Evening star., 1955-07-10
Protestonts Split
On Race Question
The case for Seareaotion :


The Cose for Segregation:
And before Him shdlt be
gathered all nations, and He
shah separate them one
from another as a shepherd
dtOideth his sheep from the
oGts."-MatthetD 25:32.
The coss Against Segregation
FOR ye are all one in
Christ Jesus" - Gdldtidns
l::2S.
BY CASPAR NAMES
Heiisious News Editor Of The star
Probably no recent issue has
hit the church harder than
that Of segregation.
The fundamentalist-modern-
tst controversy In Protestantism
struck deeply, but the pres
ent question is as deep and
Is immeasurably broader.
Churchgoers on every level
are affected, interested and
active in the debate.
This widespread discussion
has significance beyond church
bounds. More than "a million
Americans. approximately so
. per cent Of our Nations pop
ulation, are members of
churches or synagogues. Their
views. expressed at the ballot
box, will inevitably have a tre-
mendous impact, not only upon
the writing Of legislation, but
also on enforcement Of the
laws.
Storted With Schools
While the problem troubled
the church earlier. the Prot
estant denominations move Wig
orously focused upon the issue
when the Supreme Court was
considering school segregation.
Many church groups felt it de-
sirable to affirm support Of the
courts decisions.
Most larger denominations
accepted the principle Of school
tntegration when 1t became the
law Of the land. Even when
the delegates showed obvious
distaste for the action, they
stood up unf1inchingly and
accepted the law.
Last year the Presbyterian
Church U. s. (Southern) met
ut Montreal, N. c., about a
week after the historic court
decision was announced.
"There is but one position
for Christians to take" DR..
Fred v. Poag of Columbia, S.
c., told the commissioners.
The commissioners voted
236 to 1853 in favor Of support
ing the Supreme Courts de-
cision. Last month at Rich
mond the denominations 1855
general assembly reaffirmed
the stand. 293 to 100.
Complete Solution
At st. Louis last year the
Southern Baptist Convention
also supported the courts
school decision, with less than
100 Of nearly 10000 messen-
gers opposing the motion.
The resolution they ap-
proved said, Having in mind
the recent decision of the Su-
preme Court of the United
States concerning segregation,
the assembly commends the
principle of the decision and
urges all members of our
churches to consider thought
fully and prayerfully the COM
plete solution of the problem
involved.
1T also urges all our people
to lend their assistance to
those charged with the duty
Of implementing the decision,
and to remember that appeals
to racial prejudice will not
help but rather hinder the ac-
complishment of this aim"
The statement also called on
Southern Baptists not to make
this crisis "the occasion for
new and bitter prejudices" but
rather use it as a step toward
"a united nation embodying
and proclaiming a democracy
that will commend freedom to
all peoples"
Last May at Miami messen-
gers from some Southern Bap-
tist churches sought to have
the 1854 stand reversed. But
the effort was defeated and
the earlier position still holds.
(No action Of the Southern
Baptist Convention is binding
upon churches affiliated with
it. But the national meeting
generally expresses the pre-
vailing view Of its churches.)
Denominations supporting
the Supreme Court decision
include the Episcopal Church.
Presbyterian Church, U. S. A.
(Northern) Disciples of Christ.
and Congregational Christian
Churches.
Church Intesrotion
These resolutions were all
In support of q new interpre-
tation Of the law. It has been
far more difficult to resolve to
do the same thing voluntarily
In churches.
For an interracial church is
purely o matter of choice.
There can be no compulsion
from without. 1t is strictly
up to the churchgoers whether
they will accept as members
Of their congregation colored
members Of their denomina-
ton.
Church leaders advocating
integration have been tor
mented by the fact other
agencies have ed the church