Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-02-11

political and commercial honesty and
honor and economic justice. Great
movements, essentially religious, for
the establishment of these ends are
sweeping over the land. But the
church, as an ecclesiastical body, is
out of touch with these movements.
she speaks umidly upon such matters,
If at ALL"
! The document went on to say:
There can be no question as to
whether the Gospel of Jesus is big
enough to meet the present-day social
and religious situation. The real
question is. isSthe Church big enough
to apply it?"
Already in this country there are
fully forty million persons who are at
least nominally connected with the
Protestant Church. These have it
within their power to accomplish any
social reform which they really desire
to make operative. The 100000 min
/ listers in the Church could alone ac-
comphsh this result.
| 1T is serious question, however.
whether present-day ecclesiastical or
Sanizations reflect the social conscious
ness OF the membership of the Church.
These ecclesiastical bodies, are, for the
most part, dependent upon large sums
of money for their maintenance and
.
believed, comes mainly from those who
are opposed to an aggressive program
which may include economic justice
1t must be apparent from all
this that the official Boards of the
Church cannot, at present at any rate,
take the place of leadership in social
service"
This long statement also laid stress
on the Importance of the utter dem
ocracy of the new movement with
clergy and~laity on absolute quality.
Some Pungent Questions
/ The Suggested Program For Dis
cussion,' which was in the hands of
the participants of the first conference,
contained eighteen questions. of which
the following are samples:
DO present-day ecclesiastical or
ganizations reflect the social convic-
tions of the membership of the
church?
Can the official boards of the
church take the place of leadership
in social service?
/ ITO what extent has the social ser
/ vice program adopted by the Federal
! Council of Churches seven years ago
been made practically effective?
What are the present-day tenden-
/ cies in denominational groups with
reference to social service?
What social results do revivals of
the Billy Sunday type produce?
Should the Church engage in great
| .'crusades' for social and economic
Justice?
Have we a right to expect that the
church be officially consulted with ref
ence to social service legislation which
is fundamentally moral or ethical in
character, upon the assumption that
the church is the authority upon ethi-
cal and moral questions?
ITO what extent may the church be-
come sponsor for work which has to
do with the economic and social well
fare of the people?
To what extent may the church be-
come active in advocating social mea-
sures which require definite legislation
by the State?''
\ New Body Proposed
While the report of the committee
of five was not adopted at the second
conference, but goes over to the one
yet to be held, its proposals were
thoroughly discussed. The most radi-
cal of these was the creation of an
entire new national body. which. ma
turally, would either be rival to- or
supersede the Federal Council of
Churches. The committee recon-
mend:
The organization of a National
Committee on Church and social prob
lens. This committee was to consist
of approximately two hundred per-
sons selected from the various geo
graphical sections of the country, and
was to establish an office. and main
tain an executive force, its function
being to provide a service of social
intelligence for the inquiring public,
organize a corps of social engineers
and advocates, call and conduct an an
nual national conference. establish q
periodical organ of discussion devoted
to reconstruction and progress among
the American Churches which was to
be independently financed, and become
responsible for the organization of an
experimental team for social educa-
ton and evangelism, to undertake a
campaign in the cities of the United
States"
While no formal deliverances were
adopted by the two conferences, there
was a substantial agreement upon the
following points:
That the average ecclesiastical or
ganiZation does not reflect the social
co sciousness of the membership of
the church either because of natural
conservatism, the feeling that the
church has nothing to do with the SOL
ution of social problems, or because it
was feared that certain financial re-
sources would be cut off.
THAT there is an increasing num-
Der OF men ana women III the church
who are getting out of patience with
the church because of its apparent in
ability or its unwillingness to attack
some important social and religious
problems.
THAT there is need for an indepen-
dent group composed of Christian men
to take the lead in discussing press
ing social and religious questions, and,
when necessary and feasible, to ini-
m W Ch m ot1lx
truly represent the progressive wing
within the church. but which will hold
such persons within the ranks of the
church, rather than have them be-
come identified with outside move
ments to the exclusion of the church.
THAT there are many sincere Chris
tian men and women outside of the
church to-day not only among work
ing people, but among employers of
labor and social workers who might be
won for the church, were the church
to offer them a broader basic of think
ing and a larger program of work.
THAT while the Federal Council of
Churches began its work in the social
field with q strong set of resolutions,
and with excellent purposes, the force
of its program was soon diminished
largely because the secretary of its So
cial Service Commission became the
secretary of the Federal Council itself,
thus practically disseminating his ac-
tivity in the social field, and because
the Federal Council now lacks suffi-
cient funds to carry out an aggressive