Religious Respectability and Decay

● “The power of Christian Society cannot be measured by the number of its members who are listed in Who’s Who.” That was the point put across recently by Elton Trueblood, professor of philosophy and religion at Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana. He wrote in Presbyterian Life: “In many localities the initiative has moved away from the places marked by cushioned pews, fine organs and professional singers to the poor little store-front churches. Small but vigorous bands of Jehovah’s witnesses meet in their modest quarters called Kingdom Halls, and Alcoholics Anonymous meet wherever they can. But the lack of impressive surroundings seems to hinder them not at all.” Referring to early Christians, he continued: “But they were the ones who won, while most of the respectable people of that time are now forgotten. . . . We may as well face the fact that, in so far as our religion is represented exclusively or even chiefly by the attendance of well dressed, upper-middle class people at an impressive church for one hour on Sunday morning, we are already in decay.”