Religion: Tidings

> Among U.S. Southern Presbyterians, a minor defection has exploded into a full-scale schism. At a meeting last week in Atlanta of representatives from 261 congregations, the delegates voted 349 to 16 to form a new denomination called the Continuing Presbyterian Church. The dissident congregations encompass some 70,000 of the 950,000 members in the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. All 70,000 may not make the break, since local congregations must still approve the move, but feelings are strong among the seceders against what they see as liberal trends in the church.

The Rev. William E. Hill of Hopewell, Va., charged that the...