Evening star., 1953-07-06
4 Leading Ministers
Blast Mccarthy Aide
For Attack on Clergy

J. B. Matthews. who was
recently appointed staff director
Of his investigating subcommit-
tee by Senator Mccarthy, Re-
publican. Of Wisconsin. was
criticized by four prominent
Washington clergymen yesterday.
Local ministers attacking Mr..
Matthews for an article he wrote
in this months American Mer-
curry on Reds and Our
Churches" were DR.. Albert P.
Shirley Of Mount Vernon Place
Methodist Church, DR.. Edward
Hughes Pruden of First Baptist
Church. the Rev. Robert S. Tren-
bath Of st. Adams Episcopal
Church, and the Rev. John
Farmer Gates of First Baptist
Church. Bethesda. Md.
Mr.. Matthews is a former
Methodist missionary.
DR.. Shirley warned his con-
gregation that Mr.. Matthew'S
assertion in his article that 1000
ministers we're supporting Com
munist forces here was a smear
tactic foreShadoWing police state
methods.
FOrSeeS Police State.
IT am going to make a prohecy
-. that the Government of the
United States will come to grips
with the investigating commit
tee or we shall have a police
state in America. That is what
! believe we are in for. The
nose of the camel is already
under the tent. It would not
surprise me If we see in the
headlines some day that the
committee is investigating the
President of the United States"
The Methodist minister also
warned that book burnings"
were only preliminary steps to
burning the authors of books.
I'VE do not kill an idea when
we have burned the books.
Whenever you start a bonfire
under books you do not end
there-not until you have built
bonfireS under men,"
DR.. Pruden declared Using
patriotism as a club with which
to beat ones opponents into
submission is an old game and
some men in public life today are
still trying to play it.
Prophets, Jesus Also Targets.
II am not surprised that GER
tain figures in the political lime
light today accuse hundreds OF
ministers in Protestant pulpits
of being dangerous to the well
fare Of the Nation" DR.. Pruden
said. This same charge was
brought against the Hebrew
prophets and against Jesus.
when they cried out against
the exploiters of the poor, the
hypocrisy of the outwardly re-
ligious, and the thinly veiled |
plots of political opportunists,
they were instantly labeled as
traitors and their liquidation
was demanded. We of the Prot
estant pulpit will continue to ex-
pose evil wherever we see it,"
Mr.. Trenbath. speaking on the |
Relation of Church and State"
declared the churches have risen
''in righteous Indignation over
recent congressional committee
attacks because of the danger
involved to the church and hence
to democracy"
Had Enough Of Smears.
Calling Mr.. Matthews "an ir-
responsible aide of a subcom-
mittee," the minister asserted
I'VE have had enough of ire
Sponsible smears, general broad
sides, Of insinuations and reck-
less charges unsupported by
facts and figures-and the
church is right in resisting them
with every ounce of its strength"
Mr.. Gates saw in the magazine
article a foreshadowing of the
rise of Hitlerism in the United
States.
when we read the history Of
the rise of Hitler, of the methods
he used and his tieup with pow
erful interests, he seems very
much like certain strong men
who are coming upon the politi-
cal scene in America, who have
similar tieups and are now using
his methods