Monday, Nov. 27, 1939

Christian Affronters

The Christian Front is an "antiCommunist" organization of followers of the Rev. Charles Edward Coughlin. It is also the name of a loose federation of anti-Semitic societies, with an estimated 100,000 members. Some of these Christians (like the German-American Bund, the Christian Mobilizers), have actually been tut-tutted by Father Coughlin.* Last week the Brooklyn Church and Mission Federation, representing nearly all the Protestants in that strongly Coughlinite borough, sounded off against the Christian Front in no tut-tutting terms:

"In view of the report that the so-called 'Christian Front' is strenuously endeavoring to increase its forces by inviting Protestants into its membership, we are compelled to warn Protestant people against accepting such invitations and overtures. ... No organization or group of individuals fostering such evil propaganda which has resulted in numerous acts of violence in our city has the moral right to call itself Christian. . . . Any group using the name of Christ for any purpose foreign to His character is either ignorant of Christian fundamentals or else they are guilty of practicing inexcusable hypocrisy."

* In an open letter in Social Justice last week, Father Coughlin said that 90% of the Christian Mobilizers were "fine people," but its leadership was allied with the Bund. Therefore, said he, ''as much as I need $128," he was returning a check for that sum which had been raised for him by Christian Mobilizers in The Bronx.

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