Note and Comment

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 20, 1916

Honest Confession

MANY of those who are posing as advocates of church union profess to be actuated by motives of disinterested benevolence, entirely free from sectarian bias. If their fellows could be made to believe that they were indeed actuated by such motives, then their efforts might meet with a broader measure of success. The editor of the Word and Way, in his paper for March 30, 1916, frankly states that the peace propaganda springs from no such motives. Speaking of the desire of the Catholic Church for unity, he says,—

“They want the whole world to be one in doctrine, but insist that it must be Catholic doctrine. . . . In its last analysis, this is what much of the talk about Christian union means. It is noticeable that those who are ostensibly worrying over the divided condition of Christendom, and are pleading for unity, are not separating themselves from the sects to which they belong, whereas, as an evidence of good faith they ought to pursue a policy of detachment. When we come right down to a fair examination and full understanding, we find that the leaders of, and spokesmen for, the Protestant denominations that are trying to break down what they call sectarianism are all like the Catholics, in that the Episcopalians want everybody to be Episcopalians, the Methodists everybody to be Methodists, the Congregationalists everybody Congregationalists, and so on for all of them. But they are all lacking in the courage and honesty of the Catholic Church.”

“As for ourselves, we have no hesitation in saying that the ground occupied by Baptists is the only ground of a desirable union. And that is just another way of saying that we are not in favor of any union so far as Baptists are concerned and affected, except the coming to the Baptists of the people of other faiths. We grow impatient over the obvious insincerity—not to say hypocrisy—in so much of what is being said and written about Christian unity.”

And this is the position which every sincere churchman, without reference to his church affiliation, must take. One who is a Baptist ought to be a Baptist and from principle, because he believes the doctrines held by the Baptist Church. Believing these doctrines, he can favor no union except one which recognizes as cardinal the same faith which he holds. And this is true of the Presbyterians, of the Methodists, of the Catholics.

If Seventh-day Adventists did not believe with all their hearts the doctrines which they hold and teach, they could well forego the temporal and material inconvenience which the holding of such doctrines brings to them, and unite with their brethren of other churches. We honor the man, be his church connection what it may, who conscientiously follows what he believes to be right, and refuses to surrender on any plea of church unity the convictions of his soul. It must be confessed that much of the talk regarding church unity comes from those who have lost definite religious conviction, or who are insincere in their propaganda.