To begin to assess the Third Assembly of the-World Council of Churches, which met in New Delhi, India, November 18-December 5, it is necessary to keep firmly fixed in mind the' intended function of such an Assembly and, even more importantly, what is not its function.

This cautionary advice, normally the most threadbare of clichés, gains its validity from the present atmosphere surrounding the subject of Christianity. Spurred on by a number of factors, including the attitude of Pope John XXIII; unity has become a glamorous and bewitching, albeit extremely vague, concept to the general public and to the popular press. Unknown and dramatic events are constantly being anticipated.