Toward Christ's Mountain

Seldom is the U. S. religious scene without a drive or campaign of some sort. Currently prelates and publicists of the Roman Catholic Church are engaged in telling the faithful how gravely they are endangered by Communism. An Episcopal group led by Bishop Henry Wise Hobson of Southern Ohio is attempting to deepen the spiritual life of the Church through a Forward Movement. The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, is trying to do like wise and to liquidate a $385,000 mission ary debt through a Bishop's Crusade, to which the most notable response to date has come from China's Chiang Kai-shek & wife who promise $1,000 in gold. Last week the Methodist Episcopal Church passed its first milestone in a campaign not only to raise $6,000,000 for the Church's work at home and abroad but also to revitalize, modernize and stream line the faith of John Wesley.

Northern Methodism's name for its drive is the Million Unit Fellowship Movement. A "unit" is $1 a month subscribed to the Church. Methodists may make themselves responsible for the monthly $1 or club together on a unit. The Church expects its 5,000,000 members thus to contribute $1,000,000 a month for the next year. Since its launching last November the Movement has been directed by retired Bishop Frederick Thomas Keeney of Chicago. Methodist income for world service has dipped from $8,000,000 in 1925 to $3,000,000 in 1935 but busy Bishop Keeney hopes to enable the Church to budget $12,000,000 in 1940. Last week Bishop Keeney was well satisfied with efforts to date: 227,000 units pledged. Spiritually, according to the Bishop, "Methodism is preparing to take the offensive again," and the Million Unit Fellowship is designed to lead Methodists toward a better social order, "a Christian way" between Fascism and Communism. At this concept Dr. Eli Stanley Jones, perhaps the world's greatest Methodist and the leader of the National Preaching Mission last autumn (TIME, Sept. 28 et seq.). has been hammering away in recent speeches up & down the land. Last week to the aid of Dr. Jones and the Fellowship went one of the nation's most pious and eminent non-Methodists, John D. Rockefeller Jr., who spoke to Methodists in Fellowship assembled on a nation-wide radio hookup.

Three million Methodists were supposed to be gathered at Fellowship dinners under the auspices of 20,000 city and village churches. Perhaps 1,500,000 or more were. To them went the voices of Dr. Jones, about to return to his labors as a missionary in India, who urged his favorite idea: that all the sects form a Church of Christ, with each sect represented as a "Branch." Mr. Rockefeller, who would belong to the Baptist Branch but who has publicly announced he will give no more millions to sectarian enterprises (TIME, Nov. 25, 1935), voiced his agreement with Dr. Jones. Saying nothing about the Million Unit Fellowship, potential Christian Churchman Rockefeller declared: "It is a hopeful sign that many people are searching for a simple, fundamental religion as the way to peace, well-being and happiness. ... To the church should this quest naturally lead. But the church, with its sects, still clings to its denominationalism, in which a drifting, disillusioned, discouraged world sees confusion rather than hope.

"Only a united Christian world can stem the rising tide of materialism, of selfishness, of shaken traditions, of crum bling moral standards, and point the way out. . . .

"If we who call ourselves Christians could catch the vision from the mountain top, we would see that there all roads meet; there Christ stands waiting to see His followers united irrespective of race or creed and praying to the Father that 'they may all be one.' How long, God, must He wait?"

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