Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-09-27

ITO the church each Sunday and
the national repute he gained
soon after coming to the
church made him a powerful
successor.
He was an outspoken cham
pion of social justice and his
sermons often dealt with press
ing national and local issues
He campaigned against segre-
CATION, for Washington home
rule, against women's longer
skirts during clothing short
ages overseas, for fair play
in congressional. Investigations
and against communism.
Theological Radical"
He called himself a "theo-
logical radical" and termed the
Apostles Greed inadequate, ex-
planning:
THE creed goes: :. born
of the Virgin Mary. suffered
under Pontius PLATE. - The
comma between those two
phrases is the most important
part of Christ's life. After all,
the life Of Christ is something
more than a punctuation
mark"
While advocating social re-
forms, DR.. Davies drew clear
cut line between liberalism and
communism. He said in a SER
mon shortly after World War
II:
Communism is a sincere but
I psychopathic attempt to adjust
the life of man hurriedly to
the world Of the machine. Its
fatal defect is that wherever
its principles are applied. man
loses and the machine wins"
He was critical of the "old
time religion" preached by
modern evangelists. and added
While people are devotina
themselves to keeping out Of
hell in the next world they dc
nothing to cure the hell in
this. They pray to God to make
the world more righteous. wher
that is what God requires tina:
they themselves shall do.
I'VE need a religion not Of
escape but Of courage. We can
not escape even If we would
The hell that we must try to
avoid Is the one that will rain
down upon us from the skies II
we are not wise enough, strong
and benevolent enough to win
the struggle for freedom. JUS
tice and brotherhood without
limitless calamity to the world.
He struck out at politicians
and other clergymen alike
when he felt that they did moi
serve truth and reason.
Disputed Nixon
Last year he charged that q
campaign statement by Vice
President Nixon that racial
segregation had been abolished
! in Washington was untrue
Two years before. his church
had set up an interracial boys
club when a segregated Police
Boys Club refused to admit
Negroes and left its longtime
quarters in the church.
And he aSsailed as "undemo-
cratic and "blasphemous'
George Washington Univer-
sity's practice Of limiting its
faculty to believers in God. He
told his congregation that
every university should have at
least one or two atheists on its
faculty IF only to keep the
thesis stepping lively"
But he took sharp issue with
editorials saying that ministers
were mixing religion and poll
tics.
Would that we could" DR.
Davies exclaimed. THE moral
standards OF religion are
needed for political life. Those
Of us who are applying religion
to politics are doing precisely
what Is required Of us by ouI
ordination VOWS. to seek the
kingdom Of God and serve the
brotherhood Of man."
Preached on Little Rock
Just last Sunday he had
preached to his congregation or
The Meaning of Little Rock"
He was the author Of many
magazine articles and his SER
mons were distributed through
out the world. The United
States Information Agency used
several Of his books. His latest
book. THE First Christian" q
study OF st. Paul and the
origins of Christianity. will be
published this fall.
Among his previous books
were such titles as American
Destiny. THE Faith Of an Un-
repentant Liberal. The Mean
ing Of the Dead Sea Scrolls
and THE Ten Command
ments."
Won Many HOnOrs
DR.. Davies served on a num-
Der Of church and lay commits
sions and had received numer-
GUS academic and other honors
He was a founder Of Americans
for Democratic Action and ad-
dressed its first meeting.
He had served as chairman
Of the Emergency Conference
on Civilian Control Of Atomic
Energy and as president Of
Food for Freedom, an organi-
zation providing food for over
seas relief after World War II.
His zeal for bringing his min.
istry into current affairs was
unflagging.
THE chief purpose Of re.