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major Protestant perspectives on the Trinity, grace and salvation. In
the past the Church has tended to be separatistr it has denounced other
Christian bodies; it has seen itself as the unique instrument of God
in today's world. These beliefs, which make it impossible for me to be
a part of it, have also been a major factor in making the Church an
unpopular institution in many quarters.
But possibly its unpopularity is the central issue. Would the
attorney general's office attempt such unprecedented action against more
established religious bodies such as the Roman Catholic Church, the
United Methodist Church or the Protestant Episcopal Church? Yet, if the
actions of the past two weeks are allowed to go unchallenged and are
sustained in the present adjudication, such action will declare all
churches, synagogues and religious institutions, operating in the State
of California, public property and subject to state-dictated limitation.
I am a pastor within the United Methodist Church. My congregation
is in no sense a public corporation nor are its assets public property.
As a pastor, I am in no wise accountable to the state's authority
(beyond that, of course, of any citizen were he to commit illegal
actions) for how I administer the Church's affairs. I am not account
able to former members, either those who might have voluntarily withdrew
or any who might have been put out of the Church by due process. I am
accountable, my congregation is accountable, only to its present members,
the bishop placed over us, and his duly appointed representatives, and
the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church.
One can not help but feel that this ludicrous action of Mr. Tapper
and his associates are a rebound from the Guyana tragedy of the People's
Temple. Not only are some of the accusations similar (hoarding gold)
but the vehemence of the reaction to unproven and now (demonstratively
proven} unfounded charges indicates that advantage is being taken of an
unusually hostile climate of opinion.
We can not allow either the unpopularity of the Worldwide Church of
God or the Guyana fallout to silence our voice. I call upon all
committed to perserving the integrity of our religious institutions and
the freedom to propagate our beliefs, set our own priorities, and parti
cipate in the American religious scene, to join forces at this hour.
Raise the hue and cry. Let all know that we will not stand by and
allow our freedoms to be subverted.