The Farmville herald and farmer-leader. (Farmville, Va.) 1934-1957, 1954-09-17
Letters To Editor
Questions Synod
Leaders

Editor of Herald.
/ am sending copy of letter
published IN the Stanton News
Leader, which explains Itself
AS an old nampuen-oydn
College graduate and Union Inc
olOglcal seminary graduate Wnen
II was located at Hampoen-Sy0
ney, l have many Ir4enQs oY~r
there.
1 Will be glad if you see fit to
publish TINS discussion. In Nr-
gInIa this Is an unsettled quts-
tlon We need all OF the light pos
Slble
Yours cordially.
F. G. HARTMAN, ~ Kalmora
St, Staun.on, Va.
The letter;
To tne Editor.
The younger generation of
Presbyterians have come to me
with the question: What is back
OF what went on in the Synod Of
Virginia, IN its recent meeting IN
Staunton?'
They are amazed at some things
done IN the closing hours They
have asked me. as an old minis
ter to give some explanation.
What is here stated IS simply
my opinion, given for what 1t
may be worth
First fact: a few, very few,
self-appointed. ecclesiastical pol
iticians, have. by their words and
acts, brought about split III the
Southern Presbyterian Church
This is not something that may
occur, at some future time. 1t IS
here now Today the church S
split wide open.
The division that now exists
Will take a hundred years to heal,
if these present day agitators
persists in trying to put over
what they have proposed.
These leaders are self-ap-
pointed" No church court has
ever delegated such power to act.
as they have done
They may say We are called
of God to do it. They may pc
mistaken What then?
Here is where politics enter
/ the picture, No one knows what
these appointed leaders have
SAID and done, behind the scenes.
BY hook or by crook they have
gotten the ear Of the President
What he was able to do, in the
matter of segregation, is revealed
IN the Supreme Court ruling
The public may never know the
inside story Politics One thing
to remember, however. men who
practice such morals should not
try to tell spiritual leaders j.
their church that they have been
"undemocratic and unchristian"
in handling the race problem.
In this meeting of the synod
the retiring Moderator was in
structed by The Book of Church
Order. to preach sermon
Instead, he undertook to present
what he called unrelated mat
tiers. No Gospel message at all
He simply tried to carry out a
cut and dried plan as an ccclesi-
astlcal politician.
Up TO that moment, not a chitL
had been heard, in any preShy-
terry in the synod so fal as I
know. The subject Of segregation
had not been mentioned AS l
believe, religious sentiment in the
state of Virginia, is not ready
for such an innovation
When these present leaders UNI
dertake to criticize and censure
past leaders in the church, 1t is
but fair to ask what about the
morals of those who have now
come to power? When the re-
firing Moderator undertook TO
preach the opening sermon before
the General Assembly. what did
he do? He selected a text and
used the As minutes of the time
to set the stage for the passage
OF his pet measures! When a de-
bate was imminent, over con-
troverted questions, did he have
the moral right to use this adj
vantage against the opposition?
Was it playing fair?
1t is also true that in eXpound-
ing his text he made it appear
that the Word of God supported
his thesis
Much that he brought out
of that text Of Scripture, be first
had to put there Read the ser
mon TO see what l mean.
Our church has always taught
its ministers to escheW politics.
We have always known how dan
gerous it is for a servant Of God
to get into politics, and not be in
jured by it, or do harm to the
cause of Christ in the world
TranSgresSion of an unWritten
law of our church is to be seen.
This action. railroaded through
synod. does not settle the ques-
ton OF segregation, either for our
chllrch or tho citizetns Of Wy