Arizona republican., 1911-11-13
Current Comment
WHAT RELIGION INVOLVES.
Social Conditions Must Be Improved
by the Forward Move
inert.

AS this forward movement is to be
more than a revival, more than a
weeks campaign, more than an emo
tional appeal. its leaders have natur-
ally sounded as its distinctive keynote.
service to fellow men. writes E. T.
Devine in the. Survey. This is but to
put in its natural place the very es-
isence of the Christian religion which is
the spirit of service. Social workers
must assume this spirit Religian gen.
erates it.
| If that which goes by the name of
religion does not bear fruit in the inn
lprovement of social conditions. it is
ievidently misnamed. No mere enlarge
ment os the number of church mem
/ bers. no ultiplication of religious or
Examinations, is convincing evidence of
the growth of religion.
The rehabilitation of broken families,
| the diminution of drunkenness, the re-
formation of criminals, the transforma
ton of slums into homes, the lifting Of
the burdens of the oppressed the en-
| lightenment of the administration Of
Justice. the disappearance of social Bit
ternesS and unrest, the socialiZing of
business, of industry, of the profess
sions, of government itself, by the pen
Ietration through them all of the spirit
of service. sustained and forfeited at
all times by the spirit of justice-these
are evidences of religion in any com
immunity.
AS the leaders have recognized, it is
not enough to enumerate these and
other specific duties of this kind. as
any evangelist might do. and then
lightly dismiss them. Here. as in boys
work, missions and other departments,
knowledge and experience must be
brought directly to bear upon the i'm
questionable minds of converts and
awakened church members who would
bring forth works meet for repentance.
The reformation of Grim sina Olrf
The reformation of criminals. for eX-
ample. is not to be accomplished by
preaching a sermon to them, by visit
ing them in prison, or even by extend
ing a hand in utmost sincerity, hu
miity and fraternity. These may be
desirable features of a process of ref
ormation, but the whole process goes
much farther back, and reaches much
farther forward. 1t embraces proba |
ton and parole. suspended sentence,
indeterminate sentence and appropri- |
ate occupation in confinement. 1t Is |
closely related to the school problem. |
the recreation problem, and the hous-
ing problem. 1t takes the Christian ,
who would prove his faith into the
prison cell, to police court, to legisla-
tive committee rooms and to many
other curious places. v
This sounds discouraging: but it is
not, for there are everywhere at han'l
some peope who have worked out
these relations of the various aspects
Of social reform and who are ready to
come forward on request with their
specific plans and remedies, which the
individual church member may adopt
Or reject without unreasonable de-
mands upon either his time or his in
telligence.
Some of these movements are within1
the church. but that of itself does1
not make them more religious. Some
Of them are inter UNCONVENTIONAL, and |
they may give the best possible scope I
for the service which seeks the great
est needs and the greatest and most
legitimate rewards. Some are dis
tinctly secular. and the worker who
cannot recognize in thes also the OPP 4
portunity for genuinely religious ser
vice would do well to seek a new
baptism of the spirit of Him who, on
Sabbath as on other days. found it
awful to do good rather than to do
Evil. to save life rather than to de-
;troy it.