Religion: Words & Works

¶ This is the "dying hour of Protestantism" in Germany, said Germany's neutralist-minded Pastor Martin Niemöller, as quoted this week in the Christian Century. "Should the forced partition of our people persist, then . . . Romanization threatens in the West in the near future, while the existence of Protestantism behind the Iron Curtain can at best continue for only one generation. At present, everything indicates that Romanization here and Sovietization there can hardly be opposed with a chance of success." If the state uses its authority to impose Christianity, says Niemöller, "Protestantism will go to pot."

¶ The Philip Murray Memorial...