Evening star., 1955-07-10


But the move toward an In
terracial church. particularly
on the congregational level,
has sturdy. sincere opposition.
The segregationists resent the
charge that separation Is ''un-
Christian" and insist it Is q
social rather than theological
problem.
They have also asked some
rather difhcult questions. Dur
ing the debate at the South
ern Presbyterian assembly last
month s. n. Mccall, jr., Of
Troy. N. c., charged the de-
nominations 1854 stand puts
US in a hypocritical position"
"It seems to me that in
asking whether it is their in
tention to put into practical
application the affirmative
position, have only received
side-stepping answers. To say
this principle is right but can
not be applied is to achieve
an impossible position for a
Christian elder. II I believe
something is right, I must In
my life do the best I can to
live up to it,"
Last October when a min
lister in Anacostia was per-
suading students to attend
school with colored boys and
girls. one youngster asked
him. why do you want
Negroes in the school when you
have none In your church,"
The minister was stumped for
a reply.
Todoy's Picture
Public pressure for an ex-
elusive white church is an
other obstacle, to interracial
congregations. A National
Council of Churches four-year
survey shows that Of 405
churches studied only 6.422,
or 81 percent of the total
memberships were non-white.
And these members, it was
stated, have a kind of 'front.'
room" fellowship out of touch
with the main stream of
church activities. Rarely, 1t
would seem, do they have q
real voice in forming the pro-
grams or policies Of the
church."
But the report also pointed
out that only rs Of 237, 900
persons in the 405 churches
left because a non-white per-
son was admit. d to member
ship.
While Dean E. E. Flack of
HANNA Divinity School
Omitted Lutheran church, in
sists there is no scriptural
justification for the practice
of racial segregation" those
opposing integration claim
there is.
Quoting the Bible
Among the passages they
point to are When the Most
High divided to the nations
their inheritance, when He
separated the sons of Adam,
He set the bounds Of the peo-
pie according 10 the number
of the children of Israel"
deuteronomy 32:8); "And
hath made of one blood all
nations Of men for ", dwell on
all the face Of the earth, and
hath determined the times be-
fore appointed and the bounds
of their habitation" (second
half. Acts 17:26); "And ! will
make thee swear by the Lord,
the God of heaven and the
God Of the eartn, that thou
shalt not take a wife unto my
son Of the daughters of
Canaanites, among whom I
dwell; But thou shalt go unto
my country, and tO my kin.
dred. and take a wife unto my
son Isaac" Genesis 24:3 and
A..
Passages quoted by those ia
voring integration include
Thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself" CMatthew 22:39);
$50 we. being many. are one
body in Christ. and every one
members one of another" (Ro-
mans 1850. "And the Lord
God formed man of the dust
Of the ground. and breathed
into his nostrils the breath Of
life, and man became q living
soul" Genesis 2::D.
First Steps
The churches have taken
several aggressive steps toward
a non segregated church. One
decisive move has been the
refusal of several large denom-
nations to hold national meet
ings in cities where segrega-
ton prevails. They insist, all
facilities-hotels. restaurants,
recreational, transportation
be open to delegates regardless
of race.
The inability of Houston,
Tex, to meet these conditions
brought about removal Of the
1855 Episcopal Church tri-
ennlal convention this TALL to
Honolulu.
Church schools have been
thrown open to colored stu
dents. as have positions in
practically all departments Of
UNCONVENTIONAL life.
A report approved by the
Washington City Presbytery
Northern Presbyterian on
June IA called on ''all our
churches to complete de-
segregation throughout the
church and throughout the
communities in which our
churches work and serve"
A different view was ex-