The Social Gospel has parallel trends in the secular world, and religious intellectuals seek to combine the trends into a strong combination of strands. What intellectuals know about the subjects they promote may not be extensive. It is not necessary for an intellectual to be a real expert in ideas in order to perform his function n society excellently. The qualifications of an intellectual consist principally in his mastery of rhetoric, or his speaking and writing capability, and the wide range of subjects on which he can talk or write facilely. A successful intellectual avoids currently unpopular ideas.
Intellectuals are temperamentally fickle.
When conservatives are in control, they out-do the conservatives. Soon, thereafter, when liberal ideas seem to be acceptable, it is amazing what an about-face intellectuals make. A typical intellectual will be sentimental. Intellectuals are instinctively dissatisfied with what is. Intellectuals are the natural teachers of the young.