ABSTRACT
Let me begin with an anecdote. I came to the Port Huron meeting with a background as a Christian activist, a seminary dropout, a former president of the National Student Christian Federation; and many others at the gathering had a religious background as well. So why is there no discussion of institutional religion in the Statement? Lots of discussion about values generally; critiques of other major institutions such as the labor movement, the educational system, political parties, etc., which shape our society. Why not the churches and the synagogues? The answer is a simple, prosaic, almost laughable one. There was a working group on religious institutions at the meeting, a critique was developed that was to be incorporated into the final draft, and I was delegated to present it to the final, all-night plenary that approved the content of the final draft. And I simply fell asleep before making the report. History is sometimes a series of accidents.
