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XXIX. RELIGION AND RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS

CHRISTIAN CHURCHES
H. K. CARROLL

ANGLICAN COMMUNION

count the desire for coöperation in great mission fields like Africa and for obtaining a degree of unity among native Christians, and he is not for this and other reasons disposed to interfere unnecessarily with the freedom of missionary bishops in promoting these ends. He has refused to consent to the prosecution of the two bishops accused by the Bishop of Zan

Canadian General Synod. This body held its seventh session in Toronto in September, under the presidency of the Primate, Archbishop Matheson of Rupert's Land, in the Upper House, and of Canon Tucker in the Lower. The question of changing the name of the Church-Church of England in Canada-for some broader term was discussed but no action was taken. The chief matter of consideration was prayer-book revision and some progress was made. The plan proposed goes to the provincial synods for approval and comes again before the General Synod at its next triennial session.

The Kikuyu Controversy.-The act of two Anglican missionary bishops in Africa in participating in the celebration of the Anglican communion in a Presbyterian Church with representatives of other churches and in agreeing to a transfer of communicants from one church to another of the bodies represented in a mission-zibar. ary union or federation gave rise to a lively controversy in 1914 (A. Y. B., 1914, p. 716). The consultative body, to which the complaint of the Bishop of Zanzibar was submitted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, reported substantially as follows: (1) Ministers of other bodies may be welcomed as visitors to preach in Anglican churches, if accredited by the diocesan bishops; (2) non-Anglicans may be admitted to communion in Anglican churches under authority of diocesan bishops, on acceptance of the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds, the deity of Christ, and the absolute authority of the Scriptures; (3) Anglicans must not receive the communion from ministers not episcopally ordained or whose orders are otherwise irregular; (4) it is wisest to abstain from such services as the closing service held at Kikuyu. These points of the answer of the consultative body were embodied in a statement of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the appearance of which revived the controversy in 1915, the bishops of London and Oxford and others taking issue with the Primate, and the English Church Union, composed of advanced churchmen, adopting a resolution opposing any invitation to members of separatist bodies, by Anglican bishops, admitting them to the Church altars or pulpits. The Archbishop in his statement takes into ac

The Anglican and Russian Churches. The Lower House of the Convocation of Canterbury has adopted a resolution instructing its president to enter into communication with the representatives of the Orthodox Church of Russia for closer relations between the two communions.

The Protestant Episcopal Church and the Proposed Missionary Congress at Panama.—Church of England representatives having insisted that the World Missionary Conference of 1910 in Edinburgh, Scotland, should not consider missions in Roman Catholic populations, nor include statistics of them in its statistical tables, American missionary societies decided to hold a conference for the Latin-American republics in Panama early in

and fellowship; a combined choir; and union services throughout the year on Sunday evenings, the ministers preaching alternately. Bishop Davies says the proposition "involves such serious conflict with the canon law of the Episcopal Church that any immediate action other than conference and deliberation seems to me impossible." At his suggestion the proposition has been referred to the Episcopal Commission on Faith and Order and the Congregational Commission on Unity.

1916. The Board of Missions of the Episcopal and Congregational CoöpProtestant Episcopal Church at first eration. The Congregational Comvoted not to participate in the con- mission on Unity reports a proposiference; but later, in May, 1915, it tion for coöperation between the Episadopted a resolution authorizing the copal and Congregational churches appointment of delegates and par- of Lenox, Mass. The two ministers ticipation in the preparations for the have joined in a letter to Bishop conference, provided that whatever Davies, of the diocese of western invitation is given to any Christian Massachusetts, proposing the mergbody shall be sent to every church ing of men's clubs and Sundayhaving work in Latin America. This school services and mission-study action, considered by some as sanc- classes; a weekly service for prayer tioning an intrusion into fields occupied by one of the great communions of the Church of Christ, was the subject of protest on the part of some of the bishops and clergy as an evident effort to commit the Church to "a policy of pan-Protestantism." The Protestant Episcopal Church, it was argued, has always stood between Protestant bodies and the Roman Catholic Church, and if it now allies itself with Protestant bodies it will strike a blow at the hope of Christian unity. At the October meeting of the Board of Missions an effort was made to secure a reversal of the former action. The vote was 13 for and 26 against recision. When the result was announced, five members, including two bishops, resigned their connection with the Board. The Church itself has missions in Mexico and Brazil. Resolutions were subsequently adopted that it is the understanding of the Board that the gathering is not to be one of legislation on ecclesiastical questions or even on matters of missionary policy; but that it is the purpose of the Congress to recognize all the elements of truth and goodness in any form of religious faith, that its approach to the people will be neither critical nor antagonistic, and that all communions and organizations which accept Jesus Christ as divine Saviour and Lord and the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments and whose purpose it is to make the will of Christ prevail in Latin America, are invited to the Congress. The delegates of the Board are: Bishop Lloyd, president of the Board, Bishop Kinsolving of Brazil, Bishop Knight of Panama, Bishop Hulse of Cuba, Bishop Colmore of Porto Rico, Bishop Brown, coadjutor bishop of Virginia, and Bishop Aves of Mexico.

Nation-wide Preaching Mission.— Under the authority of action by the General Convention of 1913, a commission, of which Bishop Greer of New York is chairman, issued in May, 1915, a call for a nation-wide preaching mission to be undertaken for a period of two weeks at the beginning of the Advent season of 1915, during which special daily services shall be held in every parish, with the help of missioners.

World Conference on Faith and Order.-At the close of 1914, 49 communions had, it was announced, appointed commissions on this subject (A. Y. B., 1914, p. 716). The outbreak of the European War compelled a suspension of plans. No meetings of the Commission were held in 1915. Further action awaits the end of the war.

BAPTIST

Northern Baptist Convention.-The annual session of the Northern Baptist Convention was held in 1915 in Los Angeles, beginning May 19. The president of the Convention, Judge Edward L. Clinch of New York, declared in his presidential address that "the Convention has passed through its experimental stage and its whole system is working smooth

ly." It had already accomplished | mittee on efficiency reported, recmuch and "yet has only begun its ommending that the Sunday-school, work of coordination and coöpera- the home-mission and foreign-mission tion." Reports from the Foreign boards be not consolidated, but that Mission Society showed a total in- they should be constituted represencome of $1,110,375, and from the tatively and continue as separate Home Mission Society, of $650,495, boards, and that the papers representbesides income from invested funds of ing respectively the home- and for$96,819. It was announced that the eign-mission boards should not be Home Mission Society had freed it- merged. The Southern Baptists, it self from a heavy indebtedness of stated, are now in a serious situation upwards of $276,000. The publica- and must go forward bravely or go tion society, which has a missionary backward. With opportunities pracdepartment, reported receipts of tically limitless before them and with $128,836 from churches and individ- resources that are adequate and conuals; the income in addition to this stantly advancing in every way, a was the income on invested funds, halt now would stagnate the currents special gifts, etc., all making a grand of progress indefinitely, and theretotal of $232,837. The Convention fore the highest endeavors should be recommended a total budget for all put forth to give the Baptist message its societies for 1915-16 of $2,610,000, wherever opportunity permits. The including $121,700 for the Convention apportionments submitted for home itself. The Convention adopted a and foreign missions call for a total five-year programme calling for "a of $1,065,750 to be raised by the end million additions to our churches by of April, 1916. baptism"; a missionary force of 5,000 men and women in America and the non-Christian world; two million dollars of endowment for the Ministers' and Missionaries' Benefit Board; six million dollars for additional educational endowment and equipment at home and abroad; and an annual income of $6,000,000 for missions and benevolence. The methods recommended for the carrying out of this programme were: a persistent, pervasive evangelism, personal, pastoral and vocational; the systematic and proportionate giving of not less than one-tenth of the income, with larger giving by those of large resources; an annual every-member canvass for weekly contributions; an increasing emphasis on education, Biblical, missionary and scholastic; the development of every church in social service; and prevailing prayer, personal, public and social.

Southern Baptist Convention.-The annual session of the Southern Baptist Convention was held in Houston, Tex., in May. The attendance was much less than usual, numbering only about one thousand delegates. This was probably due to the fact that the place of meeting was distant from most of the territory of the Southern Baptist churches. Dr. Lansing Burrows was elected president. The com

Free Baptist General Conference.This body met in July, 1915, at Ocean Park, Maine, and received reports concerning the activity of its churches and especially of the progress of union with the Northern Baptist Convention. The report of the corresponding secretary states that in practically all the states, union of state organizations is now the proximate goal, with Nebraska as the only exception. In Nebraska a comparatively few are detaining the process of union and "it may be needful to appeal to the courts, in order to secure for the local churches in that state the rights of holding and administering their own property and of seeking the fellowship of the Northern Baptist organization." It is stated that the time does not seem very distant "when we should cease to regard ourselves as a separate denomination." There is no longer the machinery for gathering statistics of the Free Baptists, many churches and yearly meetings having already united with churches and organizations of the Northern Baptist Convention.

National Baptist Convention.-Colored Baptists have over two million communicants. At the meeting of the National Baptist Convention in Chicago in September, representing the colored Baptists of the United

States, a division took place over the tional Publishing Society and the question of incorporating the Con- Congregational Education Society are vention. Those who disagreed with the features of the bill of incorporation, which was secured in the District of Columbia, separated from the Convention after an unsuccessful appeal to the courts to prohibit the officers from proceeding with their convention, and organized a separate convention.

CONGREGATIONAL

grouped under a common directorate and a common general secretary. Its functions are editing, printing and marketing; Sunday School education; education in missions; general relig ious education; social service, student welfare and college aid. Its headquarters are to be in Boston.

Other items of business transacted by the Council included a resolution that a long reading course or correspondence course be required as a National Congregational Council.- minimum qualification of non-colThe chief event of the year among the legiate candidates for ordination, and Congregational churches was the the declaration that the denominabiennial session of the National Con- tional committee on union is ready to gregational Council at New Haven meet committees of other denominain October. H. M. Beardsley of Kan- tions on the subject of church unity. sas was elected moderator, succeeding Resolutions to observe the four-hunProf. Charles R. Brown of New dredth anniversary of the Lutheran Haven. The matter of chief interest Reformation in 1917 and of the Pilin the session of the Council was grims in 1920 were adopted. With the report of the commission on the reference to the European War, the reorganization of the denominational Council recognized the weighty remissionary societies. This commis- sponsibility resting upon the Presision, of which President Henry C. dent of the United States and comKing of Oberlin College was chairman, mended him for the wisdom and and Dr. Hubert C. Herring, secretary, strength he has shown, and asked reported a new federation plan, the both the President and Congress "to main points of which are as follows. take no steps toward increased armaFirst, the Congregational Board of ment not necessitated by grave conMinisterial Relief was left as it is, ditions of national defense." The having an independent organization, opinion was expressed that the energy with headquarters in New York. of our Government at this crisis Second, the American Missionary As- should be given to working out, in cosociation was left a separate organ- operation with other governments, of ization with its headquarters in New a plan of international organization York; such missionary work among that shall render the recurrence of the whites as it has hitherto con- the present world tragedy imposducted is to be transferred to the sible. A committee was appointed to Home Missionary Society, and it is present to the President of the United to receive under its care in return States memorials touching Armenian certain institutions hitherto operated atrocities and also the resolutions by the Educational Society, mainly concerning national preparedness. among the Indians. Third, the Home The report of the American Board deMissionary Board, the Church Build-clared that the year had been one of ing Society and the Sunday School unparalleled trial and triumph. The Society are grouped together under income of the Board had, it was a common directorate and a common general secretary with headquarters in New York; within this group the Sunday-school extension work is to be conducted under the name Congregational Sunday School Society, and if deemed expedient, it may be incorporated for the purpose of holding property and receiving legacies and other gifts. Fourth, the Congrega

stated, been increased, the receipts from all sources exceeding by more than $100,000 the million mark. The troubles in Turkey and Mexico and other fields were set forth; and yet the present was regarded as a time for a forward movement. The next meeting of the Council in 1917 is to be held in California. One of the features of the meeting of the Coun

cil was the fact that a number of withdrawal from the General Counpulpits of the Protestant Episcopal Church in New Haven were, with the express approval of the bishop of the diocese, open to members of the Congregational Council.

LUTHERAN

cil. But this danger was happily averted by a resolution providing for a revision of the constitution of the General Council, to be reported in 1917, with the object of providing full liberty to the district synods in matters specially concerning them.

synods, and that these churches, pastors and communicants have "less to do with one another by way of cooperation and harmonious action than the various denominations of the Reformed Church." It has been suggested that the general bodies and leading independent synods hold conferences on union. The General Synod, the General Council, the Unit

Lutheran Union.-There has been The General Synod.-The General no little discussion in the Lutheran Synod met in its forty-seventh bien- press and elsewhere on the subject of nial session at Akron, O., on May 26, Lutheran union. While Lutherans and was characterized by a spirit of are comprehended in one communion, harmony. A note for a united Luth- they are not organically one eccleeran church in America was sounded siastically. There are four general frequently and strongly, and it was bodies of Lutherans in the United intimated that until Lutherans can States, the General Synod, with agree among themselves a broader 340,000 communicants, the General union is out of the question. An im- Council, with 480,000, the United portant step was taken toward closer Synod South, with 52,000 and the relations between the General Synod Synodical Conference, with more than and other Lutheran bodies in author- 850,000. There are also 17 independizing the committee on practical co- ent synods, of which the largest, the operation to consider definite plans United Norwegian, has 168,000, and for union in consultation with any the smallest only 1,100. It is pointed committee authorized to represent out that in Minneapolis, for example, any other Lutheran body. In con- a great Lutheran city, the 62 Luthnection with the four-hundredth an- eran churches, 58 pastors, and 17,000 niversary of the Reformation, the communicants represent 11 different General Synod in conjunction with the General Council, the United Synod South and the independent synods of Ohio and Iowa will plan for a most notable celebration. The General Synod proposes to raise as a memorial a million dollars for education. The Home Mission and Church Extension Boards were consolidated, the committee on the Common Service and Hymnal was author-ed Synod South and the Synod of ized to complete its work, which is for the General Synod, the General Council and the United Synod South, and the Sunday-school committee received final authority to furnish a series of graded lessons for the Sunday schools of the above named three general bodies and the independent synod of Ohio. Rev. J. A. Singmaster is president of the General Synod. The General Council.-The biennial session of the General Council was held at Rock Island, Ill., in September, under the presidency of Dr. T. E. Schmauk. The General Council met the previous action of the General Synod by appointing a committee on union. The matter of greatest concern was prior action of the Augustana Synod, which seemed to involve

Ohio have each indicated a desire for
a general union, and for such meas-
ures as will bring "Lutheran sepa-
ratism" to an end. Three Norwegian
Lutheran bodies are proposing to
unite, the Norwegian, the United Nor-
wegian and the Hauge Synod, and the
United Synod has adopted the pro-
posed union
mously.

constitution unani

Increase in the Use of the English Language.-Reports of pastors of Hauge's Lutheran Norwegian Synod show that English services are in-creasing. Of 107 congregations, 34 use Norwegian exclusively, three English exclusively, and 60 both tongues. In Sunday schools those using the Norwegian have 1,577 pupils and those using the English 1,493. In

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