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Volo 25 -No op 14 May 29, 1963
Being the editor of a journal has its manifold frustrations and
satisfactions. Our statement of purpose in the first issue was to
"attempt to speak to the university community, correlating the Chris-
tian faith and contemporary life." Those first few issues were always
missing their dateline and in a few instances conspicuously lacking
in material. Due to the thought and concern of our contributors, the
fearlessness of our proofreader, the patience of our typist, and the
indulgence of the Campus Minister in providing materials for us, we
have been able to make Skandalon into a continuous, bi-weekly journal.
Skandalon's raison d'etre has not only been to provide more
literature for campus edification. Skandalon arises from a notion of
Christianity which transcends what is commonly labelled "religion."
Religion (i.e., Christianity) is much more than a Sunday morning wor-
ship experience. It finds its roots in all facets of our lives, Thus
the Christian has a concern for everything around him. The commitment
of faith has as its concomitant a concern for the entire world,
As Christians, we have concerns for the various social problems
around us, During the year, Skandalon's primary concerns have tended
to be with these problems, However, our concerns lie also in the
realms of theology and the fine arts, It is hoped that these concerns
will play a more prominent role in next year's Skandalon. "Skandalon"
in Greek means "stumbling block or that which offers offense," So it
is with a journal which attempts to relate itself to issues of concern.
It cannot but cause offense if it challenges the hypocrisy of a com-
munity (i.e., the university community) which too often holds itself
aloof from the community in which it finds itself, The Christian
cannot be but a spectator, he must be a participant. If he criticises,
he does it in love. If he challenges, he is willing to risk being
challenged, When one witnesses to God' s love, one takes sides once
and for all.
Skandalon has tried to witness by giving an opportunity for the
presentation of various concerns, We have tried to avoid self-
righteousness, We have also tried to avoid making judgements from the
"Ivory Tower." We at all times have been mindful of the responsibility
of being part of the campus ministry and have attempted to act in
humility. As soon as we play the hero or attempt to be "nay-sayers,"
Skandalon will not be acting out of love and hence will be subverting
its own purpose. Skandalon challenges all not "to be conformed to
this world.,.but to be transformed by renewal of spirit." As long as
we can examine our concerns sub specie crucis and to do so with some
grace, we shall be accomplishing our purpose.
Editor
Alan Minarcik
CHEESE If, THE LAWYERS
There have been furthur developments in the case of Russell
Broughton, prominent church and civie leader arrested for interfering
with another's arrest when he questioned Albany policeman John Cody's
"manhandling," to use Mr, Broughton's term, of prisoner William
Washington, The grand jury investigation of the matter has been con-
cluded with no action being taken. Police Commissioner James Kirwin
has convened a public hearing, now recessed.
This open hearing, convened on May 9, exactly one month after
Mr. Broughton's arrest, is disturbing for two reasons. The first is
the manner in which witnesses at the hearing were questioned. Despite
frequent affirmations by all parties involved, the questioning did not
seem to be aimed at learning the truth of the matter, It seemed,
rather, to be aimed at intimidating the witnesses. Thus, in every
instance in which the testimony of Mr. Broughton and police officers
conflicted (there were many), Mr. Broughton was asked to characterize
the officers as liars. Furthur, he was asked to verify not whether
newspaper accounts of his and Mr, Washington's arrests were correct
put whether they quoted him correctly. Police officers were asked to
state that to stand and watch an arrest is to commit a crime. (One
of them did.) In other words, no one took seriously the real task of
the hearing, to determine if Mr, Broughton did interfere with an
arrest and if officer Cody did strike Mr, Washington.
Secondly, the hearing has been recessed with no indication that
it will be reconvened, Yet, William Washington, who probably knows as
much about the alleged manhandling as anyone, has not been heard,
Again, there seems to be little real concern to determine what
actually happened,
Civil rights of every citizen, white or black, churchman or
atheist, policeman or telephone company executive, must be protected
in Albany as in Alabama. When, as in the Broughton affair, there is
any indication that these rights are abused, every effort must be made
to determine the truth of the matter and to prevent furthur abuse.
This is fundamental to both a democratic and a Christian society. The
most shocking aspect of this case is not Mr, Broughton's arrest, is not
the manhandling of Mr. Washington, but is the apparent lack of honest
concern on the part of city officials.
Tom Bartlow
THE BUNNY'S PHILOSOPHY
In the May, 1963 issue of Motive, an article appeared that com-
mented rather acerbically on the rambling Bunny philosophy espoused
by Mr, Hefner, Editor of Playboy magazine, William Hamilton concluded
his essay by stating, "You can’ t. help but like the guy (Hefner).
Here, if you will, is a man really come of age. How do you tell a
Hefner that.Jesus Christ is his Lord?"
Hamilton, however, is not lauding the man; rather, hé is lamenting
the times. "The Playboy Philosophy," contrary to one's expectations,
is not joyful, superficial, or even particularly optimistic. Rather,
Hefner has devised a modus vivendi that is serious, weighty, and cum-
bersome, What is more amazing, he speaks not only for himself, but, in
addition, for the large group of males in the community that, seemingly
without any particular relish, buy his magazines and attend his clubs.
Basically, Hefner is for "God, America, individualism, capitalism,
pretty girls, and living life with immense gusto and relish." He is
opposed to "Puritanism, bad religion (usually of the organized type),
censorship, the extremes of left and right, conformity, and prohibi-
tion." Such originality is not exactly astounding, although Hefner's
apparent sense of originality is. Hefner does, at one point at least,
agree with the Bible: Both affirm the goodness of the body, One
could wish for more, but apparently Hefner misses that which every
college student is (sometimes painfully) aware of: "The power and
mystery of sexuality."
Nevertheless, Hefner plods on, undaunted in his championship of
Mother and country and his crusade against sin, For example, he poses
. democracy and its ideals against those of Christianity. i.e,, the
Doctrine of Original Sin as opposed to the "innocent til proven guilty"
precept.) Of course, the doctrines of self-interest and hard work
were originally developed in Protestant theology by Oalvin, as evidence
of being one of the "Elect," The Puritans made good use of these
religious ideas to carve out "New Frontiers," but Hefner probably means
he's against Pietism, rather than Puritanism in this respect. Also,
our Founding Fathers, whether Christian or otherwise, believed in the
perceptiveness in analyzing their peers, or as the result of rather
deep introspection, the Founding Fathers also recognized the capabil-
ities of man for evil, and they made suitable provisions for such in
the "separation of powers," Despite this, one must admire Hefner for
his staunch uncompromising stand on this issue.
Not many men would have the courage to honestly and publicly
(although there may be some grounds for believing some do it privately)
choose the "Knife your Buddy" credo over the “Love thy Neighbor"
clause in the Christ-God contract for salvation,
Guy M. McBride
The fifth annual Protestant
Staff: Baccalaureate Service will be held
Editor.....seceeessAlan Minarcik immediately prior to the commence-
Associate Editor...Guy McBride ment exercises on Sunday, June 16 at
Typist......++++++Pegey Holt 8:00 a.m. It will be held at the
Staplevd. ss cccet eOLiEe nues First Iutheran Church on Western Ave
Dave Simington The Rev, Eugene Monich will lead the
JHHERHHEHAEHELEEAbonesese Worship. The Rev, Prank Snow, Cam-
The last chapel service of A peeena: Set ieee ng a heh
the academic year will be held at and Dr. ies ont Sl aees i; te
the Unitarian Church of Albany on participate, Coordinator 6 s
Wed: a May 29 + 12:00 noon service will be Mr, Karl Peterson.
SB AS Sree J #38 4 * Music will be directed by Mr. Jan
Dykman. A coffee hour will precede
the service.
(Editor's note: 4st our request, br. Lolby, of the English Department and
Mr. Grimes, of the Philosophy Department, have consented to write on:
Is the historicity of the Christ event the necessary center of Christian
Feith?)
br. Frances L. Colby
The editor of Skenaalon hes asked me to urite concerning "the relevance
of the Christ-event," supposing quite correctly thet I shpuld take the
effimative position, thus balancing other article he had solicited. It,
I infer, maintains thst some sort of "Christien value" or "meaning" or
"orinciple” can stand apart from the identity and the ectivity of Jesus,
who is called Christ. I mention this context only to say that I have not
seen the article and that, therefore, my touching or failing to touch any
point in it is purely coincidental.
First I neea to aefine whet 1 sean by "Uhrist-event" as an occurnence
in time, subject to h istorical record. sence, challenging the historicity
of an event means primarily questioning whether it ever really happened at
all; or, conceding that "something happened," one may question the accuracy
of the records or the interpretations ziven them. Taat there really was
amen called Jesus, few .ill dispute. whe records concerning im have been
challenged fron several quarters, iiost significahtly because of what
historic Christian affirmetions claim to find asserted in them concerning
his identity. In othor words, what really happened depends altogether.
upon who was acting and suffering. uere the term "Uurist-event" becomes
8 paradox: the temporal, humanly verifiable event, and the affirmation
"Thou art the Christ, with its mowentous acknowledgement of a trensfinite
and unique significance in his presence on earth, ‘his affimation, when-
ever and wherever mace, is aspostulete not subject to the historian's
modes of verification; it is wn act of faith. One will nardly taxe such
a step iithout perusing the records and noting others' responses to them,
but perusal does not necessitate assent. ‘he page, which in fact records
that he whom it sttests refused to give a sign, plays no supernatural tricks
before the reader's eye; the documents are natural facts whose provenience
we largely know. ‘they do not and cannot "prove" a supernatural fact, but
they proclaim one and thus do necessitate response. Affirmation, denial,
end indifference are all responses.
Affirming the "Curist-event" rieans seeing the world one inhabits as
a@ place explicitly and temporally entered by God} it means seeing history
as the record of species whose doings ana sufferings God has coneretely
shared; it means seeing oneself end all men as creatures whose alienation
God endured a tortured human death to heal and whose reconciliation His
resurrection makes sure. To affirm this is, I repeat, an act of faith.
4nd while faith may and must quaerere intellectum, such intellectualizing,
however; brilliant, mistakes itself if it claims to "prove" faith. wor
faith here means not dogma but commitment, whose testing ground is uo
smaller than the whole world thet impinges on a man, and the auration of
the experiment no shorter than his life and his dying. heilevance becomes
indeed the only relevant question.
On any of many motives one may dismiss Christ-event as a priori
impossibility or Chri stian commitment as pragmatic irrelevancy. A prioris
are not arguable, and with him who holds them the issue imust be dropped.
It must be sonestly joined with him uho says, "1 velieve in the teacnings
but not the person," or “I believe Goa was in Christ only as God was in
all men," ore"The ethic of love--yes; incarnation--no." \iust one indeed
go farther? low essential is the difference between the positions just
indicated and the unreservea credo? ‘Iwo things 1 think one must indeed
do: think strenuously ami speak honestly; and resign to a wiser Judge
the ultimate writing or striking of the title Uhristian by any men's name.
in this spirit I have to answer, I find the difference absolutely essential.
Why? To ans.er means to bear witness, even at the risk, in brief space, of
sounding naive and dogmatic.
Briefly then, I do not need one more teacher, exemplar, hero among
the select canpany that history and contemporary life exhibit. Aman who
lived and died 2000 years ago has no more to offer me than Socrates, Ghandi,
or Dr. Thomas Dooley, I find many such inspiring; I recognize them all for
men, mortal and fallible. But if I imbibe the teachings and try to emulate
the conduct of any what promptly enou gh dismays me is not nis limitation
byt my ovm. I can follow dialectic with mental zest; I can »ay homage to
what is odmirable; I can have the impulse, and therefore, I suppose, some
capacity, to perform it. sute-a psradox--I cannot be as good as (I ttell
myself) I can be. I cannot ever long sustain, often not even determine,
good (no question of "best") behavior. 1 em divided as I probe my motives,
baffled by leck of insight, defeated by my own failure. snd this, popular
psychiatry assures me, is the standard numan condition. Such assurance is
the most discouraging of opiates, nemt to the remedy of giving up and
settling for myself as I em. and not one of the teachers, exemplars, heros
who exhort, beckon, and inspire can ueke me acceptable to myself, let alone
enable me to be good. iy supposing tnem to be patient, humane, and char-
itable, even es my friends ana family are, certainly helps me no more than
this nearer and warmer support. ‘the theological name for the thoroughly
existential helplessness I em talking about is sin. 4nd the case is
hopeless unless someone as utterly vulnerable to it as1 an and yet utterly
free md clear of it can set me free by accepting me precisely as I an.
Only through accepting sucu acceptance can I accept wyself ana become free
to grow whole end thus gvow into goodness--that is, into love wichaaccepts
all others because they also have been accepted, whetner tney acknowledge
it or not. 4nd tnis break-through, the aoing for me what no man can do, is
what the Unrist-event proclaims to me has hap ened--really, historically,
improbably, stunningly hapvened. God, .ho understanas tue atom and the
Milky way, fully ‘mows me dmows how it feels to ve what I am because
of the appalling thing He dia--entering the aeepest abysses my nature is
capable of and going the whole way through death, over whicn ne had power,
in order to offer me lis resources for my living and my dying. ‘This is
acceptance; its other name is love. Anal am free to say yes, or no, or
to ignore it.
The mind that does not boggle at tnis is not working; and to proffer
pat analogies for what by definition is unique only risks sentimentality.
For what God, accoriiing to the Goad News, has done there is no analogue.
sut for my assenting to it there are at least partial ones. ny human
being who exchanges forgiveness with a brotner, for tove's sake forbears
en advantage, stints himself for his child, aies for his friend, does
th at for which he can give no reason he does not ultimately imow to be a
rationalization. he mind boggles, but the ultimate self is constrained and
acts. The act is one of faith, enu only the actor can say "It failed" or
"Tt worked." So with the Christ event: that 1 cannot comprehend (explain,
enalogize, patronize) it is not only immaterial, it in fact "figures."
Hov could I possivly? It is not the only thing but it is momentously the
greatest one .hich, not comprelending, 1 accept. The fantastic, the
scandalous proclamation cmfronts me. I must dare to say either yes or
no to it. I do not need to shout--the merest stricken whisper is valid.
Unly I may not say "Yes, but..."; and 1 must allow tnat my brother whose
lips I hear saying ‘wo, out..." may with his life be sounding in the nicer
ear of God amore finely tuned yes than mine.
I aa well aware that ail of this invites the reply: “Your are simply
saying that you neea this aoctrine and therefore choose to believe it--
thet doesn't make it true." i revert to my earlier comuent; relevance,
not truth, was the issue proposed to me. Nor is this to plead expediency.
Operation bootstrap ("positive thinking") is just what I want none of--
implicit in the Christ affirmation is that 1 do in fact believe it to be
true. A4pnealing this affirmation to nistory would arrive at exactly the
same point as appealing it to personul experience--I might be reading my
own value judgmentssinto history, or apostles, saints, and martyrs,might
be victims of delusion and euphoria as readily as 1. ‘the evidence of
history will not be closed until the end of time, or of the human race,
just as the evidence of individual experience is not complete this side of
death. The truth of tnat which taith affirms is simply not susceptible to
proof by statistics or theorem, still less to demonstration by controlled
experiment. sut the relevance of tuat vhicn faitn affirms can be attested
by enyone who has found it the hinge upon wnich turns the possibility of
life as against existence. sxactly and only this testimony can I offer.
william Van Grimes
He that believeth onn him is not conuemned: put ne tnat believeth not
is condemned already, because he nath not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God,
“John 3;18"
we think of the faith of the Curistian as founded on "belief in Jasus."
what does this mean? «hat is tne essential nature of the faith wnich we
take to be interpretea by this phrase?
HESTORIC FAITH
1) In an obwious sense "to velieve in Jesus” means to believe that
certain events occurred in valestine about 2000 years ago, the velief
centering around the conviction that Jesus existea as a unique incarnation
of the divine in the human, and that thwough his aying on a cross redemption
from sin and salvation to eternal life became available to mankind in a new
way. ilany ould add: from thet time forta, at least, this was the only
way.
LeGaLISTIC FATEH
(2) mother kind of belief appears often to ve added to (1) as an
integral pert of the meaning of "believing in Jesus": this is tne belief
that one must believe in the eccurrence of the historical-metaphysical
events referred to unuer #(1) in order to be saved. ‘ne assumption here is
that belief that taese events occurrea constitutes at least part of the
necessary condition for achieving salvation.
ReBIhTH Palla
(3) Amore general significance is commonly recognized as forming
a basic part ofithe religious meaning of the act ot faith: ‘that to
"believe in Jesus" is to live in the swereness that in His life and death
the relationship of t+ 27:+#e to thenhuman is symbolized with unique
efficacy: i+ -v Teel that Jesus’ life, or tne evacept of it, provides
the paradigm stretch of history 1n terms of wnich the essential nature of
tne divine-human encounter is revealed to man, i.e. that God is seing of
redeeming love who both transcends the world and is a presence itn man and
in man in the world: that divine being can vecome the very substance and
power and intensionality of man's spiritual being, inichn is his essential
nature. that only through rebirth in divine love can men attain adequate
meaningfulness (sense of purposeful existence) in his life, adequate love
(satisfying "I-Thou" reletedness to others), ena adequate courage and per-
sgqective to overcome the suffering and tragedy that are an inescapable
pert of human existence. He who does not live out of aivine love as the
center of his own being condemns himself to the frustration of his own
spiritual yearnings snd to their eventual eternal death.
I think all the vospels ana the writings of vaul clearly present
Rebirth saith as the substence ofvhherppimal act of UVhristian faith: the
essence of what it means "to believe in Jesus". Paul and parts of the
Gospel of Jom seem to teaca thet as a consequence of this act there will
come by grace an awareness of the trutn of #(1), i.e. Historic faith.
Of course, as.paul notes, Historic faith is absurd when jud ged by the
powers of man's reason alone. ‘his truti can only be revealea to man
through grace, ena as so revealed it does not stana against reason.
Gonsequently, it is absurd to think of the act of believing in the nistoric
Jesus as constitution the ovasic act of faitn, or even part of it, with the
awareness and rebirth describea under nebirth raith conceived of as a reward
given on the condition of believing in the Historic Jesus. ‘here is no
good religious motive to believe this except as a consequence of a revelation
given by grace, which itself would seem to presuppose Hebirth faith. ‘his
is not to aeny that both the nistoric and nebirth faiths might both occur
in the seme religious experience, but it is to note that only the latter
could be the primal act of faith required of man.
Legalistic taith would seem not only illogical and unscriptural, but
a very tragically twisted vulgarization of the message of Jesus (ana Paul
end Join). it turns the requirement of faith, the conaition for man receiving
salvation, into the very kind of thing Jesus most deeply and pointedly
opnosed: salvation as achieved through fulfilling a legalistic requirement.
To ect cut of love is the one requirerient; ahl else that is rejuired must
follow from this; this is the required "purification of the neart" that man
must initiate, though he cannot acoomplish this apart from unity with the
power and depth of divine love. since man connot will that something be
revealed to him (he can only will to try to change his motives of action,
his "heart"), how can he, with good motive, will tnat which his natural
powers of reason condemn as absurd--unless it be first revealed to him?
To claim to make the Historic act of faith purely out of fear or love of
God vould be nypocrasy: lying to vod and to oneself.
wut tnis goes not yet point to the basic religious and moral twisted-
ness of the Legalistic faith position. he root problem is not tnat man
is called upon to. believe without grounds what outrages nis reason, but that
he is presented with a demand for belief which radically violates his deepest
moral consciousness. ue is called upon to velieve that tne vod of love
woulo impose on him as a condition for sharing in divine love that he
believe certain super-natural facts about how that divine love has eome
into the world in time. Grantipg that they are facts does not alter one
whit the imnorality of the demand. «hy should one individual be brought
into divine love because he fulfills an arbitrary legalistic reyuirement
for correct belief, often arrived at as effortless fulfillment of social
emditioning and expectation, while another is cut off from that love vecause
he never knew the requirement, or because, out of nis sense of integrity,
his fecling that his moral consciousness is one of his most precious
gifts from God (that in him which probably most purely reflects the image
of God), he refuses to beli eve that a God of love sould impose upon
him as a condition for his being accepted into aivine love a demand NG
which comes to his own ceepest moral consciousness as a gruesome outrage
to the law of love?
Is it possible to conceive a more radical betrayal of the message
of Jesus than this? what irony that to tne question "wnat aoes the God
of love demand of me?" there should be those (are they legion?) who accept
em ensier which if honestly facea woula include the confession; "That
I stand in the awareness that tne ceepes part of my spiritual being must
judge dim to be 4 uoral ververt. wat oigher blaspnemy?
what about those individuals who experiience a deep conviction of
Rebirtn faith not of nistoric waitn? 1 woula say tney have that aspect
of faith whien Jesus taugnt ana as concerned be spread from neart to
heart (cf. mark, Matthew, Luke), thoygh they do not exhibit all the marks
of the believer eccoraing to the criteria of Paul, some parts of tne
Gospel of Jonn, ena later orthodoz Unristendom, Are such believers
Christians? Pernays not, for Kebirth Faitn by itself allows one to hold
thet velief in tne historical Jesus is notonecessary to spiritual unity
with God. Wot even employment of specifically Christian symbolism is
necessary. However, to conclude that such persons are not Uhristias
is not, I susnect, to make a value judguent of any great religious import,
but only to make an observation on the prover use of verbal labels as
determined by ordinary linguistic usage - a question of interest to
socielogists of language and those with certain anxieties sbout the
criteria of inclusion snd exclusion inregard to membership in the coveted
"in" groups of their social milieu.
It has been my own observation that some who have not found the
question of the literal truth status of the mistoric Faith of crucial
religious significance have shown intheir oun lives profound evidence
of having experienced a vital encounter with the Christ of the Gospels.
‘uyen the Holy One of tne Gospel must be compared with our ideal of
moral perfection before He is recognized as such,"
=-[mmanuel sent,
One of the joys of group life on this campus is the making of a
constitution. The following is a copy of it. sftemmuch diligent work,
we have come up with a document that has made everyone happy. Special
thanks are owed to the Gonstitutionsl Committee of Senate for suggesting
a format end pointing out numerous errors on it. «avery organization
must have a constitution and now we have one. Now we can hold our heads
high.
--Constitutional Gommittee of the Campus Christian Gouncil
Campus Christian Council
Constitution
Article I Name
This organization shall be known as tue Vampus Christian Council
of the state University of New Yors at albany.
Article II Purpose
The Gouncil exists to relate the Christian faith to the life of
the academic community by providing students and faculty with
opportunities for study, worship, and action within an ecumenical
Christian perspective.
4rticle II] iembership
Section 1. Council members
A, ‘he Gouncil shall consist of not less than six students and
not more then three faculty members.
B. any student or faculty member +vho has participated in
activities sponsored by the Couneil during one preceding
semester and who is in agreement with the aforesaid purpose
of the Council shall be eligible for election to the Council.
C. wew members of the Vouncil shall be elected by a two-thirds
affirmative vote of said Vouncil.
D. Council members may be cismissed by a three-fourths vote
of the Council.
Section 2. Associate member of the Council
The Gaapus sinister of the Capital Area Council of Churches
shall be an associcte member of the Campus Christian vouncil.
Section 3. All members of the academic community are invited to
participate in those activities sponsored by the Uouncil.
Article IV Officers
Section 1. At the last meeting of each month, the Council shall
appoint by a simple majority vote one of its members to the
post of Council Uhatrman.
Section 2. The Council Vhairman shall: i
A. preside at all Council meetings during the month following
his election.
b. Prenare the agenda for each meeting, subject.to the approval
of the Council at said meeting.
c. In the absence of the chairman, the chairmen of the preceding
month shall preside over the meeting.
Article V meetings
Section 1. The @ouncil shall meet at least once each month during
the school year.
Section 2. The Chairmen shall call special meetings at his own
discretion or at the request of +wo-thirds of the Council
members.
(to be continued)
PACEM IN TERRIS AND GOOD WILL TO MEN--ALL MEN
The recent Papal Encyclical "Pacem in Terris" (Peace on Earth)
has evoked much comment from many parts of the globe. Statesmen and
churchmen from every major country in the world have praised this
‘document as a sincere step toward the age honored ideal of "Peace on
Earth." There is little doubt in most critics' mind that the Pope has
found the best possible formula for this end,
At first one experiences a deep joy at the almost universal
agreement and praise which the world has given the encyclical, Pope
John's great testimony to the human spirit has succeeded in accomplish-
ing for at least a few moments what most men wish could become an
enduring fact--a drawing of the human family into its intended state of
harmony. Moscow's Izvestia and the U. S. State Department were equally
warm in their comments, Time magazine reported that an American dip-
lomat in Hone ted : nit. yodies everything the U. S. has been
at ws SOR weed ee, with it more, U. N. Secretary General
neat seems to have Spoken for everyone when he paid tribute to the
Pope for "his great wisdom and courage."
There have also been comments on the document that have attacked
the thought of what the statesmen of East and West commonly call "peace
ful co-existance," A Rome daily newspaper, Il Tempo, spoke peevishly
of the Popes paper as an encyclical of enthusiasm conceived under the
sign of optimism and irenicism," the work of a dreamer, This comment
was answered the same day in the internationally respected Le Monde of
Paris by an editorial describing the Popes release as "realistic,
serene and confident of the future." Ina similar vein, the President
of the American Jewish committee, A. M. Sonnabend, declared that "the
encyclical creates a broad dimension of possible cooperation among
diverse religious, ethnic and racial communities."
On April 22 of this year in the halls of our own Congress in
Washington the Honorable Roman,C. Pucinski, Democratic Congressman from
Illinois, heralded the Papal decree as "a document which men of all
faiths and all political philosophies can use as a basis toward seeking
a new solution to the problems which beset our mid-20th centruy world."
On the same day the complete text of "Pacem in Terris" was printed in
the Congressional Record, one of the greatest tributes our government
can give any document.
No reactions won more attention, however, than those in the
Communist press on both sides of the Iron Ourtain. Moscow's Pravda
professed to view "Pacem in Terris" as "an initiative in favor 0
peace." Radio Budapest spoke of "a new wind blowing from the Vatican."
Indeed, the secretary of the American Communists, Gus Hall,
intimated that partyimembers! themselves may have to readjust their
overalls estimatesofytheoRomani Catholic Church as a social institution."
What did these straws in the Communist wind add up to? Surely
nothing in the curiously muted statements issuing from any communist
source even hints at compromise or co-existance, on the ideological
plane, with the Yest--let alone with Christianity. More importantly,
of course, even the most casual reader of the encyclical must realize
that the Church has no intention of compromising its doctrine based on
the teachings of the gospel. It can never remain true to its divinely
instituted nature and at the same time renounce its vision of human
dignity and the consequent necessity of grounding true peace in respect
for the inalienable rights of men. Thus, for the Church, any genuine
co-existence supposes respect for such rights, including true religious
freedom,
An adequate interpretation of the encyclical "Pacem in Terris"
must wait on lengthy study, because the space reach of the Popes' words,
in its breadth and depth, is greatly extensive, It is obvious that
Pope John offers a shining example of everything that he means by his
own word, "aggiornamento." He situates himself squarely in the year
1963. There is not the slightest note of nostalgia, nor of lament,
over the past course of history or over the current situation. The
Pope confronts all the facts of political, social, economic and cul-
tural change that have been the product of the modern era, Generously
and ungrudgingly, he accepts those elements of historical progress.
The basic principle of the Roman Pontiff is as old as Plato, for
whom society was "man writ large." The "man" whom the Pope puts at the
basis and center of a human world order is not the abstract human
nature which is presented in certain older textbooks on ethics. His
man" ig the mai of today, the human person upon whose structured
nature history too has left its mark. This strongly personalist accent
of the Pope should quiet the fears and win the sympathies of those to
whom the phrase "natural law" is uncongenial.
"Pacem in Terris" must be seen as far more than an idle or merely
sentimental gesture toward peace, Whatever the motivation behind his
remark, Premier Khrushchev spoke the truth when he remarked to an
Italian journalist that the encyclical genuinely sought peace, which
"ean and must be defended f cood will of every vhilosophicel
end relicious convicties." seeec, Tove John would edd, ea
survive only 42 ca oréer rooted in “truth, justi
freedom."
48 le Monée rightly notes, "“tnore eka we no mis e tant. the
encyclicsd’s closely written liner trece cut new ecrrorches heevy vith
menning for the future.
ye As you probably know, Albany,
New York is not very dissimilar to Albany, Georgia in its Negro
problem. Over eichty per cent of Albany's Negroes live in five of the
twenty-six census tracts and those moving into Albany are settling
down in these same areas. Part of the reason for this segregation is
poor education. If these people had better education, they could
obtain better-paying jobs and move into better housing in other sec-
tions of the city.
We hope, through a program of individual tutoring, to help the
students in those areas in which they are weakest and, in this way,
try to keep them from dropping out of school. We also hope that this
can be the genesis of some sort of civil-rights group in Albany. The
only way we can hope for success, however, is if enough Albany State
students decide to sacrifice one or two hours a week during the summer
session (June 24-August 14) to help. In spite of the fact that we
will have the sympathies and possible help of the Albany city admin-
istration, the Trinity Institution, and many adults in the city, the
plan has no chance of success without college students to do the i
tutoring.
If you are going to be in the Albany erea this summer during the
above period, the young people would appreciate your help. This will
be a chance to help the people of Albany and to gain valuable experi-
ence in teaching and working with people. The requirements for
participation are. simply a willingness to donate a little time;-a
willingness to learn; and a capacity for adapting to new situations as
they arise.
We would a11 admit that a great injustice is being done to the
Negroes in this country, and most of us advocate a change in the sit-
uation. This is a chance for every one of us to help bring this
change about. Are there any volunteers?
J. Marcow
STUDENTS PLAN MALL “COKE SHOP"
4 dozen college students plan to spend their summer evenings
running a "coke shop" for teenagers in the South Mall area.
According to one of their leaders in the Campus Christian Council
at State University, they think of it partly as a "service project,"
providing recreation for the teenagers. But they also see something
in it for themselves. Natalie Gillette, chairman of the planning
committee for the "Summer Service Group," said: '
"We hope this may help break down some barriers so we can get to
know the young people of this part of the city that is going through
such an upheaval.”
Mr. Gillette said they want to find a vacant store for their
"coke shop" somewhere in or near the South Mall area. They'd like it
to be central to a large number of teenagers.
In the evenings the shop would be open to anyone who wanted to
come in for "honest talk on a free and easy basis," Mrs. Gillette
said. And there would be dancing ond games. The shop would be open
at night from Monday through Friday, probably from around July 1 to
mid-August.
Some of the college students who will be running the shop are
experienced in this kind of venture. Three of them worked in a similar
service project last summer at Temple Baptist Church in the Arbor Hill
section. This year, Mrs. Gillette said, they decided to move to a
section of the city which is going through a turmoil of change and
where they think the need for recreation of this kind 1s pressing.
And they want to concentrate just on teenagers--last year they provided
recreation for younger children as well,
The college students will spend their days at jobs or at summer
school. They plan to gather for a common meal each night before going
to the "coke shop." They will volunteer their time. The project will
be sponsored by the Campus Christian Council with backing from the
Board of College Work of the Council of Churches.
