The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-05-10

AZ V UOyI IT, 4ENNASA oVuVSAp used to accompany my father, Q Lutheran pastor, when he travelled by horse and buggy from church to church, visiting his four scattered parishes along the Blue Mountains of Pennsylvania. Today cover by automobile most of the territory of the United synod of New York in New York state, New England and northern New Jersey. Occasionally 1 use the airplane, as am doing this summer on my South Aneri- can tour.
 "These three methods of travel horse and buggy, automobile, air- plane, not forgetting the railroad train, which has existed alongside all three-represent three stages in church visitation aS I have known in my life. They are also typical of the gradual speedup that has en- tered Into church life"
 Church Policy of the Future
 Dr. Trexler said he was partlcu- larly glad to be using the airplane this summer-he has already used 1t when touring Europe-beceuse 1t Is in line with what he believes will increasingly become church policy.
 Prom the viewpoint of the Uni. ted states" he stated, South Amer- lea is the land of the future in trade and cultural relations: 1t is fitting that the church also should see her opportunity in this land of the future and should make use of that future method of travel, the airplane.
 No method of travel or conmun- ication is too modern for the church If scientists and engineers ever show us how to travel to Mars you may be sure that churchmen will soon be among the passengersl To- day the church equips automobiles as itinerant chapels; tomorrow sine will do the same with airplanes, manned by her own pastor pilots. But before that ideal Is realized churchmen will use existing com- rnercial airlines to the fullest ex. tent. Our spheres of Christian in- Huence will grow wider and we shall have to maintain contact with churches and missions by the best and swiftest methods Of transport known to man. Incidentally, we may be able to show that one of the most splendid inventions Of man can be used for spreading Christian good news instead of spreading des- tructlon."
 pr. Trexler pictured how the air. plane might be used to offset q na- tionalistic spirit that tends to ham, per the worldwide work of the church.
 Tn our foreign mission work we may find that air travel will become a virtual necessity" he pointed out. Tt is clear thata Japan will not be the only nation to insist that Christian churches must be run by nationals of the. countries where they are locataed. From the Chris. tan viewpoint t 1S desirable that mission churches should become self-supporting and should be staffed and maintained by native Chris- tiansalways provided that the link with Christians in other countries throughout the worldl is never broken. Hence even if the time should come when no American pastor were allowed to minister permanently in any land other than hils own he could still establish contact in foreign lands by long vis- itations, which would more and more be made by air.
 Will the Church Use Her
 own Planes?
 "In 6 worldwide religion ike Christianity there should be no ban on foreign" pastors because this is out of harmony with its uniyer- salty. The Christian attitude has never been better expressed than by St. Paul when he wrote, There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there Is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus" But if, despite this unalterable Christian attitude, . ban is imposed the church may minimize the bad effect Of the ban by working out an elab. crate system Of visitations. And in that system the airplane is certain to play an important part. Even- tuaiiy the church will man her own planes. Pastors run their own cars today, why should they not run their own planes tomorrow? Of course, they will.
 "so far as my air tour of South America is concerned, 1t Is merely a beginning. Also 1t will not be made entirely by air in that I am going by sea from New York to Santiago, Chile, by way of the Pan. anna Canal and the west coast Of South America. From Santiago I y oliver the Andes to Bueros Aires, center of the Argentine work; then on to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and to Georgetown, British GuiaTla--all the way by air. I also expect to fly home to the United States.
 we are dazzled by scientific achievements that have made the airplane possible, but we tend to overlook the fact that if men do not learn how to become Christian the only planes we shall know in the future will be bomberS. We shall degrade this glorious invention by devotingi iti ito destruction. It be. comes a Christian duty for the church to show that the airplane can be a vehicle for spreading the constructive forces of mankind, for building up mans cultural life, not tearing it down.
 The goodwill Clipper trip Of the Rev. pr. John Sutherland Bonnell. pastor of the Fifth Avenue Presby. terian Church in New York, to war; torn Britain is fine example of the constructive use to which air. craft can be put. I hope that my own trip to South America will also haye valtfe. Tn times of war we must