Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 1.djvu/182

 LOCAL ALLIANCES. a few years there has taken place a remarkable change in Christian public opinion touching the relations of the church to society. The increasing recognition of the social mission of the church has prepared the way for the formation of local organizations which the Evangelical Alliance for the United States now invites.

REASONS FOR FORMING LOCAL ALLIANCES. The following reasons, in brief, for forming such organizations afford at the same time a statement of their objects.

1. To bring conscience to bear on the life of the nation.—A quickened and enlightened conscience is the great need of the times in the relation of employer and employe, in all private business, in all public trusts, in politics and in legislation, municipal, state and national. In whatever sphere men ought, there it is the right and duty of the church to urge the dictates of the Christian conscience. But in the unorganized condition of the churches there is no medium through which the Christian conscience of the city, the state, the nation can utter itself. For lack of this saving salt, municipal government has rotted and legislatures have become corrupt. Every year needed reform legislation fails and laws are enacted which do violence to the Christian conscience of the state because there is no adequate medium through which that conscience can be brought to bear. By such organization as is proposed, a legislature could be flooded with hundreds of thousands of names, in petition or protest, in a single week.

2. To close the chasm between churches and workingmen.—This chasm is largely one of misunderstanding and indifference. Individual church members have done much in behalf of workingmen, but they have not done it in the name of the churches, and hence are not understood to represent the churches. Their