Sources of Conflict Over Priorities of the Protestant Church

Abstract

Theor-etical approaches to internal conflict over priorities in the Presbyterian church are tested using surveys of laymen, ministers, and seminary seniors. Conflicts are greatest over the type and importance of church mission and outreach; there is little conflict over congregational life, religious education, or spiritual nurture. Path analysis shows that theological factors are intervening variables between all background variables and attitudes about church priorities. Orthodoxy and ethicalism act independently and in opposite directions. It is concluded that the conflict is largely theological, explained partly in terms of church-sect tension and partly by conflicting theological orientations in the denomination. Although conflict within the Christian church has been ever present, at times it has intensified when crucial debates came to focus. In recent years the conflict within American Protestantism has been intensifying with a heated debate about the priorities of the church and its proper role in society. The issue of church priorities has been the most important conflict in American Protestantism in the past decade. In the 1960s a complex of events and movements intensified feelings on the question. Prodded by the civil rights movement and the new youth culture, many church leaders have called for new emphasis on Christian social involvement, and this new call has ushered in the conflict about the proper functions and priorities of the church. Several American denominations are preoccupied with internal conflict in the early 1 970s, for viewpoints have crystallized and rival factions have organized themselves within them. This article discusses the conflict in one denomination, the United Presbyterian church in the U.S.A. Among Presbyterians the debate about church priorities has been growing since the middle 1960s. Many denominational leaders and ministers have strongly urged a more effective social witness, especially to combat the evils of racism in America. In opposition to them, a group of Presbyterian businessmen organized the Presbyterian Lay Committee in 1965, dedicated to moving the denomination away from social concerns and back to personal evangelism, maintenance of scripturetaught moral standards, and religious nurture of individuals. It strongly argues that any social action should be done by Christian individuals, not by organized church bodies. The church should leave social, economic, and political issues to individual Christians with competence in such matters. During the past several years the factions in the United Presbyterian church have battled over mission hudgets, church union, reorganization of denominational boards, and other issues. THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO