Protestant "Encyclical"

Some Protestants have long envied Roman Catholics their papal encyclicals, which guide the faithful in applying Christian teaching to the problems of secular life. The growing unity of Protestantism is producing its own Protestant version of encyclicals--reports and messages from ecumenical bodies that represent an interdenominational meeting of minds. Last week, following the message on "The Responsible Society" issued by the World Council of Churches at Evanston. Ill. (TIME, Sept. 6), came a 4,000-word declaration from the National Council of Churches on the application of Christian principles to economic life. Highlights:

P:In making ethical demands on economic institutions. Christians "must take account of the importance of efficiency and productivity ... as essential marks of a sound economy. . ."

P:Christians should work to achieve a society with "a minimum standard of living," sufficient to provide health care and "suitable protection" for children, sick people, the aged and the incapacitated. and the right of "all youth ... to equal opportunities to develop their capacities."

P:Every able-bodied adult "has an obligation and the right ... to serve the community through work . . . Large-scale unemployment, or long-continued unemployment for any considerable number of persons ... is intolerable."

P:The increase of private ownership should be encouraged as "a stimulus to increased production of goods and services and a protection to personal freedom."

P:Some "movements of social protest have rejected the church and Christian faith and have developed ideologies, often based on illusory hopes, that have become for millions of people inadequate substitutes for religion." The church should do everything possible "to disclose the illusions in these ideologies and to confront the world with the Gospel in its fullness, but at the same time it should in humility not forget that it has often obscured the radical demands of the Gospel ..."

The General Board of the National Council of Churches voted last week to make New York City the Council's permanent headquarters because it was closest of all cities "to denominational head quarters, boards and agencies of the Council's constituent communions."

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