Religion: Looking Toward a New Era

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The final vote for Andrews conveyed a clear message, even though there was little ideological day light between the two leading candidates. A study committee on the Stated Clerk's function noted a widespread call from Presbyterians at the grass-roots level for greater account from its administrator, more and a rejection of any single person as the church's official voice on public issues. The lay Presbyterian constituency indi cated that it wanted to move slightly to ward that era years ago, when the Stated Clerk was primarily a record keeper and not a highly visible chief of staff, like Thompson and his illustrious predecessor Eugene Carson Blake (1951-66). One conservative layman in Phoenix summed up Andrews' victory as a backlash against Thompson, adding, "Thompson assumed the role not only of leader but of spokes man for the whole church."

Andrews mostly concurs with the concept of a looser leadership. Said he after his election: "I never expect to hear the Stated Clerk referred to as chief executive officer again." Although he may occasionally prove more outspoken politically than conservatives expect ("If the situation is critical, and the policy base is there, I don't see the Stated Clerk has a whole lot of choice"), he does want to about Presbyterian concord after the conflicts of recent years. "Life," Andrews, "is a process of mutual back-scratching."

— By Richard N. Ostling.

Reported by Jack Lavelle/Phoenix