The Effect upon the Churches of the Social Movement

Extract

For a generation or so the world has been tending to regard life from a social, an organic point of view, and this has developed into Socialism, strictly so called. The Churches have endeavored to meet this sometimes by opposing the principle and addressing themselves still to the individual, and sometimes by adopting it and becoming benevolent institutions for the ameliorating of the conditions of living. What is in general the result, not so much upon the world as upon themselves? Is the social motive likely to be profound and permanent? Is it, as some claim, the Gospel; or, as others claim, distinctly not the Gospel?