Unfair Interpretations

William. H. Ziegler

August 1930

A previous issue of the Christian Conservator included architectural drawings of a new building addition at King Street UB church in Chambersburg, Pa. In those days, when eating in the church was considered sacrilegious, it's not surprising that at least one reader objected to one element of the floor plans. The editor commented on that objection, and then vented himself on a few other matters. Of all of Ziegler's writings that I have read, this is my favorite, because I catch glimpses of the editorial impatience that I have sometimes felt.--Steve Dennie

One reader spied in very small print in one of the floor drafts the word "Kitchen." And now he has ordered his Conservator stopped because the Conservator has endorsed soup kitchens in our church buildings. The reader overlooked the entire church plan, the proposal for a splendid church building, and a fine descriptive article, and spied the almost microscopic word kitchen, and then carried the blame all the way to the editor.

If King Street gets that church erected--and here's hoping that they do--we don't suppose that they are under any obligation to use that room as a kitchen unless they want to. We don't object to the diagram half as much as we object to that style of interpretation.

While we are on this subject, we had just as well make a clean sweep of a few questions which have come to us of purely local significance. Somebody wants to know whether it is right to sell ice cream at a campmeeting on Sunday. Somebody wants to know whether it is right to rent ground owned by a church and bought for the purpose of erecting a church house for the purpose of a horseshoe link.

Bearing on the first question, we would like to ask, Is it right to sell campmeeting attendants dinner on Sunday? Is ice cream sold in connection with the dinner and as part of it? Is it sold separately by those who sell the dinner? Or is it sold by a specially-licensed refreshment stand? Is it more wrong to eat ice cream than to eat chicken on Sunday? It all depends upon how and to what end things are done as to whether or not they are right.

The best way is to solve local conditions locally. There you know the circumstances; here at Huntington, we do not.

The manner in which these questions are asked raises a question mark in one's mind. One wonders whether those making them are seeing the important things of the church's activities, or whether they are chiefly interested in locating the speck of dirt that fell into the milk pail. It's all right to be careful about little things and appearances, but it is also wise to remember that there is such a thing as straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel. Sometimes we need to see things with an eye of charity rather than with an eye of criticism.

Now, if folks are just real anxious to know where the editor stands on some things, we'll just give it out for free distribution. The editor is an old-fashioned United Brethren in his views, but withal has just a little streak of charity for the views of other folks in the church. He does not believe that it is proper to hold a Sunday school or Christian Endeavor social in a church house, even if it is held in the basement. He doesn't think that it is proper to have either stoves or kitchens in a church house, although it be in the farthest corner of the basement. He doesn't even believe that it is proper to eat a basket dinner in the basement of a church. He considers them as modern invasions in United Brethrenism.

Yet he doesn't care to act ugly about it when a church serves a basket dinner in the basement of a church house, and has been known to partake of a nice basket dinner under such circumstances.

He thinks that a whole building should be dedicated to God. Of course, part of the building is used for Sunday school, part for Christian Endeavor meeting, board meetings, committee meetings, etc. He doesn't know whether etc. includes basket dinners or not; He is inclined to want to eat dinner somewhere else. Then again, the editor is not the only United Brethren living, and since no two United Brethren see all things just alike, it is perhaps well that we exercise just a little charity.