Evening star., 1960-10-20

trine OF our Christian faith
as We believe it founded on the
word of God. I think that any
other use of Reformation Sum
day would border on sacrilege."
DR.. Hoskins: MY reaction
is I could wish all Protestants
would use Reformation Sum
day for the constructive purpose
of continuing the reform of the
whole Christian church. It is
regrettable to attach a cele-
bration of Reformation Sum
day to the establishment of
any barrier to any American
citizens to the exercise of their
proper rights as citizens"
Prefers Affirmative Accent
DR.. Fry: "The right accent
to be struck on ReformationI
Sunday is an affirmative one.
not a negative one. It is to em-
phasize the pure gospel as re-
stored in the Protestant Ref
ormation and to heighten ap-
probation of it and the free
doms that flow from it.
DR.. Tuller: "I'd like 1t made
perfectly clear that American
Baptists have no part in such
a move. We have had no part
in it. We will have no part in
it,"
The Rev., DR.. Roy G. Ross,
general secretary Of the Ma
tional Council of Churches:
"The National Council of
Churches has no plans for
using Reformation Sunday for
purposes relating to the elec-
ton. I know of no such plans
among our member churches.
In my judgment, such use Of
this day Of observance would
be foreign to the purposes to
which it has been devoted his
torically."
Bishop Dun: 1--WE always.
made it a point that we didn't
meet against anybody, but we
met to recall and reafirm
some Of the great principles Of
the Reformation inheritance. If
it was to be an occasion for
confesSing our sins. it would be
our own and not somebody
else's. It would be q serious
misuse Of this occasion to use
it for political purposes"
NAE Call to Action
A letter sounding a Profess
tant "call to action" on Ref
ormation Sunday has been
mailed by the National ASso-
citation of Evangelicals to about
100000 ministers throughout
the country. Under the sigma
ture of NAE President Thomas
F.. Zimmerman, the letter says:
IF a Roman Catholic is
elected PreSident-what then?
The Church of Rome will have
a new, great advantage, and
the United States will no longer
be recognized as a Protestant
nation in the eyes Of the world.
Don't you agree that it is time
for the ProtestantS of America
to stand up and be counted?"
NAE, whose headquarters are
in Wheaton, ILL.,, also has sup
piled churches with about 700.-
900 bulletins detailing its oppo-
sition to the election Of Cath
olic President for use on Refor-
nation Sunday.
DR.. George I. Ford, executive
director of NAE, defended the
groups activities as a perfectly
proper observance Of Reforma-
ton Sunday.
I'VE don't like to have this
called an anti-Catholic observ-
ance," he told The Star. TITS
a pro-ProteStant observance.
Linked to September Statement
NAE represents 80 funda-
mentalist denominations with
$4,000 churches in the United
States. 1t was one of the or
ganizers Of the September meet
ing of Protestant leaders here
which produced a controversial
statement warning that a Cath
olic President would be under
heavy pressure from the Vati-
can.
DR.. Ford said about 5000
churches across the country
have ordered supplies of its
anti-Kennedy pamphlets for
Reformation Sunday distribu-
ton. He said that buttons,
which bear the figure "1517"
are not going over as well. They
are sold to churches and are
intended to be worn starting
next Sunday, which has been
designated as Christian Convic-
ton Sunday.