Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 8.djvu/853

 PROBLEM OF RURAL COMMUNITY 833

that has taken place in religious activities. It has not yet learned that there is more than one fundamental interest in life. It has lost its own unity, its message of brotherly love, its power to counteract integrating forces in sectarian malice it has torn asunder the unity of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It draws into its folds but a small fraction of the community. Its chief aim seems to be to build itself up at the expense of the community, rather than to build up the community out of it.

But there is beginning to dawn upon the rural church, here and there, a vision of its social functions. Rip Van Winkle-like, it has awakened from its long sleep to find that it is surrounded by a strange environment. It has discovered that, while in the good old Puritan times it was the center of the community and was its very life, today immigration, strange traditions, and multitudinous sects have swept it to one side, while many other organizations have become centers of community life. It has found that, while formerly life was narrowly individualistic, today it is broadly social ; that centralization of power has de-individualized industry, redistributed the people, crowded the cities, drained the country, and transformed civilization ; that a mere machine, a steam engine, has upset the theology and polity of the eternal church.

The rural church is discovering that the great problem of the day is not merely the relation of one man to one God, but rather the relation of man to man ; and that therein lies largely the relation of man to God. It is feeling the strong breath of a scientific spirit that is sweeping its dreamy security of authority from beneath its feet, leaving it to struggle for a foothold. A new science called psychology is jarring its peace by destroying its old concept of the soul, demonstrating with cruel logic the interdependence of body, mind, and spirit, and pointing out the fact that if one would save the soul he must save the whole man. Thus awakened, in wonder and dismay the church is going back with tottering steps to the companion of old, the Holy Scriptures, but only to see strange visions and faces. From the old familiar pages the newly discovered social teachings of Jesus stare it in the face. The old vision of a celestial heaver