Newspapers / North Carolina Christian Advocate … / June 14, 1917, edition 1 / Page 1
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rt?Tf ? -..It? fV SIXTV-'IHIRD'YKAR. OPGAN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA CONFERENCE. MM rr NUMBER 20 RALEIGH, N. C. THURSDAY. JUNE 14, 1917. The Unification of Methodism Rev. Edgar Blake, D.D. "Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!" When the writer addressed the Methodist laymen of Boston in January on the subject of Methodist unification, it never oc curred to him that his utterances would attract anv special attention or provoke debate. Imag ine' his surprise, therefore, to find on his return from an enforced absence of two months that certain items presented in his address had occa sioned a volume of discussion in the Church press, both editorial and contributed, far be yond'any subject that has engaged the attention of the Church in recent years. Personally I am not of that timorous group who fear discussion by the people. I have never believed that great questions should be settled by a select few for the Church at large. The people should do their own thinking. Ulti mately they must settle the issues, therefore I welcome the interest that has been aroused and the discussion that has ensued. In the long run it is certain to do good and assist in the solution of the problem in hand. In view of the fact that the address referred to has been misinterpreted and false issues have been raised by several writers, I trust that it will not be considered out of place for me to of fer the following for the consideration of the readers of the Herald. Criticism. Nothing that he has ever said or done has brought the writer so many commendations or so much criticism. The criticisms have been confined practically to a single section of the address, namely, that dealing with the place of our colored constituency in the reorganized Church. The address has been characterized as "radical," "lily-whiteism," "Anglo-Saxon arro gance," "Pharisaical self-righteousness," and "blasphemy." It has been called a "bribe" and a "threat." These are strong terms and in view of the fact that none of the critics have offered any constructive suggestions to aid in the solu tion of the problem, the address appears to have resulted in more heat than light in the minds of some of the brethren. If we were so disposed, we could very readily rePly in kind to some of the critics. But it is nt a time for challenging personal motives, or indulging in bitter words. We are fronted with one of the most momentous issues that Ameri can Methodism ever faced. It is a time for pa- ence and charity and for that wisdom that only the Holy Spirit can inspire. That Which Is at Stake. 11 is well to remind ourselves in the begin j,me of that which is at stake in unification, rat, we have a proposal to unite in one Church ' of the greatest Protestant Churches in merica, Churches that are practically identical 8 pjrname' history, doctrine, polity, ideals, and each Tllese churches are now competing with and ther iu an unholy rivalry for territory hoodmember in literally hundreds of neighbor niil..s ln the South and West. More than twelve pr 0nsj of dollars are invested in rival Church mil! ' and more than three-quarters of a to n (lr'Hars are spent annually for the pas each 8tUpport of societies that compete with effort in the same C01"munitIes and whose d s nt infrequently result in tearing God TaUUl than in build!nS "P the work r tifipaf is a situation for which there is no jus "n i' ordinary business prudence, to say nothing of Christian charity. Unification means tne elimination of this unnecessary and unchris tian competition. It means the release of vast sums of money that are now used in wasteful effort tor a constructive ministry to the unshep herded multitudes at home and abroad. Second, unification means the creation of the largest and most powerful religious agency in America and the concentration of the resources of that agency upon the salvation of America and the world. The time is ripe, many believe that it is providential, for such a union. The United btates is moving out of its isolation of the past into the realm of world activiies. Whether we like it or not, our nation is now a world power with immeasurable possibilities for world influence. The Church that contributes most to the life of America will contribute most to the life of the world. The spirit of inter nationalism is upon us, and the Church that has the wisdom to mobilize all of its resources for this new awakening is the Church that will make the greatest contribution to the welfare of man kind. Third, the spirit of unification is not confined to Methodism alone; it is in the air. Competi tion and strife are discredited; combination and co-operation are the demands of the hour. Business is getting together; nations are be coming one, and there are signs that even the Churches are catching the same spirit. Many religious leaders are seeing the futility and foolishness of seventeen kinds of Methodism, and fifteen brands of Presbyterianism, and twenty different kinds of Baptists, and are demanding that competition and strife between the members of the same denominational house hold shall cease and that they shall become one. If the Methodists can get together, the Baptists can get together, and the Presbyterians and every other divided family can be and should be reunited. And if the Methodists and Presbyterians and Baptists can unite among themselves, they can all unite together and ulti mately will unite, for there is as little real ex cuse for one hundred forms of evangelicalism in America as there is for seventeen Methodisms. Eventually the major evangelical bodies must and will come together. Ultimately the prayer of Jesus that they all may be one will find its fulfillment. All that is needed to inaugurate such a far-reaching movement is that the Churches that have sufficient insight into the program of the kingdom, and courage enough to follow it, shall lead the way and demonstrate the feasibility of-such an ideal. I am profound ly convinced that God has made it possible for the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Meth odist Episcopal Church, South, to pioneer the way in a most far-reaching movement, not only in American Methodism, but in evangelical Christianity as well. It is doubtful if there has been a movement since Pentecost, except the Reformation and the Wesleyan revival, that has surpassed in potential significance the pro posed reunion of the two episcopal Methodisms. The Crux of the Difficulty. The mix of the difficulty in the unification of the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Meth odist Episcopal Church, South, as I point ed out in my Boston address, is the place onlv fraternal relations with the reorganized Church. If that were satisfactorily settled, the two Churches could settle their other differences in short order. Two propositions are officially before us: one, that the colored membership shall be organized into a separate and independent Church, holding only fraternal relations with the reorganized Church; the other that the colored membership shall be organized into a racial jurisdiction on a parity with the major jurisdictions. The two recommendations cannot be harmonized. One or the other will have to be surrendered, or both will have to make concessions and effect a compromise between them. If either Church makes its recommendation an ultimatum to the other unification will be impossible. The only wa yof success is to find some middle ground upon which both Churches can agree. Our colored brethren could solve the problem if they would; but they do not seem inclined to take the initiative. To quote the unfortunate phrase of one of their distinguished leaders, the purpose of many of our colored brethren seems to be to stand upon what they regard as their constitutional rights until "the crack of doom," regardless of the effect of their stand upon uni fication. Just how this attitude will affect the rank and file of the Church at large, whose sym pathy and support have made our colored work possible, is not for me to say. One thing, how ever, is very clear from the correspondence that has come to the writer there are many in the Church who feel that the other ninety per cent of our membership have rights that are as justly entitled to consideration as those of our colored brethren. One of our official Advocates has suggested that in the light of the Negro's attitude, "the Methodist Episcopal Church should do nothing," but stand pat upon its Saratoga recommenda tions. But the Methodist Episcopal Church must do something, and the Methodist Episco pal Church, South, must do something. Every honorable means that can be devised must be used to consummate the union of these two Churches. The movement has gone too far to be permitted to fail because the statesmanship of the Church is too supine to face the facts and meet them with the heroism that the situation demands. If unification fails at this juncture, it will fail for another generation and possibly forever. It means the infliction of a fresh wound upon the body of Christ, a scar that can never be effaced. There is too much at stake for the Kingdom to fold our hands and let the case go by default. An Independent Church. As I have already pointed out, two suggestions have been made: one, that the Negro member ship should be organized into an independent Church, and the other, that they should be or ganized into a racial jurisdiction on a parity with the major jurisdiction. While the proposal to create an independent Church for the colored membership comes from our sister denomina tion, there are not a few in our own Church who feel that such an arrangement would be the wisest one for the interests of all concerned. Twenty-five years ago Bishop Randolph S. Fos ter very strongly advocated such an adjustment and there are many in this day who cherish Bishop Fosters views. In the fall of 1915 I was present at one of the largest Lay Conferences in the Church when the proposition to amend the constitution so as to permit the election of col ored bishops was brought forward. The ques tion was raised as to the significance of the proposed amendment. One of the leading lay men of the Church, a man who has served in five or six General Conferences, arose and said, "If this amendment is adopted, we can get rid of the Negroes." It was a brutally blunt and un called for statement, but upon the strength of it the amendment was unanimously concurred in. (Continued on page 1.)
North Carolina Christian Advocate (Greensboro, N.C.)
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June 14, 1917, edition 1
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