The Dilemma of Social Religion
I. One seldom-recognized reason for the social conservatism of the church is the fact that church members are implicated in the social order and inevitably judge affairs in the light of their practical interests. Moreover, church members as such possess no superior knowledge of social laws and force...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
University of Chicago Press
1922
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| In: |
The journal of religion
Year: 1922, Volume: 2, Issue: 3, Pages: 277-290 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | I. One seldom-recognized reason for the social conservatism of the church is the fact that church members are implicated in the social order and inevitably judge affairs in the light of their practical interests. Moreover, church members as such possess no superior knowledge of social laws and forces. II. Yet Christianity itself is an essentially revolutionary program, inasmuch as it counts the happiness of no man more important than that of any other, and permits no special interest to take precedence of the general welfare. III. Christianity is concerned more with the distribution than the production of wealth, and this interest allies it most closely with the modern social problem, which is one of distribution primarily. Yet the social implication of church members renders it impossible for the pulpit to take radical ground without disrupting the congregation. IV. The consequence is a dilemma, in which the church has to see her practice as an actual institution continually fall short of her convictions and her commission as an ideal spiritual community. |
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| ISSN: | 1549-6538 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: The journal of religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1086/480285 |