Evening star., 1936-11-26
DIR. JONES URGES
UNITED CHURCH
Mission Speaker Makes Plea
Before 5000 in Stir.
ring Close.

the National Preaching Mission was
brought to a stirring close last night
in a great double mass meeting in
Constitution and Continental Halls.
A total of nearly 5000 persons
gathered with the mission leaders in
the two meeting places to hear the
final messages of DR.. E. Stanley Jones,
world-renowned missionary and evan
gelist, and Miss Muriel Lester, noted
social worker and religious leader of
London, England. Every seat in Con-
tinental Hall was filled. Only few
seats were unoccupied in Constitution
Hall.
Urges Union Of Churches.
A fervent plea for the union of all
Protestant churches in America, with
each denomination being branch
of that one church, was made by DR.
Jones. He spoke first in Continental
Hall. and then repeated his address
before the gathering in Constitution
Hall.
If Christians will "think like God
and refuse to accept traditional in
herited customs Just because they
we're good enough for the last genera.
ton, the strength and serenity thai
We crave is already ours" Miss Lester
declared in her address.
Asserting he believes the Christian
church is the most united body on
earth, 'if we only knew it," DR.
Jones. a dynamic and commanding
speaker, advocated that the churches
drop their labors in separate denomi-
nations and have one church-'the
Church of Christ in America
Each Denomination a Branch.
"Under this plan. We would have
many branches-the Presbyterian
branch of the Church of Christ ir
America, and so on. There are two
ways in which these United States
might have been united. They might
have wiped out State lines and State
names and ruled everything from
Washington, but they never woulc
have achieved union in that way
Instead they decided to give Local
self-government within the States
and bound them together in a CEN
trail Union.
I'VE propose the same thing in re-
gard to our churches. Let each
branch have any particular self-gov-
ernment it wants in that branch, but
let it not impose any particular gov
ernment on the rest as the price OF
unity. There is nothing so deeply or
desperately needed today.
There will be pooling of emphasis,
and out of it all will come a larger
expression of Christianity which will
more closely approximate the king
dom Of God. Each nation could have
. local expression Of the united church
for instance, the Church of Christ
In Britain or the Church of Christ
in China and this united church of
the world would speak with modern
authority upon the great questions OF
the day.
THE world is heading straight to-
ward another war. A fatalism has
come over the Christian will; it feels
It can do nothing to stop these forces
leading to another struggle. But a
united Christendom could. We could
give mandate to the nations of the
earth thai we are through with this
business called war.
Allegiance Divided.
"It Is a clouded period Of human
history, and these clouds are not here
by accident, but as a result of a di-
vided allegiance on the part of hu-
manity. Why is there a cloud over
our international life? Because we
have not decided what we shall obey,
the modern state or Christ. Both of
them are totalitarian and absolute;
both demand complete obedience
and one or the other must give way.
THE modern state is demanding
that it be supreme and everything
must build to that supremacy. AS
consequence the Christian conscience
Is being subjected 10 the viewpoint Of
the modern state. The question is:
Is the Lord God God or is the modern
state God? There is only one answer;
our final allegiance is due God. The
state gets its authority only from God
and can fulfill its destiny only when
It functions in terms of the kingdom
Of God in the affairs Of men.
There is cloud over our race
relationships, and again the reason
Is divided allegiance. Certain races
consider themselves superior, and this
Is the basis Of racial clashes. The
Kingdom of God looks on man as
man apart from race and birth and
color. Are we to give up this heritage
for a mess Of racial pottage? If the
Christian church does so, then it Is
doomed. Out Of the cloud comes a
voice which says, This is my son, hear
Him. and until we obey those words
Of God, this cloud will not lift"
Invitation Given.
After his address, DR.. Jones asked
those who wished ito accept Christ as
Lord and Savior or to rededicate
their lives to Him." to signify their
desire on cards distributed by the
usherS.
In calling upon her listeners to
"think like God" Miss Lester said:
"Let us inquire if the traditional in
herited customs are in line with
the thought of God. Let us give our
selves enough time to have leisurely
prayer every morning before we be-
come engroSsed by our over filled
program and businesses.
"As Gods gifts of advantage, wis
dom and imagination are showered
upon us generously as his material
gifts If we will keep quiet in the
presence Of God, learning to think like
Him, the strength and serenity that
we crave Is already ours.
ut isn't really your job to decide
whether or not you can think like
God. God expects you to do it, and
he knows you better than you know
yourself. Do you know how Bach
or Beethoven thought, those of you
who listen to their glorious harmonies?
You have some clear idea Of how these
two masters thought.
"And so you can find out quite
lot about Gods way Of thinking
thro,1oh vhat hA bas rraofad Nnd