Pre-General Convention: Future Priorities
Diocesan Press Service. August 7, 1964 [XXIII-6]
What will be given priority in the Church's program for the near future?
This is one of the many decisions facing the 61st General Convention in St. Louis. If the Convention adopts the resolutions proposed by the Joint Commission on the Church in Human Affairs, the answer will be work in urban areas.
The Commission believes "that one of the greatest missionary opportunities today is among the unchurched populations of the large American cities. ". It, therefore, recommends in its report that the work in these areas be given priority and that pilot projects for urban areas be encouraged and, if need be, financed by the Home Department of National Council until such time as it is possible and advisable to share the cost between the diocese concerned and the Council. It also recommends that National Council provide educational materials and information to be used to acquaint dioceses with the need and opportunity for a strong urban program.
War and peace is the second major concern of the Commission's report. In its resolutions it asks General Convention to adopt the statement on War and Peace which was issued by the House of Bishops at its 1962 meeting and to commend it to the consideration of all the people of the church. This statement says that "because of the nature of the Christian faith, Christians have an imperative obligation to pray and work for peace among men and nations." It states that the Christian view of war and peace has become less and less clear, particularly with the advent of "total war" concepts and technologies. In this situation Christians must "exercise the strongest discipline of conscience to prevent total war. Under modern conditions, such war cannot serve any moral or even useful purpose.... Realizing the social sin inherent in the world, the Church recognizes that the United States must remain strong militarily as long as the threat of military attack from without remains." But at the same time, the statement "declares that the concept of massive retaliation marked by obliteration bombings of large areas and masses of people should be repudiated. " It calls on all Christians to be peace-makers in family, work, and community life: fostering programs of international exchange and understanding, encouraging study and discussion of all issues affecting the national welfare, taking an active part in government and community affairs and encouraging others to do the same, and exercising the responsibilities of citizenship through protesting evils In government and community practices, using only non-violent means. "The persistent focusing of the total life of the Church in our day - its worship, prayers, study and parish programs - on the issues of the day, and particularly those of war and peace, is essential to the very life of the Church; just as is our firm conviction that it is crucial to the life of the world itself that the Church do so."
The Commission's report, lastly, concerns itself with the population explosion and the resulting problems of human misery, retarded economic growth and the danger to world peace because of widespread hunger and poverty. It asks General Convention to urge members of the Church to work in that r communities for adequate resources for family planning and also for the right of husband and wife to determine mutually the size of their family, and to encourage the government of this country to offer information on family planning to other nations.
Related to family planning, the Commission asks for a study on the Christian understanding of sexual behavior and that special attention be given to the existing premarital and marriage counseling resources within the church and to the development of training programs so that the church can minister more adequately in these areas. The study would be done during the next triennium and specific recommendations made to the 1967 General Convention, looking toward the adoption of an agreed-upon interpretation of Christian moral standards in this area of life.