Evening star., 1953-10-29
Greater Church Role
In World Affairs Is
Urged at Conference
By Cospor Nonnes
Stof Stoff Correspondenf

NhG v GAfa1ND, wv. G0.-- IlC
community church has failed in
it's job of providing members
with information regarding in
ternational affairs, Congrega-
tional Church leader today told
the fourth National Study Con-
ference on the Churches and
World Order.
For those who are most
deeply concerned for Christian
action in international affairs,
the frontier is the local church."
said the Rev. Herman F. Reissig
of New York, international re-
lations secretary of the Congre-
gational Council for Social
Action.
"It is pathetic. even tragic.
to observe how much earnestness
and desire to be helpful goes to
waste because our people do not
know how or where to take hold.
The absence of even elemental
educational arrangements in the
local church reduces much of
this earneStnesS to Ineffective
sentiment" he said.
Reason for Weakness.
"Why is the local church so
weak at this point? Partly, it is
the consequence of a poor the
ology which creates the impress
sion that a discussion prayer is
indubitably Christian but an
examination of foreign trade is
not quite religious. Much of our
Christian teaching is almost
Buddhist in its suggestion that
the farther you get away from
the everyday world the nearer
you are to the divine"
A suggestion by a Canadian
delegate that Red China be ad-
mitted to the United Nations was
overwhelmingly rejected by the
division in which the question
was raised yesterday.
The Rev. James r. Mutchmer
of Toronto, told the group that
membership in the United Ma
tionS should be universal. To
leave 400 million Chinese out of
the picture is unwise and un-
realistic. These people have a
right to have their chosen rep
resentatives in the U. NJ"
DR.. John Smith of New York,
answered that while such action
might have been wise at one
time, to take the step now would
be regarded in the Far East "as
succumbing to military power"
ELDER Statesmen" Proposed.
Others declared Red China
had disqualified itself from join
ing the United Nations since it
has been waging war against the
organization.
Creation of a permanent COM
mittee of "elder statesmen" to
advise the President and Con-
gress on foreign policies of the
Government was advanced yes
terday by Charles j. Ewald,
executive director of the Cleve-
land World Trade Association.
Two Quaker delegates pre-
Sented their denomination
points of view on disarmament
yesterday.
E. Raymond Wilson of Wash
ington told the group war is
contrary to the mind Of Chris
tians and therefore it is the job
of the churches to help elm
mate it.
Military action cannot en-
force achievement of the goal"
he asserted. There is the task
of moving from a world relying
on military action for enforce
ment to enforcement through
the pressures of law and govern
ment. We must transfer from a
world of armed states and al
liances with the United Nations
to disarmed world with ade-
quate inspection and controls and
from a world economy to a peace
economy. Political settlements
must replace the battlefield"
The Rev. Ray Newton Of
Philadelphia declared, THE only
security for the United States
and the world is to get rid Of
our armament, since ornaments
have not insured safety. Our
aim should be for complete dis
armament throughout the
world"
Moral commitments "do not
mean a thing when the chips
are down." Prof. Alfred j. Hotz
of Western Reserve University
charged yesterday. 1T is political
considerations that count"
THE real reason we went into
the Korean war" he continued,
was to defend Japan, which was
in the sphere Of United States
interest. Southern Korea was
necessary to the defense of
Japan and we we're morally and
politically obligated to defend
her. This was in our national