World Council Of Churches Opens Tomorrow

Chronicle (Levin), 21 August 1948, Page 4

World Council Of Churches Opens Tomorrow

Fy,ture histprians may record ' that tlie mqsf creative event in ;] tlre history of Christianity, ' be- j tweqn the founding of the Church j and our o,wn .time, took place in .j Apgust of thi^, year. At Amsier- y dam, on Sunday, August ' 22, the i Wforid Council of (ghufphes: be f opened. "If will not be just another ipternational - conference," says Dr. S. MacCrea Gavert, secretary of . the Federal Council^ of Churche^ in America. "It wllf be s'Omething without parallel" ' in Christian history," - "The * Oonstituting Assembly of the" World Council of Churches will cextainly be the greate&t con- . vqcation . of Christians ever agsembled in the history of the . Church," "writes Professor f. M. • Taylor. s The' outstanding fact is that 148' Christian dbnominatiQns,. some . w-ith separ-ate traditions that sfretch back oyer eight cepturies,. are coming together to f'Oim a permanent co-operative counoil". D,elegates will be present from 40, cpuntries in all five continents. Ih addition to ' the Churchqs wefLknown in this CQuntry, there will be representatives of the 175 millions of Eastern Orthodox Christians and of the 64 -million L.utherans. There will be the Coptfc, Ethiopian, Armenian, Old Qatholic, Battak, aird Mai; Thoma Syrian " Ch'urehes. Anio.ng'5t the united Churches will be the Japanese, Chinese, South Indian and Canadian. There will be at least fffteen New Zeaianders of six different denominations.