THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Wild Right-Wing Charges Hurt Church Movement By REV. FRANKLIN LITTELL National Institute on the Holocaust PHILADELPHIA — Newspapers and maga- zines, not to mention the radio and TV, have been having a field day with charges against the new president of the National Council of Churches. He is James Armstrong, a bishop of the United Methodist Church located in In- dianapolis. The charges were levied by Rev. Greg Dixon, ( ._____preacher in the In- dianapolis Baptist Temple, during an interview with Penthouse magazine. If the quotations are accurate, Dixon accused Armstrong of being "a Communist, a modernist and a humanist." Winding up the inter- view, Dixon, head of a huge independent preaching post, commented, "There's no question in my mind that Communists are in many of the pulpits of the old-line denominations across America, who are not Chris- tians at all. They are wolves in sheep's clothing." Later he said, "When I say Dr. Armstrong is a socialist, all I'm saying is he and the Methodist Church and the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches in their slated policies . . . have been on the side of the socializa- tion of the world." "Former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover said years ago that there are Com- munists in many of the pulpits of the mainline denominations. And when I am asked to name one, people like Bishop Armstrong immediately come to mind." In a "debate" at the local CBS-TV station in In- dianapolis, Dixon, head of Indiana's "Moral Majority," accused Armstrong of lack of orthodoxy in belief and asserted with shaking voice that "we are locked in a war between Communism and Christianity." Bishop Armstrong mildly defended his Christian beliefs and in- vited Dixon to "join in a ministry of love." Further- more, in conclusion, he said, "My judge is not Greg Di- xon. God is my judge." Circling around this bizarre situation, a number of random thoughts come to mind What is the magnetic attraction of Penthouse and Playboy to these electronic churchmen? It was a Playboy interview that got Jerry Falwell into a series of arguments with church and political leaders, on matters spiritual and ethical, and now it's a Penthouse inter- view where another reli- gious right-winger gets himself into quotations and misquotations. If they're truly conserva- tives, one might think they'd be travelling in other circles than Penthouse and Playboy! And what's this citing of J. Edgar Hoover on "Com- munists" in mainline pul- pits!? J. Edgar Hoover has been exposed in public documents as a pathological personality whose word on any number of subjects from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to the Governor of Alabama had little to do with truth and a great deal to do with his own ambi- tions. Is it possible that the Indiana leader of "Moral Majority" is simply ignor- ant of what has been pub- lished on Hoover's cynical manipulation of the "Com- munist problem," on his connections with the syndi- cate, on his blackmail of Congressmen and other politicians? The truth is that J. Edgar Hoover, like his noisier ally Senator Joe McCarthy, was one of the biggest assets the inter- national Communist con- spiracy ever had in America. "McCar- thyism," as the slipshod and raucous response to Communism has come to be called, so covered anti-Communism with disgrace that for three decades it has been vir- tually impossible to get a serious discussion of the Communist threat in most academic or church circles. And, unhappily, Com- munist infiltration and influence are important forces on some of the cam- puses and in some of the religious organizations. There is a major denomina- tional women's organiza- tion whose Number 2 execu- tive has followed every twist and turn in the Com- munist line for more than a decade. There is a denomina- tional executive working at the UN whose office is a pipeline for Communist and pro-PLO propaganda. Monies raised by devout Christians out in the con- gregations have, as a mat- ter of fact, been siphoned off to finance terrorist move- ments in Asia and'Africa. The time has certainly UJA Conference Slated May 21-23 in Washington NEW YORK — Leaders of American Jewish com- munities throughout the United States will meet at the UJA National Leader- ship Conference, May 21-23 in Washington, D.C. The conference will in- clude briefings by high- level officials of the White House, State Department and Department of Defense, as well as by members of Congress and representa- tives of the academic com- munity. The conference agenda also will feature sessions on the issues un- derlying the 1983 Cam- paign and workshops de- veloping innovative cam- paign techniques and pro- grams to meet the national goals for the regular cam- paign and Project Renewal. come for loyal Christians, including United Methodists, to give some at- tention to the problem of a spiritual fifth column in its bureaucracy. The time has come, and in fact there has been a major exchange of views and a critical report published in the United Methodist Re- porter, the denomination's leading journal. But now, just when things were be- ginning to precipitate prop- erly, along comes another wild set of charges from an outsider, an outsider im- mediately perceived as a "McCarthyite" by local Methodists and decent people with memories. James Armstrong is a very bright and able preacher and adminis- trator, not by the wildest chance a Communist in act or intention. And in the exchange with Greg Dixon he came off a far more credible Christian, as well as earning his own good marks for sim- ple activity. As president of the Na- tional Council of Churches, Bishop Armstrong will, we hope, show some leadership in dealing with sectors of a vast bureaucracy that have shown themselves frivolous in reference to PLO ter- rorism and pitifully weak in confronting Soviet prop- aganda and penetration. The political foolishness of the "Moral Majority" spokesman has, like classical McCarthyism, di- verted attention and pro- vided a cover for some indi- viduals who in truth need to be ferreted out. Reckless charges from the radical right are simply a gift to those of the extreme left who need a large and defensive pool of the liberalism within which to swim freely. Friday, February 26, 1982 25 Popularity Poll JERUSALEM (ZINS) — The latest poll by the Public Opinion Research Institute shows a gain in popularity by Likud and a correspond- ing loss for the Labor Alignment. Of those polled, 41.2 per- cent chose Likud and 32.7 percent chose Labor. NEW YORK MERCHANDISE EXCHANGE IS GOING OUT OF BUSINESS PERMIT NO. 01-82 EVERYTHING MUST GO! TO BARE WALLS FIXTURES FOR SALE OPEN DAILY 10-9 SUNDAY 12-5 . OAK PARK 13745 W. NINE MILE 2 Biks. W. of Cooldgi 543-8853 ESTATE AUCTION At our galleries 825 Woodward Ave., Pontiac, Mi. MARCH 5 at 7 p.m. • MARCH 6 &_7 at 1 p.m. Removed from the Home of the Late Mr. & Mrs. George Washington Thorp, Jr., Philadelphia, Pa. and others FEATURING: 18th & 19th CENTURY AMERICAN & ENGLISH FURNITURE AND DECORATIONS: 18th Century Mahogany American Corner Cupboard, 18th Century Pennsylvania Chest of Drawers, 18th Century Boston Breakfast Table, 18th Cen- tury Irish Slant Front Writing Desk as well as many fine Victorian pieces. CLOCKS: Eli Terry, Circa 1810. 18th & 19th CENTURY AMERICAN, FRENCH & ENGLISH PAINTINGS: Edourd Cortes, George Armfield, Franz K. Wolf, Charles Willis, F.F. Freyburg, W.A. Reitter, etc. LARGE COLLECTION OF ROYAL DOULTAN & CYBIS FIGURES. 18th, 1 9th & 20th CENTURY AMERICAN & ENGLISH SILVER: 1844 English Victorian Presentation Tea Service with Indian Flora & Fawna, 1772 American Milk Jug by Richard Humphry, Philadelphia, Flatware sets, hollow ware, etc. BRONZES: "Love and Envy" by G. Gurschner and Animalier bronzes by P.J. Mene & A. Barye. 18th & 19th CENTURY ENGLISH, CONTINENTAL AND ORIENTAL PORCELAINS: Royal Worcester, Royal Crown Derby, Meissen, Sevres, Ming, Swatow, Rose Medallion, etc. COLLECTION OF JADES, HARDSTONES & IVORIES. ORIENTAL RUGS in large & small sizes. ESTATE & CUSTOM DESIGNED JEWELRY. EXHIBITION: March 1-3 - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., March 4 - 10 a.m.. to 9 p.m., March 5 - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Also one hour prior to each auction. CATALOGUES: $4 at door, $6 by mail. INFORMATION: (313) 338-9203. TERMS: Cash, Check, American Express, Visa, • MasterCard. 10% BUYERS PREMIUM. EXECUTION BIDS ACCEPTED AT OUR ORDER DESK IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO ATTEND AND BID IN PERSON. NOW ACCEPTING CONSIGNMENTS FOR FUTURE AUCTIONS CB. CHARLES'FArtzol GALLERIES' - - • SINCE 1959 AUCTIONEERS • APPRAISERS • ESTATE SPECIALISTS 825 Woodward Avenue • Pontiac, Michigan 48053 • (313) 338-9203 (One mile north of Square Lake Rd.)