Newspapers / Africo-American Presbyterian (Wilmington, N.C.) / June 20, 1935, edition 1 / Page 1
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John viii:32. CHARLOTTE, N. C, THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 1935. VOL. LVL AN APPEAL TO REINSTATE THE ENGLISH BIBLE AS A CODE OF MORAIS FOR CHURCH, SCHOOL, STATE AND NATION (Reprinted from a booklet bythe Rev. Robert Elliott Flickin k ger, D. D., Rockwell City, Iowa.) Article 11 ' nan to tne aaruy pioneers; life men unit' clear to. tne lor es ts, auu uuut log cabins ruae: xne wives tnat snared tne nara smps * ui ton and solitude; x’ ounuers 01 institutions, upnoiaers of ngnt, xveiormers crave, and leaders x<rum uaraness into ngnt: xian to tne naruy pioneers: "uo justice, love mercy, ana waiK nummy witn uod." • jjavia, lung oi Israel^ exe cuted justice ana judgment to an tne people." When tne Bible readers oi tne ueiormation period in Eu rope were excommunicated, couiuemiied and persecuted ,u> bue papacy at' xtome, tney lieu irom one country to another, h-he ttigrims nea from Bngiaim to Honana; the Swiss fled aown tne reiver Khrne to the Taiaa nate, Alsace and Lorraine; ana when sainng vessels were prov ldentiauy provided by William Benn at Kotterdam, they fleu from these countries iurtner down he Khine to Kotterdam, and sailed to America, then a xsew World, to found homes and churches of their own, free from the domain of the perse cuting papacy at Koine. These pioneer churches were widely separated on tne irontier and were named after the Re formed Churches with which 4 they had been familiar in the — Fatherland. They were listed on the frontier as Mennonites, Kiver Brethren, Dunkards, Lu therans, Presbyterians, Evan gelical, Quaker and Reformed. United Brethren As early as 1800, the Men nonites, River Brethren and Dunkards in Eastern Pennsyl vania and Maryland, united to form the United Brethren Church, and chose Rev. William Otterbein, of Baltimore, to be their first Bishop. He had come to Lancaster County, Pa., in 1753 as a German Reformed minister, and in 1771 took charge of a church in Baltimore. ' He was ordained as the first Bishop of the U. B. Church by Bishop Asbury, the first and at that time, the only Bishop of the M. E. Church in America. Soon after its organization, the headquarters of the United' Brethren Church, was moved to Dayton, Ohio, where it made a rapid and very prosperous growth, selected Liberia as a foreign mission field and or dained one of their number, Rev. Daniel K. Flickinger, to serve as Bishop of Africa. Ever since that happy union of scattered pioneer congrega tions to form the United Breth ren Church, the formal union of Protestant Churches in the in terest of union and economy of administration, has been a live and persistent problem. Rivalry in Business Competition in trade has been said to be the life of business. That may be true in some in stances where the field is large enough for the rivalry. Too much rivalry tends to develop the base feelings of envy, hate, jealousy and covetousness; while unity tends to develop strength, love, and the joy of cooperation. These should be the constant aim of the Church. Religion is a matter of faith, worship and service. The Scrip tures read in youth form the substance of Christian faith. Faith is an act of the intellect. The gospel message is plain ly revealed in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Christians are happily united when they witness to a true and the same interpretation of the Scriptures. This uniformity is assureu ana an tne prxVnegeb auu uiesaiugS pivuiiscu m i>ut vruru ux vjtuu axe exiju>eu, wueu cue terms ux umou syecxxy tne Autuuxueu jxiiigusn v eXaion ux tne jDiuie as puuxisueu uy tx.e American ana x>riusn uiDxo So cieties. Camp Meetings .Lacking nouses oi worship m many rural matrices aurxng cue eariy settlement, evangelism was promotea Dy noxaing camp meetings in shady groves ox uxnoer uuruig tne mna season of the year, inese anoraea vvniteneiu, unaries ana jjonn wesxey an opportumty to meet unusually large auaiences 01 tne people in the open air. Tne religious enthusiasm awakened at these open air meetings greatly promoted the spread oi tne crosDel. Chautauquas Later the camp meeting gave way to summer gatherings tor education and entertainment, called Chautauquas. The charm m both the camp meeting and the Chautauqua was the mani fest spirit of unity and copora tion m the community. Protestant Unity The first great, events in Protestant Unity in America related to their civil govern ment. That civic union was based on the Declaration of independence in 1776, and the adoption of the Constitution in 1787 and 1788. Both were prepared and adapted in the^hgtit "Meager the influence of the Authorized Version of the English Bible. They are both recognized as re markable documents, and they have admirably served theii purpose. They are now the bond of union of 48 sovereign States that have a population of 130 millions of intelligent Christian people. The 13 Colonial States, hav ing a population at the birth of this nation of 4 millions have become the most highly civilized and powerful nation in the world. In 1930 the population was 120 millions. All this has been accomplished by Protestantism merely co-op erating in the civil government while lacking unity in religion. This lack of unity in religion has been the occasion of base, selfish rivalries that at times have arrayed them against each other,' developed fears and blind prejudices, instead of brother ly love and cordial co-operation; and thus greatly paralyzed its voice of protest against preva lent evils, and lessened its lead ership in promoting the Redeem er's Kingdom in the world. Unity of Protestants Since the arrival of this 20th century and the organization of great trusts and manufac turing companies, the time has seemed favorable for promoting the unity of Protestants in their religion. That which is needed is a standard of faith that will meet the needs of all and commend their approval. Federated Churches In many rural communities small congregations have hap pily united in what is known as Federated Churches. These are fast developing the spirit of unity and preparing the way for a larger cooperation. Cumberland Union In 1906, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church united with the Presbyterian Church, U. S. A. United Church of Canada A few years later the Pres byterian, Congregational and Methodist Churches formed the union now known as the United Church of Canada. Reformed-Evangelical At Cleveland, Ohio, on July 3, 1934, a simple hand-clasp of two men on the platform sig naled the birth of a new denom ination, the United Reformed L-nurcn, wiun a pj^mmiiTn>»nt membership of nearly 700,000. The meetings were held in Zion’s Evangelical Church, | and there were present more than 800 delegates. The bodies unit ed were the German Reformed Church, U. S., having a mem bership of 355,000; and the Synod of the Evangelical Church, North America, having 325,000. The German language was used in the pioneer churches of both these branch es. The property of this United Reformed Church was listed at $53,223,000 for the Reformed, and $43,023,000 for the Evan gelicals The constituency for the Reformed was principally in the East; and of the Evangelicals, in the Mid-West. Fresbyterian and United Pres byterian In 1934, a plan of union was prepared providing for the or ganic union of the Presbyterian Church, U. S. A., and the Unit ed Presbyterian Church ; of North America. These two bodies represent a communicant membership of two millions. The proposed plan of union was approved by the former but not by the latter. Congregational and Christian Union In 1934, the National Coun cil of the Congregational | and Christian Union (not Discjbles) Churches of the United States assembled at Oberlin, Ohio, to effect the union of these two bodies, representing 7,000 con gregations. I , The council of social activi ties wasaddedto' the loriJ§HBip tablished missionary, education al and administrative depart ments of the affiliated Church es, with equal claim upon their loyalty and support. These movements toward greater unity in the Protestant Churches of America are hope ful signs of the times and are worthy of hearty encourage ment. The long delay in launching this union in religion and the slow progress made have been due to the difficulties encoun tered and a natural desire to overcome them in a charitable spirit. Difficulties In 1906 a few Cumberland Presbyterian ministers and con gregations refused to unite, preferring to continue to bear their own testimony to the truth as it is contained in the Word of God and their doctrinal standards. . Bible and Shorter Catechism These unhappy consequences of union need to be anticipated and eliminated as far as possi ble. In the hope of promoting the good work of unity in- reli gion, the suggestion is now made, that in all future plans of Church unity it be tacitly un derstood or expressed, that the Authorized Version of the Eng lish Bible is the standard of good morals and religion for communicant members of the church, and the Shorter Cate chism, with its proof texts, is a good interpreter of it. This Authorized Bible and Shorter Catechism are no more sectarian than are our school books on astronomy, or geolo gy, reading, writing or arithme tic; or the sunshine, air and water. The Authorized English Bi ble and the New'England Prim er, containing the Shorter Cat echism, were two of the books used in the pioneer schools of the Colonists. The Bible and the Shorter, Catechism, its interpre ter, were in the minds of the patriotic statesmen who framed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the Unit ed States. The fact that the Authorized Bible and Shorter (Continued on page 4) THE BARBER-SCOTIA-J. C. SMITH .CHAPTER AT CEXf , 1NGTON The Barber - Scotia - J. 0. Smitn Chapter met at the home of the President, Mrs. J. V. Bitting, on June x9, 19515. The devotional hour was opened by singing: ‘‘Faith of Our Fath ers,' ioilowecf with prayer by Mr. R. B. Bitting. Bach mem ber responded with a quotation when the roil was called. The following program was ren dered with a few exceptions: .Report from Barber-Scotia) Commencement — Mrs. Maggie Dixon. Renaissance of Old School Days— Mrs. ^Carrie Hargrave, un der Dr. Borland. Mrs. Nellie Clark Roan, un der Dr. Satterfield. Miss Mamie B. Sullivan, un der Dr. Satterfield. Miss Louise Dixon — A pa per, subject, “The Scotia of Today.” Miss Dixon was there under our present Dean, Mr. Cozart. This interesting paper is published with this release. Renaissance of Old Biddle J. C. Smith Days — by Mr. R. B. Bitting, under Dr. San ders. All these reminders of the past were interesting, amus ing and helpful. After the pro gram we were served with a delicious ice course by our President. The chapter has taken on new life now and plans to meet once each month and we hope to dp more for Barber^cc&a and Johnson C. Smith than we have in the past. Our next meeting will be with Miss Mamie B. Sullivan, and we extend an invitation to all the, graduates ofJBacher Scotia and Johnson C. Smith in nearby cities and towns to come over and join us. We ex tend a hearty welcome to all. Those present were; Mrs. R. B. Bitting, Mrs. Carrie Har grave, Mrs. Maggie Dixon, Mrs. A. W. Waddell, Mrs. , Lucille Bingham, Mrs. G. E. Sullivan, Mrs. S. H. Roan, Miss es Louise Dixon, M. B. SulM van and Cora Gilchrist G. E. S. BARBER-SCOTIA OF TODAY By Louise Dixon Barber-Scotia, one of the old est institutions of learning for Negroes, has a notable histo ry, a history of which we all feel proud, not only for what it has done but for what it is now doing. In recent years re markable changes have taken place which are evidences of growth. Barber-Scotia of today exhibits modern ideas in the physical plant but the ideals and objectives are as old as the institution — to develop the head, heart and hands. All of the activities are planned to make a significant contribution to student growth and devel opment. Just here we pause to cen ter our attention on the work accomplished in recent' years. Under the supervision of Dean L. S. Cozart rapid strides have been made. His administration merits m(uch consideration in that he represents the first Negro administrator of the col lege. In addition to this we have an efficient Negro facul ty which marks another mile post on the road to success. Due to untiring efforts on the part of the faculty, friends and loyal supporters, Barber-Scotia has reached the heights foi which our watchful eyes have longed. It stands second to none among the colleges of its na ture. In 1931 the College Rating Board of North Carolina ga^ the school a junior college rat ing. In 1932 it was affiliatec with Johnson C. Smith Uni versity, making it possible foi (Continued on page 4) jesuTandhis reality By Louis E. JaeckeL In The Charlotte Sunday Observer This is not intended by the au tnor to De either a tneoiogicai paper or a sec mar manuscript. Whatever it may teacn, it serves merely as a written ' record oi experiences wnicn resulted di rectly to tne writer's awaxening to jesus as an everyday reality, as mficn so as any mortal hu man could be. jBiVen among those who pro cess a personal belief and taito in the Man we cau Jesus, lie is regarded oy many as solely a super human, or spiritualistic, being, with whom we have no contact other than mat experi enced in a state oi prayer, lie is placed, thereiore, beyond a ma terial plane, a sort oi negligible lactor almost beyond human reach. __ i should personally question the acuity oi one so inaccessi ble to convert the world to His cause, for, alter all, everything in me must have some material consideration. Hut my own ex perience with Him has been that x can reach out in an almost puj sicai sense and possess mysen. oi tne evidence oi ms promises. True, we do not behold Him with our eyes, but with our nearts, nevertheless, we can see Him in the every day blessings which are ours by His grace. Somehow I can not live in the midst of the beautiful things of nature without think ing, and believing, that there, indeed, is Jesus. Man, of his own accord, has set up the artificial walls which prevent Jesus from entering his environs and com muning with him. Man cultivat ed avarice and greed; man per mitted envy, hatred and strife to close his eyes to the omni presence of Jesus. When I be came conscious of the fact that Jesus was in everything about me, my heart was lifted from a worldly plane to one in which life’s problems held no dread for me. Wealth of Blessings I am convinced that it is not possible for man, by his own will or determination alone, to overcome the sorrows and per plexities of life. Likewise I know that when one feels and acknowledges Jesus as his com panion, the disquieting influ ences of life vanish under the sunshine of His presence. For myself, I have claimed and realized so many of His promises that it would be impos sible for me to deny the reality of Jesus and still be true to my self. As I look back over the years I behold a wealth of blessings which have been the direct result of my acceptance of Jesus as a material factor in my life. There was a time when I would struggle in anguish with the problems which con fronted me, and which seemed insurmountable. Sleepless nights followed by days of physical punishment were the result of human efforts to solve my own problems. I do not mean to im ply that man, as his own agent, must not exercise any care or thought for his difficulties, but when we have done our best and failed, as is so often the case when we rely upon our own weak efforts exclusively, then Jesus comes to our assistance with. His quieting peace and assurance that all will be well. Times without number such burdens have rolled from my shoulders, and as the days passed, /the way would surely and plainly open. ... Fulfilled Materially Jesus has made many prom ises to His people which are ■ fulfilled materially in every in stance. If there is anything in life which is convincing, it is 1 material realization, and com . ing from one solely superhuman • and spiritualistic, is evidence of the closeness of that being in ‘our every day world. Almost every one knows some person who laments some seif pitiable state wnich is a constant source of anxiety, and who, in desperation, blames uod for the misfortune in which he finds himself. All misfortune is man made; no misfortune is the will of Jesus. When people realize that fact, they will have taken the first step m the right direc-' tion. Our misinterpretation of the Bible is our own fault. One person will take certain passag es to heart as promises of ma terial wealth tor the asking* Another believes if he but prays long enough he will realize ms * ambition ior fame and promi nence. Most of these errors are based upon a single passage of " Scripture, “Ask, and ye shall receive • ” For a time, during my young er Christian experiences, I was inclined to do what many peo ple still do. That was to go through the Bible seeking pas sages which I could interpret as favorable to any or all of my selfish or mercenary desires and completely» overlook the pres ence of such things as would tend to make their attainment difficult, or bound by condi tions. The Only Condition I know now that the only condition imposed upon, any promise which we strive to claim, is that our asking it con forms to the will of the Master. He, Himself, acknowledged His will subservient to that of the Heavenly Father, in His an guished prayer in the Garden. I can personally take the 23rd Psalm line for fineraadtia' ******* all truthulness and sincerity say that I have been the recip ient of every promise, under every circumstance, if conveys. This, to me, is the reality of Jesus, for unless He and I are companions, I am not entitled to intercession with, or bless ings from, God the Father. I’ve just been watching the sun gradually break through the clouds after a shower. It first bathed the tree tops with pale gold, then filtered through the foliage, penetrating the shrub bery, and finally, flooding the rain drenched landscape with its glory. The reality of Jesus in one’s life is like that. Beyond the troublesome, fretful tumult of life one sees the promise of peace, quiet and contentment, release from the sordidness of daily experiences with a harsh world. I have found that Jesus dis pels the disappointments and sorrows of life when He is sought. He does* not wait to ful fill His promises. He waits only to be asked, but when one calls upon Him, He is ready and waiting to come to our aid. Yes, Jesus is very real. Any one can call upon Him arid feel His nearness if He is given a chance to step into the heart and mind. Jesus is the most realistic friend of mankind. -FAIRFIELD CONVENTION. The Presbyterial Sunday School Convention and School of Methods of the Fairfield Presbytery will meet at Ken dall Institute, Sumter, S. C., July 10th-13th. Each Sunday school is asked to send a delegate and 10 cents per capita. Each Christian Endeavor So ciety is asked to send a delegate and ten cents per capita. Any other organizations re sponding are asked to send 10c per capita and a delegate. A. S. POWE, President. T. L. FRIERSON, Sec. When one preaches he ought to say something that is really worth while. He should impart some information ihat will make I his listeners wiser and that I they will remember.
Africo-American Presbyterian (Wilmington, N.C.)
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June 20, 1935, edition 1
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