OCR Text |
Show Tin pimnnu Fin lilt bnUnun Hb aenpISi pLijipn liOuiiliiLuDiiLn A Droader Sphere for Religion New Field for the Rural Church. By Peter Radford Lecturer Notional Farmers' Union The social duty of the rural church is as much a part of its obligations as its spiritual side. In expressing it social interest, the modern rural church docs not hesitate to claim t:.a.t it is expressing a true religious instinct in-stinct and ilie old-time idea that the social instincts should be starved while the spiritual nature was overfed over-fed with solid theological food, is fast giving way to a broader interpretation interpreta-tion of the functions of true religion. We take our place in the succession of those who have sought to make the world a fit habitation for the children of man when we teek to study and understand the social duty of the rural church. The true christian religion re-ligion is essentially social its tenets of faith being love and brotherhood and fellowship. While following after righteousness, the church must challenge chal-lenge and seek to reform that social order in which moral life is expressed. ex-pressed. While cherishing ideals of-service, of-service, the rural church which .-t-tains the fullest measure of success is that which enriches as many live3 as it can touch, and in no way can the church come in as close contact with its members as through the avenue of social functions. The country town and the rural community need a social center. The church need offer no apology for its ambition to fill this need in the community, com-munity, if an understanding of its mission brings this purpose into clear consciousness. The structure of a rural community is exceedingly complex; com-plex; it contains many social groups, each of which has its own center, but there are many localities which havo but one church and although such a church cannot command the interest inter-est of all the people, it is relieved from the embarrassment of Religiously divided communitiea- Social Needs Imperative. The average country boy and girl have very little opportunity for real enjoyment, and have, as a rule, a vague conception of the meaning of pleasure and recreation. It is to fill this void in the lives of country youth that the rural church has risen to the necessity of providing entertainment, entertain-ment, as well as instruction, to its membership among the young. The children and young people of Unchurch Un-church should meet when religion is not even mentioned. It has been found safest for them to meet frequently fre-quently under the direction and care of the church. To send them into Use world with no social traininf,- exposes them to grave perils and to try to keep them out of the world with no social privileges is sheer folly. There is a social nature to. both old and young, but the social requirements or-the or-the young are imperative. The church must provide directly or indirectly some modern equivalent for the husking husk-ing bee, the quilting bee and the singing sing-ing schools of the old days. Ia one way or another the social instincts of our young people must have opportunity oppor-tunity for expression, which may take the form of clubs, parties, picnics pic-nics or other forms of amusement. One thing is certain, and that is that the church cannot take away the dance, the card party and the theatre unless it can offer in its place a sat-, isfying substitute in the. form of more pleasing recreation. Universal Instinct for Play. In providing for enjoyment the church uses one of the greatest methods meth-ods by which human society has developed. de-veloped. Association is never secure until it is pleasurable; in play the instinctive in-stinctive aversion of one person for another is overcome and the social mood is fostered. Play is the chief educational agency in rural communities commun-ities and in the play-day of human childhood social sympathy and social habits are evolved- As individuals come together in social gatherings, their viewpoint is broadened, their ideals are lifted and finally they con- etitute a cultured and refined society. It ia plain, therefore, that the church winch aims at a perfected society so-ciety must use in a- refined and exalted ex-alted way the essential factors in social evolution and must avail itself o? the universal instinct for play. If tbe church surround itself wilh social functions which appeal to the young among its membership, it will fill a large part of the lamentable cop in rural pleasures and will reap the richest reward by promoting a higher and better type o manhood and womanhood. |