The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1954-10-30
High Points In Church Life
Free Personality in the Christian Church
Rev. Vernon E. Carter, Minister
of the First Congregational
Methodist Church of
Boston, Mass.

is the retiring professor of
the English Bible at Drew
| Theological Seminary, Madi-
son, New Jersey. Having had
the pleasure of studying under
this eminent scholar ! was
very fascinated by his unique
ability in paraphrasing New
Testament scriptures. DR..
Chanter is a scholar but not
necessarily one who is widely
| popular. He is a Methodist
minister who spent 81 years
as a professor at Wesleyan
University, 10 years as pro-
feSSor at Drew University, and
/ pastored three churches of
the Methodist faith in Massa-
chusetts. His knowledge of
Greek and the New Tesla
ment did much In contributing
to his free personality in
| Christianity. AS he retireS
from his work more time will
be spent on emphasizing the
| discipline of free personality
in Christianity which is great
ly needed to be understood
and more widely practiced. He
who has the general make up
and ability to exert this type
of personality will experience
three dangers: % the danger
of death, q the danger of
failure, and 90 the danger
OF rejection by those whom
we love and for whose good
We would give our lives. The
man who will not compromise
with the world faces these
dangers.
DR.. Chanter expresses at
the close of his professional
work that there is mo hope
for the faintheart". The man
or woman in the Christian
Church who can face these
dangers as a normal human
being and proceed to the work
of Kingdom building will find
that success will show an in
dispensable contribution to
Christendom, To the person
who really loves his God such
a contribution will be reward
ing enough.
The Garden of Eden road is
the popular road for many
Christian leaders and laymen.
Our churchmen must not be
clouded by the tight organiza-
tional policies when challeng-
ing issues are evident. Many
good men and women have
been clouded by the idea that
they do not wish to buck the
wheel or that they would not
take any steps to hurt their
organized denominations. They
confuse the real church with
denominations. You can des-
troy the denomination but
you can never destroy Gods
church. Have you ever thought
that it is possible that much
of the real progressive work
OF the Christian Church has
been hampered by denomina-
tional bigotry: Evil politics
and click maneuverings have
destroyed many good leaders
and laymen in the Church.
Many people who have free
personalities stand helpless to
the onslaught of various &C.
clesiastical demagogues be-
cause the mass of people fail
to assist or even to under
stand that the so-called little
man might be right. Reform
in the Church always came
from the bottom Of the Church
ladder not from the top. Those
at the top are too busy bask-
ing in the sunlight of the
status quo which could be a
very bad staturs quo. The ton
brass seldom desire change
Martin Luther was a humble
priest and school teacher and
ne set the world on fire with
reforms in the Christian
Church. John Calyin's reforms
IN Geneva removed many evils
out of Christianity. John Wes-
ley's Methodist movement
showed the fruits of a fear
IeSS independent thinker. Ro-
ger Williams and Ann Hutch
inson's escape from their Mas
Sachusetts Puritan Punishment
brought free church ban
tlSts) which is very evident
never to die out in America
Other men of our history who
were effective in their con-
trloution to churchmanShin
conveyed a free personality in
the maintaining of their con-
victions. All people cannot be
retormers Of even free per-
sonalities, but they need not
add to the struggles Of those
who have the backbone 10
take a stand that the other
fellow is afraid to take. The
least that the fearful man
| Il