so that nearly
every large group finds within itself
most of the emergencies which once
would have caused groupings into sepa-
rate denominations
mo group excepting the Roman
Catholicl is presumptuous enough to
assume that it holds a body of truth or
| experience that is complete and full
orbed apart from the truth and expert
ence of others No group that looks
out thoughtfully on life today can fail
to recognize that the things which are
of supreme concern to the world are
precisely the things which it holds in
common with others. All share to-
gether the one priceless possession in
comparison with which everything else
is peripheral and secondary. the per-
sonality Of Jesus Christ"
Advocates Fellowship Action.
What stands in the way. in addition
to sheer inertia and the deadening ef-
feet of long established arrangements"
he continues. lis a deep-Seated miSgiv-
ing that in union some rightful meas
ure of liberty or some treasured inheri-
tance might be lost. The strategy of the
situation. then demands that without
waiting for any formal merger there be
clear-cut plan which. while obviously
safeguarding freedom will secure now
the practical benefits of united action
and minister steadily to an enlarging
fellowship
Roughly speaking. it is true gen.
eraliZation to say that the Church had
unity at the expense of liberty for .
thousand years before the ReformatioN
| ond that fnv of I,K
Reformation, there was liberty at the
expense of unity. The acute problem
Of our day is to secure the right COM
blnatlon Of liberty and unity
From the effort TO do this in the
United States has resulted the Fed
eral Council of the Churches of Christ
in America. a federation of twenty
seven denominations, brought into be-
ing in 1908 by their own responsible
action and governed by the official
representatives named by those de-
nominations. It's central objective is to
secure the spirit of an inclusive fell.
lowship and the practice Of actually
working together in an ever enlargin9
number of tasks, while at the same
time preserving all the freedom and
the diversity Of our historic heritage.
style In Protestantism.
THE rise Of the Federal Council
meant that new stage IN Protestant
ism had been reached There came a
period of liberation. when a denomina-
tion felt that although it possessed a
vital truth, other bodies had vital
truths"
What has been achieved in the
United States toward unity? The an
swer is that more has been accom-
plished than most people realize.
notable instance of progress is the
United Lutheran Church. 1t is a result
Of merger Of three Lutheran bodies
in 1918. The National Lutheran Coun-
Gil of seven cooperating Lutheran
bodies has been formed The United
formed out of several divisions and per-
fected into one strong unit Other
Lutheran bodies (there were many in
this country because Of the many ma
tionalities representeO have moved
toward merger
The Evangelical Church represents
the union Of two denominations which,
though springing from the same source,
had been entirely apart.
OF longer standing is the merger of
/ the Free Baptist Churches with the
. Northern Baptist Convention.
! The most recent large merger was
) that Of the Congregational and Chris
tian Churches in 1881 with the con-
, troll vested in the National Council Of
, the Congregational and Christian
, Churches.
, Among the Methodist churches there
has been much activity. The merger
: of the Methodist Episcopal Church and
the Methodist Episcopal Church South
is distant. but negotiations have been
, proceeding through joint commissions on
, interdenominational relations. The Rev.
| Harry E. Woolever, secretary of the
commission. informed this writer that
much progress has been made for a
merger of the Methodist Protestant
. Church and the Methodist Episcopal
Church. Commissions of these two
groups will meet in Washington in
March to take up again the merger pro-
posal. and it is probable that plan will
be submitted to the general conventions
| of the churches this Summer.
Other Progress Reported.
. The commissions of the Methodist
. Episcopal Church and the Presbyterian
. Church of the United States of America
are also making progress. Mr.. Woolever
reported.
, In quite another quarter union OF
the Presbyterian Church of the United
. States of America and the United Pres
byterian Church of North America
seems to be certain in the near future.
! A proposed plan of union was an
nounced on January 9, and consumma-
i ton of the union is expected in 1884
, after formalities have been negotiated
! The name of the new church will b
, the Presbyterian Church of America
, Unitarian a7d Universalist commits
: sions have been meeting at intervals to
: discuss organic union or closer rela-
) tions. with feeling being that organic
t union Of these two liberal groups Is
: more or less inevitable. A recent meet
' ing was held in Providence and another
meeting will be held soon. time and
/ place to be announced. The Rev. DR.
S John Rowland Lathrop of Brooklyn, q
D leading Unitarian minister is one OF
h. olo &c. L. a4