The Omaha guide., 1935-09-07
The Negro In The
Methodist Church

branches of the Methodist Fpiscopal
Church has outlined its report to be
submitted to te next quadrinnial ses-
sions Of the several General Confer
ences. 1t is noticeable that onlv three
Of the six branches of the Methodist
Episcopal Church were included IN
the overtures Of the union. The three
colored branches, the A. M. Z. z.
Church, the A. M. E. Church and the
Z. M E. Church were not included.
The evident purpose is to unite white
Methodism while leaving the colored
brother outside Of the ennobling
bond Of the union The Negro mem
bership in the Methodist Episcopal
Church North has always occupied
an equivocal poston. They form a
group which $ enthusiastically essiml-
lated but socially segregated. They
are the only Negro group which gave
the consolidators any concern. How
~decently to dispose Of this colored
contingent has been bothering the
mind Of Methodist craftsmanship for
forty years. l remember reading a
book some forty years ago by Bishop
Foster, who, at that early day, for
saw that the setting aside Of the
colored membership would be inevi-
table. The committee has consolidate
ed the three white Methodist church
CD by dividing them into five region
al conferences based roughly upon
the geographical divisions Of the
United States according to the cen
sus. But they have set up a Con
ference composed Of Negro member
ship that covers the area of the
United States. This Conference, for
some reasons neither ecclesiastical
nor geographical, the call the Cen
tral Conference. 1t seems that thew
use this term to get around a racial
designation. 1t is somewhat curious
that the cOlored membership OF the
M. e church tries to dodge racial
designation when the three indeuen-
dent Negro Methodist churches in
clude the terms African or colored In
their organization. Thus we have the
African Methodist Episcopal church.
the African Methodist Episcopal Z.on
church and the Colored Methodist
Episcopal church. You cannct dodge
segregation BY a name or get rid Of
%jimcrowism by circumlocutiorary
phrases. The o~ff-colored brother is
still in the woodpile, albeit. he NAV
be covered with a thin layer Of chips.
1t is the uneasy conscience which
causes men to deviate from plain,
straightforward speech:
"Nor florid prose nor honeyed lies
Of rhyme
Can blazon evil deeds or c-onsecrate
2 crime.
The colored members Of the NJ. e.
church for more than a generation
have been FESTIVE under two conflict
ing feelings. On the one hand. thew
hope for complete unity with the
whites on the basis of Christian
brotherhood. on the other, they yearn
for ecclesiastical setf-pxpression.
They were often tainted by the indie
pendent Negro Denominations for
permitting themselves to become &C.
clesastical slaves in the ahouse Of
bondage" Of their Episcopal over
lords. no soothe their chatting spirit
and appease their reasonable aspira-
tions the Consolidating Committee
provided that the Central Conference
should have proportionate Episcopal
and clerical presentation in the Sup
er-Gereral Conference which was to
have final authority over the six re-
gional Conferences. But the Negro
membership which now constitutes
one-ffteenth Of the NJ. E. Church Of
the North would only then constitute
0ne-thirtieth Of Consolidated Method
ism Thier representation at the Gen
eral Conference would therefore. be
rather tituJar and technical, without
any Particular influence or effect up
on the general management Of the
Church.
We live in a practical age. Priest
craft throughout the ages has been
characterized with the same sort Of
guile which has stigmatized polite
al craftsmanship. The absolute is the
goal Of the odealist; the attainable
is the goal Of the practical exegenci-
es- The Consolidating Committee was
doubtless charged with the task Of
formulating the most feasible plan OF
union They doubtless felt that they
had hit upon the best scheme which
stood any chance of adoption. The
very nature Of their appointment re-
quired them to compromise with race
prejudice rather than to offer it bat
tie to death We all know that race
prejudice is as persistent and stub
born a factor which colors and com
pphcates all of our political, econom-
ic, social and religious procedure. The
Ten Commandments, the Golden
P-ln The G..