Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-03-11
Presbytery Defers
Varying TO State on
Invading Religion

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The Washington City Presby-
terry will act next month on
statement warning the estate or
its agencies" against overstep-
ping its bounds with respect to
religion.
Although Chairman Velde of
the House Un- American Activities
Committee was not mentioned in
the statement it grew out of a
remark he made Monday during
a radio broadcast that his COM
mittee might search for Com
munists among the Nations
clergy.
Mr.. Velde yesterday said his
comments had been "misinter-
preted."
The PreSbytery yesterday at
its monthly meeting in Chevy
Chase Presbyterian Church, post
poned action because the state
ment did not reach the floor
until half an hour before the
meeting was to adjourn for a
scheduled dinner.
DR.. J. Hillman HolliSter, min
lister of Chevy Chase Church,
told the gathering, Let us take
it up at the next meeting. We
are not backing away from it.
When we hit it, we want to hit
1t hard and with facts on hand.
I don't think we have all the
facts now"
Statement Revised.
The statement, a revised ver-
sion of the one originally sub
mitted by the PreSbytery's Social
Education and Action Commit
tee, said:
THE PreSbytery of Washington
City reassertS the historic doc
trine that God is the sovereign
Lord and Ruler of all life. The
church, when faithful to its Lord,
is the medium of the voice of
God. and stands in judgment
upon the state in all its functions
and is not to be Judged by the
state or its agencies.
The PreSbytery points out
that when the state arrogateS to
itself the authority of deity. it
forsakes the God of history Who
is above and beyond the state.
I'VE call attention to the his
torically attested fact that abSo-
lutte governments usually begin
by an attempted control of re-
lgiouS persons and organizations
which in the ends leads to po-
litical control of conscience.
"Presbytery makes known that
its clergy gladly accept the privi-
legeS and responsibilities of cit
izenship. AS individual citizens,
but not as a vocational class,
they readily cooperate with
every effort to strengthen ma
terial foundations. steadfastly
maintaining the church's basic
conviction that God alone is the
Lord of the conscience.
A brief but sharp debate pre-
coded the vote to table the state
ment until next month.
The Rev. Keith T. Postle-
thWaite of Westminster Presby-
terrain Church told the gather
ing, There is no thought of
investigating ministers as to
what they preach or believe.
hope some of the ministers will
attend some of the sessions of
some of those investigating COM
mittees. These men are sincere
ly. honestly and dispassionately
going into this thing.
1T is the Reds who are raising
a howl about these inveStiga-
tlons. If minister of the gospel
is in line with that group and
advocates overthrow of the
American Government, he should
be investigated"
An argument that the state
ment was premature drew
sharp rejoinder from the Rev.
Russell C. Stroup of Georgetown
Presbyterian Church.
Sees Stand as Late.
MY objection is not that the
motion is premature but that it
is too long delayed" he said.
The church should have stated
its historic position long before
this. This is all the motion does.
1t refers to no person or COM
mittee."
Announcement that a new
Presbyterian church in Silver
Spring, Md. will be organized
was made at the meeting. A
committee to organize formally
the congregation at 10 am.
March 20 in Eastern Suburban
Junior High School was named
by the Rev. James F. Lundquist,
Presbytery moderator.
The new group of 70 members
has been meeting for year in
the high school under the leader
ship of DR.. Bernard Braskamp.
House chaplain. The congrega-
ton expects to have a site for
erecting a church in the near
future.
This will bring the number of
Presbytery churches to 46, the
Rev. Ralph K. Merker, stated
clerk, announced.