The Wilmington morning star., 1947-03-02
News Of The
World Of Religion
BY w. w. REID

BY w. w. REID
According to Bishop J. Waskom
Pickett, Of the Methodist church in
India, fifty-one new churches were
organized by Methodist societies in
the Delhi area alone during the
year 1916, while 1876 new ''preach.
ing points" we're established. Dur
ing the same period, 8,719 persons
received into the Methodist
churches by confession of faith"
while 2,108 others we're received by
transfer.
When Rene Ryter, we1-known
Presbyterian agricultural mission
airy in Metet, Cameroons, West
Africa, spoke recently to students
at West Virginia University on the
need to feed mems bodies before
we can minister adequately to their
SOULS" he struck a responsive
chord. The students are now raising
$3.50 to send a registered Brown
Swiss bull to Metet Mission Sta
ton where Mr.. Ryter has an excel
lent dairy. The college slogan in
raising this gift is Don't shoot the
bull: send HIM"
The National Council of the Prot
estant Episcopal church points to
the Rev. Villain S. Lea, parish
priest of Maryville, Tenn, as one
of its busiest rectors. Mr.. Lea
teaches sociology at Maryville col
lege, is city editor of the local
daily newspaper, and has a two
point charge at Maryville and at
Gatlinburg. The latter started from
scratch and now boasts a church
school of fifty-nine pupils.
According to DR.. Stanley I. Stu
Der, of the Northern Baptist Con-
vention, the church people of Amer
lea should ''rejoice in the accom-
plishments of the UN General AS
sembly" and give active support
to these UN agreements: disarma.
meat and the control of ATOMIC en-.
ergy, recall of ambassadors from
Spain. establishment of Internatiou'
al Refugee Organization, creation
of the Trusteeship Council. calling
of the Conference of Freedom Of
Information, and the resolution de-
claring mass determination of ra.
cial groups an international crime.
"No race can afford to keep an
other race down, because the prog
ress of humanity depends upon
every race developing those quail.
tiles and possibilities which Coo
has given it," says Professor Rol.
lin H. Walker. Of Delaware, Ohio.
THE whites need all the Doctor
Carvers the blacks can develop
A plea for a cooperative Protes-
tantism, bigger than denominations
and organized to serve the neglect.
ed rural areas of America. is made
by Pro-. Charles NJ. Mcconnell
rural authority of Boston Univer-
sity School of Theology. He charges
that UNCONVENTIONAL Professionalism
has "side-stepped, ignored, and ali
but scorned the marginal rural sec.
tons of this country. Tumble.
down shack churches, dog-eared
song books, abandoned churches,
scant religious educational iitera.
ture, and an almost total absence
of theological seminary graduates
in these undersigned fields furnish
proof of this neglect all along the
line sometimes including neglect
by mission boards. The harvest OF
this failure is widespread rural
paganism."
ttThe expenditure Of an estimated
$3.50, 900, 900 on new church build
ings in the United States will not
cause a ripple of comment in the
non-Christian world of Asia, Africa
the islands Of the sea and else
where, nor will the adding of thous-
ands of new members to the ros-
tiers Of the additionally pro-
srammed churches Of our country"
says DR.. Ralph E. Diffendorfer,
01Ctlloolob 4llloolOl1olJ SASSot1"S
Treat the Mexican fairly, and
Christianity WILDE proclaimed in
Latin America. Clear our American
Indian record, and East Indians
will take notice of democracy and
Christianity. Abolish lynching, not
by law, but by effectively acknowl-
edging the Negroes right to respect
and decent citizenship, and not only
Africa but all the non-white world
will rise up and call the church
blessed"
America cannot achieve the "bet.
ter world'' of her hopes while the
divorce rate is from 30 per cent
to so per cent of marriages, be.
lieves the Rev. Thomas F. Maher
of St. Patrick's Cathedral, New
York City. mo nation can long
hope to remain vigorous and
healthy when Christian values arc
so low among her citizens" says
Father Maher. "For broken mar
riages bespeak of mad Individual
ism where men seek only pleasure
and forget their responsibilities. .
1t would be a serious blunder TO
insist only upon economic and poll
teal reforms to achieve a restora-
ton of Christian values in national
and international society. without
starting on the basic renovation O.
family life. Otherwise it would be
to attempt to build a lasting struc.