World Federation

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Sep 2, 1913

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 40, No. 34.

WHAT to some may seem to be good news from the great mission fields contains, on the other hand, a great element of danger. Just recently five sectional conferences with missionaries in various parts of China have been held, concluding with a national conference in Shanghai, March 11-14. Delegates were there from the churches of the whole nation, various Protestant denominations. The Missionary Review of the World for July says: “The conference spoke with positiveness in favor of a single missionary church in China, eliminating all Western denominational lines. . . . It was urgently recommended that all churches should discard every distinctive name, and assume only the single title ‘The Christian Church of China.’” A hymnal for all union churches and a book of prayer for voluntary use in public worship were ordered prepared. And to help the thing along, native Chinese should be received to a share in the administration of foreign funds used for the support of their churches.

Copyright by Underwood & Underwood, N. Y.

In Central India, the same journal tells us, “word comes of another movement for a union of the Christian churches. In the Jubbalpore Conference on federation, representing seven of the leading missionary societies working in India, there was a declaration in favor of a federation of ‘all churches and societies that believe in God through Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord and Saviour, and accept the word of God as contained in the Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament as the supreme rule of faith and practise, and whose teaching in regard to God, sin, and salvation is in general agreement with the great body of Christian truth and fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith.’”

In the Philippine Islands a Christian college is planned to be under the direction of seven Protestant missionary societies. Now if there are no real distinctive doctrines or beliefs in these Christian societies, certainly it is well that they should unite together; but if in order to effect this it is necessary to suppress distinctive doctrines involving conscientious conviction regarding the teaching of God’s word, such union will be a breeder of evil rather than good. For instance, what will our Baptist brethren do, who have held through all these long centuries to immersion as the only baptism? It used to be—it is still, we believe, with many—a matter of faith based on decided conviction. The Word teaches it. Will they relinquish it, or will they feel that their message and mission including that is to the world? Seventh-day Adventists feel that they have a message for the world—God’s message, a message designed for all peoples, whatever their belief or nationality. With their view of the Word, they could not for one moment relinquish their identity, nor could they unite in the parceling out of the country among the various denominations. Such action must lead to measures of oppression, and very much needless strife. The unity that Christ desired is unity first of all in life and in truth. No mere federation can meet the unity which He desired.