Evening star., 1938-02-27

BY THOMAS r. HENRY.
C1GHTSEERS in Washington's model
suburban town of Greenbelt may
- have noted that not single church
steeple gives a religious coloring to
the ultra-modern scene.
1t was planned that way
BY the very nature of the enterprise,
Greenbelt had to start life as churchless
city. 1t was not that the planners proposed
to leave the citizens without the benefits
and consultations of religion, if they de-
sired them. But this was one problem
which the people would have to solve
for themselves. Mans adjustments to
man, it may be, can be planned. Most
obviously, mans adjustments to the Unseen
cannot be planned.
Greenbelt, a Government Resettlement
project, Of course, is quite different from
most new towns. Generally town grows
up around a population, undergoing a
course of evolution to fit expanding and
changing elements of this population.
Historically. the church has usually been
among the first buildings erected in Amer
ican communities. In this case the town
was built first and then the population
selected to fit It, And of all the brick and
stone habiliments Of citizenry, the church
is the hardest to fit.
Experiment at Greenbelt.
This has led to an interesting experiment
at Greenbelt now being supervised by the
Washington Federation of Churches which
may be significant in American religious
history. It consists in the effort to build,
from the bottom up and without any pre-
conceived prejudices, real community
church in which the followers of large
number OF Christian bodies can worship
together and listen to the same preaching
at thez!Same time retaining, If they wish,
the pAfkcular views OF their own denomi-
nations s@
In the selected citizenry Of Greenbelt
there are persons of all sorts of religious
views. There are Jews. Catholics, Protes-
tants. agnostics NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
The f1rst two groups, Of course, must
be left out Of consideration in any plans
for united church. The doctrinal differ
ences which separate them from the others
are too great to be bridged. They must
SoA'S VIVA o"A Pio1iCA CitllCI NY GStdU.
fishing churches of their own or attending
those of their faiths in Washington or
nearby Maryland towns. Fortunately,
Greenbelt is not far away from churches
of all creeds There remains the central
group comprising people of some IL de-
nominations, in Greenbelt They repre-
sent considerable diversity in doctrine, but
here these differences are not stressed;
instead the new organization when fully
set up will include persons allied with
any Protestant communion, membership
being either regular or affiliated.
Many Denominations.
This large group, comprising approxi-
mately three-fourths the population of
Greenbelt, includes the well-known de-
nominations, such as the Methodists, Pres
byterians, Baptists, Disciples of Christ, Lu-
therans, United Brethren, Episcopalians,
Congregationalists and some Others These
differ somewhat in doctrine They differ
even more in their ideas of church govern
ment-whether a church shall be governed
by bishop. a conference, a presbytery or
by the congregation itself These differ
ences over ecclesiastical structure, as much
as differences over theological doctrine, are
responsible for their being separated in
the first place and tend to keep them
apart in ordinary localities
Are these historical differences both
ecclesiastical and doctrinal, sufficiently
great and permanent to keep them apart
In spirit Of competition in a new CO.
operative community? This is the question
to which Greenbelt is making it's own an
sWer. with the Washington Federation Of
Churches working earnestly to help. 1t is
not OF course, altogether a new departure.
There have been federated Protestant
churches for almost half century, which
have been more or less successful, but they
have been products of different circum-
stances-adaptation to existing conditions
rather than results Of new condition.
Many OF the differences arose when the
church" had a greater multiplicity OF
functlons-and hence greater opportunities
Tor disagreement|thana at present. 1t had,
first of all, the grave responsibility of
guiding ones relations with the supernatu-
ral-frequently interpreted as getting its
followers safely into Heaven. It had the
equally grave responsibility Of maintaining
and elevating ethical standards, both in
dividual and social.
Church Was Social Nucleus.
In addition, the church, in the days
before moving pictures and neighborhood
clubs, served as the nucleus of the social
life of the community especially in rural
areas. It was the place where boy met
girl It was the place where neighbors
gathered to gossip. 1t was often the news
paper" Any one studying the history Of
colonial New England must depend for
much information just as the people at the
time depended, on collections Of sermons
It was the theater-the weekly sermon pro-
vidine about the only entertainment and
intellectual stimulus Of the week to thou
sands.
Il had another function. rather difhcult
to classify. This was the provision Of
means by which, not necessarily with any
consideration for good or evil or reward
or pssuishment the individual might rise