Evening star., 1939-04-27

VI VVU DClIIoIIUCu
Episcopal Congress
Also Hears Call
For Greater Courage
BY JAMES WALDO FAWCETT.
Revitalized preaching of the Cos
pei as the self-revelation of God
was the demand of a long list of
speakers before the First Triennial
Church Congress at Washington Ca
thedral yesterday.
The need for new approach to
the whole problem of scriptural
teaching was expressed by the Rev.
DR.. Frederick C. Grant, professor
OF biblical theology, Union Theo-
logical Seminary, New York. in a
paper read before the morning ses-
sion. rs it not true" he asked,
that large part of modern man S
predicament arises directly from his
lack OF sense of any plan or even
purpose of God for the world in
which he lives? Has he not been
told, for 80 years now, at least,
that nature is in the grip of me-
chanical law and even its aberra-
tlons and novelties are subject to that
law, that human history is equally
the field of mechanical forces which
no man or nation can hope to con-
troll or to evade but must simply
accept; that God has not spoken,
in fact that this silent God may
indeed not even exist. save as the
shadowy projection of mans own
inner urges and hungers-the in
fantlle complex of emotions still
running riot in adult life?
Heedlessness Brings Chaos.
Here is where the Gospel comes
squarely across the path of modern
thinking. God has spoken. God has
acted. God has revealed Himself
and His purposes . The sin and
suffering and blind folly of the
world come straight from its refusal
to recognize the will of God and to
live accordingly"
The duty of the forces of religion
is not to compromise with prevail
ing sins, the Rev. DR.. Henry Sloane
Coffin, president of Union Theo-
logical Seminary, told the afternoon
meeting.
Warning that I'VE must not place
the church before the work it is
dedicated to do in the world the
Rev. DR.. John Moore Walker of At
lanta declared: 1T is a dangerous
ldolatry to look upon religion itself
as an end and not means. The
church is indispensable, but it is an
instrument and not final objective.
We must see the Gospel as an act of
God and Christ as an act of God.
and our business is to preach the
Word and Christ's mission accord
ingly."
The Right Rev. James E. Free
man, Bishop of Washington, urged
the imperative of the Gospel" and
the application of Christ" to con-
temporary problems and paid
tribute to Dwight L. Moody, the
evangelist, as preacher of "the
living power of God" Here in
Washington he explained, I'VE
have discovered that diagnosis
alone is of little worth. unless we
can cure the ills we denounce.
Greater Courage Advised.
A need for greater courage was
the theme of the Rev. DR.. Charles
w. Lowry, professor of systematic
divinity. Alexandria Theological
Seminary.
Other speakers included the Rev.
DR.. Leicester C. Lewis, Philadelphia;
the Rev. Father Granville M. Will
liams, New York; the Rev. Thomas
F.. Opie, Olney, Md, and c. x.
Woodbridge, New York.
Among members of the congress
registered during the day were the
Rev. William Brewster, Waterbury,
Conn; the Rev. Nelson M. Bur-
roughs, Troy, N. Y; the Rev. Dom
aid j. Campbell, Providence, r. l.;
the Rev. Thomas N. Carruthers,
Nashville, Tenn; the Rev. Wood
B. Carper, jr., Fletcher, N. c.; the
Rev. Guy D. Christian, South Glas-
tonbury. Conn; the Rev. Thomas
S. Clarkson, Minden, La; the Rev.
Frederick w. Cooper, Adams, Mass;
the Rev. Raymond Cunningham.
Hartford, Conn; the Rev. Conrad
Gesner, st. Paul, Mimi; the Rev.
Cyril Goodier, Sturgeon Falls,
Canada; the Very Rev. Walter H.
Gray, Hartford; the Rev. Frederick
w. Hates, New Haven; the Rev. Cor
don Matthews, Detroit; the Rev.
John P. Moulton, Milford, Mass; the
Rev. Remsen B. Ogilby, Hartford;
the Rev. Ernest E. Piper, Detroit;
the Rev. E. M. Robinson, Newcastle,
Me-; the Very Rev. P. H. Sloan,
Petersburg, Va; the Rev. John c.
Turner, Birmingham, Ala; the
Rev. John C. Ward, Erie, Pa; the
Rev. Matthew M. Warren, Macon,
Ga; the Rev. Kirby Webster, Clin-
ton, Mass; the Rev. Benedict Will
liams. Toledo, Ohio; the Rev. AL
bert M. Wilson, Greenwich, Conn,
and the Rev. E. Pinkney Wroth,
Warren, Pa.
The congress program twiu con-
tinue throughout today with .
banquet at the Wardman Park
Hotel this evening,