2 CHRISTIANITY TODAY the Presbytery of New York was presented by Dr. longer possible to make headway by contending that George A. Buttrick of the same Presbytery and evangelical Christianity is the same thing as funda' seconded by Dr. H. Ray Anderson of the Presby, mentalism. More than could have been dreamed of tery of Chicago. The name of Dr. George H. Talbott in 1923 it has been learned that Christians can and of the Presbytery of Jersey City was presented by do hold the truth of the gospel and proclaim it with Dr. Arthur N. Butz of the Presbytery of Morris power without subscribing to the distinctive funda' and Orange and seconded by Dr. Thomas Law mental tenets. This process has been going on all Coyle of the Presbytery of Los Angeles. Dr. Coffin these years. This year a seal was put upon it. What received 291 votes and Dr. Talbott 159. On mo' has been going on is not so much that men's opinions tion of Dr. Talbott the election was made unani, have changed as that the Church has been gaining mous. As a presiding officer Dr. Coffin, needless to in Christian liberty and mutual confidence, and in say, was all that could be desired. the unity of the Spirit. This year this gain was The necessity for extended comment on the signally forwarded. The way is now open for us significance of this election is obviated by the fact to go ahead in the service of the Kingdom of God, that we are reprinting in this issue of CHRISTIANITY to the tasks before us, tasks that challenge the faith TODAY what we wrote about "Dr. Coffin as a Can' and strength of a united Church." didate for Moderator" in our Pre' Assembly number The election of Dr. Coffin as Moderator of the (May) which was sent to all the commissioners by General Assembly is, in our opinion, the ripened first class mail at least ten days preceding the meet' fruit of that policy of appeasement in dealing with ing of the Assembly. This fact of itself-it does not the "Liberals" that has prevailed in the Presby, stand alone-is sufficient to make clear that the terian Church since the appointment of the Com' commissioners to the 155'th General Assembly did mission of Fifteen in 1925' following the decision not act in ignorance of what they were doing when of the Permanent Judicial Commission in the "Gantz they elected the Church's outstanding Auburn Affir' case". That decision sustained the contention of mationist and the President of Union Thelogical Gantz and others that N ew York Presbytery had Seminary, the country's leading Modernist seminary, erred in licensing candidates who were unable to as their Moderator by a vote of nearly two to one. affirm "clear and positive" belief in the Virgin It is possible that a few of the commissioners were Birth of our Lord and by implication condemned misled by the nominating speeches of Drs. Buttrick the Auburn Affirmation as a whole. Immediately and Anderson-speeches that were constructed on following the reading of this decision, however, Dr. the pragmatic principle that truth is what works-­ Coffin in behalf of the Commissioners from New but certainly not many. The necessity for extended York Presbytery and Dr. ]. V. Moldenhawer in comment on our part is further obviated by the com' behalf of the Synod of New York rushed to the ments in other publications--The .southern Presby, platform and expressed their open defiance of the terian Journal, The United Presbyterian and The decision. Intimidated by this' action the Assembly Calvin Forum among others--which may be found adopted a resolution providing that "a Commission on the pages following this report. of Fifteen be appointed to study the present spiritual Naturally the Auburn Affirmationists and those condition of our Church and the causes making for in sympathy with their position are greatly elated unrest, and to report to the next General Assembly, over Dr. Coffin's election inasmuch as they in' to the end that the peace, purity, unity and progress terpret it, not without warrant, as a vindication of of the Church may be assured." The report of this their contention that its signers "cannot be justly Commission, as presented and adopted in 1926 and charged with unfaithfulness to their ordination en' 192 7, as is well known, virtually annulled the de' gagements, with revolt against rightful authority cision of the Permanent Judicial Commission in the in the church, or with forsaking Christian belief." "Gantz case" and commended the policy of appease' The Presbyterian Tribune, professed organ of the ment under the protection of which the "Liberals," liberals, states editorially (July, August issue) : "The by use of the method of infiltration-a method they election of the Moderator, so it was said by many were in a position to employ from the start through at the General Assembly, was a great day for the their control of New York Presbytery-has gone on Church. The election was a mile,stone in the from strength to strength until now it would seem history of our Church, marking memorable advance. that they are in all but complete control of the It is fortunate that before the meeting of the As, situation. It was in March, 1926, before the Com' sembly an attempt was made, by rather extensive mission of Fifteen had made its first report, that propaganda, for the avowed purpose of influencing Dr. Coffin wrote the article in The Forum in which the election, to revive the controversy which came he said, "I am a Presbyterian only temporarily." near to rending the Church in twain twenty years Apparently he was thinking of leaving the Presby, ago, and that everything that could have been terian Church at that time. Had he done so it would thought of as helpful to this end was raked out of not, we believe, have rent the Church "in twain" the .. East. Fortunate this was, because the outcome as the editorial in the Presbyterian Tribune is fitted showed -how times have changed. Now it is no to suggest. Rather, if we mistake not, it would have CHRISTIANITY TODAY 3 produced less of a breach than did the departure "To make our Synods and General Assembly truly of the late ]. Gresham Machen. If such was his representative courts, presbyteries ought to elect thought, it was abandoned following the adoption commissioners who stand for principles. We elect of the report of the Commission of Fifteen and representatives to legislatures and to the Congress since that time those who share his views have because of the things for which they stand. If pres' wrought with such success for the control of the byteries have convictions about the great issues be' Church that no longer content to vote for some fore the Church, they ought to send commissioners "conservative acceptable to the liberals" they have to the higher judicatories who properly reflect those placed their recognized leader in the Moderator's convictions, and who can contribute to the thought chair. Small wonder that they are in an exultant and deliberations of the higher bodies." It seems to mood. We can only hope that their success will be us, also, that the Assembly should follow a more instrumental in opening the eyes of Presbyterians flexible docket. No doubt a docket is necessary but in general to the existing situation and thus lead to there is nothing sacrosanct about the one proposed a reaction toward better things. Be that as it may, by the Stated Clerk. Otherwise it lies within the in our opinion at least, the outcome to date of the power of the Stated Clerk to determine the period policy of appeasement followed in dealing with the that shall be devoted to the consideration of any Auburn Affirmationists and those who share their particular issues to come before the Assembly and views has not furthered the welfare of the Presby, thereby unduly influence action thereon. There is no terian Church in the U.S.A. or the Church at large good reason, it seems to us, why the time for ad, any more than the policy of appeasement followed journing the Assembly should be fixed beforehand. for some years by England and France toward Hitler The time should be left indefinite and the Assembly furthered the welfare either of those countries or adjourn only after but as soon as it has fully com' of the world as a whole. pleted its deliberations. To assume that the As, sembly must keep to the schedule proposed by the A Non-Deliberative Assembly Stated Clerk is inimical to anything like free and full debate. The primary purpose of the Assembly It had been thought by some that this year's As, should be regarded as deliberative rather than in' sembly would be an unusually deliberative one by spirational and there is no sufficient reason why our reason of its reduced size. Such was not the case. Assembly, like that of the Southern Presbyterian If anything there was less speech this year from Assembly, should not hold evening sessions. Wood­ the floor than last year-which is saying a great deal row Wilson once said of Princeton University that -despite the fact that the Moderator gave every the side,shows were being regarded as more im, opportunity, even encouraged discussion. Report portant than the main show. If we mistake not, after report was adopted without a "nay" vote and something like that is true of our General Assembly.