Gordon Clark: The Inconsistent Liberal (The Southern Presbyterian Journal)

1956. The Inconsistent Liberal. The Southern Presbyterian Journal. Feb. 29. pgs. 5-6.

The Inconsistent Liberal

By Gordon H. Clark, Ph.D.

The Christian Century, which long ago adopted the position that its God and religion are not the God and the religion of Fundamentalism, cannot always avoid contradicting itself as it opposes those who believe the Bible. In the issue of Feb. 15, 1956, on pages 196-197, there is an editorial on the affairs of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Brooklyn. For sometime now the acting minister of that church has been the Rev. W. H. Melish, widely suspected of extreme left wing sympathies and activities. Lately he was discharged by the vestry and the vestry was supported by the Bishop. But a part of the congregation favored Mr. Melish, and according to reports has taken possession of the church building by force. The Bishop now seeks redress at law.

On this situation the Christian Century writes, "The legalities will be in order. But only the legalities. Shame on all the loveless whose strength must be in the law."

Compare this editorial with what the Christian Century had to say about the North Rocky Mount Baptist church in North Carolina. In this instance the majority of the church voted to withdraw from the Southern Baptist Convention. The minority went to court to obtain title to the property. And the courts of North Carolina, in defiance oi all Baptist principle and history, awarded the property to the minority, ruling that Baptist churches connected with a Convention had no right to withdraw.

Did the Christian Century cry Shame? On the contrary, the Christian Century belabored the majority and approved of the action that kept the local church tied to the Convention.

Why, we must ask, is it shameful tor the vestry and the Bishop to go to law in New York, while it is commendable lor the minority in North Carolina to go to law? What is the difference between the two cases. Could it be that Mr. Melish is radical and that the withdrawing Baptists were Bible believers?