Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-04
BY Cospor Names

New York and the Rev. James
Wagner of Philadelphia.
DR.. Ralph w. Lloyd of Mary
vile, Tenn, moderator of the
Presbyterian Church, U. S. A.,
was elected North American
secretary of the Alliance.
A European theologian today
told the Council that Christian
nations no longer lead the world
and Christian civilization is dis
migrating.
christian nations are ceas-
ing to lead the world and the
so-called Christian civilization
finds itself in disintegration," DR..
j. L. Hromadka of Prague.
Czechoslovakia, a vice president
of the Alliance. declared. Chris
tan churches are getting more
and more paganized. The process
of Secularization is proceeding
and can hardly be halted"
pr. Hromadka is one of six
Czech churchmen recently adj
nitted to the United States so
they may attend the World
Council of Churches second as
sembly August 1881 at Evanston.
Ill. The Prague theologian was
also permitted to represent his
church at the Alliance Council
meeting, which opened last week
and closes tomorrow. The al
lance consists of Sc Presbyterian
and reformed churches. having
40 million members, in As coun-
tries. It's, 400 delegates met at
Princeton Seminary.
zoe Year Order.
The Czech professor told the
gathering that the world center
Of influence has shifted from
the Christian to the nom Chris
tan world.
For about 200 years. nomi-
nally Christian nations have been
more or less pillars and masters
of international order, arbiters
of world struggles" he said.
"They formed the norms and
standards of behavior, of mu-
tual relations. of social and po-
litical life. Many Of us live
still under the impact, and think
in the categories of the 18th
and the beginning of the goth
century.
Many of us-and I may in
clude myself in the group of
these MEXICAN hardly free our
selves from the illusions of the
Christian countries being even
today masters, arbiters and lead
ers of the world. However. we
have to see clearly the very move
ment of history and avoid any
self-deception. We have to
sense the imperceptible, and vet
real, shifting of the center of
gravity from the Christian ma
lions to the Christian
world"
Approve Study Section.
The delegates yesterday an
proved a study section report
stating we could not Judge any
OF our fellowship who do not
seem to us to resist encroach-
ments against these freedoms at
the moment when we think they
should. nor do we Judge others
OF our fellowship who, happily
having freedom, appear to
abuse it,"
The statement declared I'VE
claim everywhere the freedom
to worship Him, to show love to
all men, to learn and to teach
our faith, to preach and to live
the gospel, to govern ourselves
In our churches without inter-
ference and to strive for the
brotherhood of all mankind"
Insisting that the church can
not withdraw from its response
bilities in the world, the report
added that neither can the
church identify itself with any
particular social, economic or po-
litical system. Since both church
and state are subordinate to the
will of the one God, and to His
one purpose. we hold that the
Christian owes loyalty and re-
sponsible service to the state but
that its authority is absolute,
and that the right of the Chris
tian conscience cannot be de-
MED"
Support of the United Nations
and other institutions and move
mentS seeking good will among
nations also was stressed in the
statement.