Religion: Poor Churchmanship

Many a Presbyterian, profoundly aware of the existence of Rev. Henry Sloane Coffin among their fellowship, waited his word. Would his silence have the effect of committing the entire church “to work, and pray and vote for . . . Hoover.” Last week Dr. Coffin wrote a letter to the New York Times. Brief, compact, it follows:

“As a Presbyterian and one who in this election is supporting Mr. Hoover, I wish publicly to protest against the letter of the Moderator of the General Assembly calling on all members of the Presbyterian Church to support a particular candidate (TIME, Oct. 1). This is a flagrant instance of an ecclesiastic’s attempt to drag the Church into politics. As a citizen Dr. Walker is within his rights in giving his public support to any candidate he pleases. As a Christian minister he is justified in urging the maintenance of prohibition as in his judgment the wisest method of safeguarding the sobriety of the nation. But he usurps an authority never accorded him when he uses his high office to tell the members of the Church for whom they should vote.

“Members of the Presbyterian Church are presumed to possess minds and consciences of their own. Many of them will not agree with the Moderator as to the chief issues in this campaign. They may feel constrained to support Mr. Norman Thomas* as a protest against much that is sub-Christian in the platforms of both of the large parties. Or they may decide to vote for Governor Smith because they sincerely believe that prohibition does not really secure the maximum of temperance or for some other of his policies.

“In any case it is bad taste, poor churchmanship and a misuse of the ministerial office to attempt to line up the Church for a political party and its candidate.

“Sincerely yours,

“HENRY SLOANE COFFIN”

Dr. Coffin’s letter only partially counteracts Moderator Walker’s call for Hoover votes on behalf of “Christ & Church.” It does, however, leave the Presbyterian church much less unanimously in politics than other communions. In order of the pro-Hoover activity of their ministers, the principal Protestant denominations were ranked last week as follows: Methodists, Lutherans, Baptists, Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians (almost no campaigning).

*An ordained minister, Socialist Nominee Norman Thomas was once a pupil at the Union Theological Seminary of which Dr. Coffin is now president.