the tendencies which appear in student circles and in groups of
thinking men, old and young. These, too, we must use with cau-
tion, remembering that permanence is the one sure test of truth
and correcting present impressions by the longer look.

Some truths we may take for granted as having been confirmed
by the experience of the past few years: first, that the primary
concern of the Church is with religion; secondly, that the mission
of the Christian Church is to interpret and to illustrate the prin-
ciples of the Christian religion, and to win men everywhere to
allegiance to Jesus; thirdly, that it is the special responsibility of
the Protestant churches to guard what has been won by the
Protestant emphasis upon freedom, and to work out appropriate
forms in which freedom may express itself in unity.

It seems elementary to say that the primary concern of the
Church is with religion. But it is none the less necessary to do so.
The Church exists to remind men of the fact of God and to help
them to realize their personal relation to Him. Many other ac-
tivities it shares with other institutions. Worship is its specialty.

But there are various forms of religion, and each has its own
church. The mission of the Christian Church is to witness to the
revelation which God has made of Himself through Jesus Christ.
This carries with it a distinct philosophy of life and a correspond-
ing view of human duty and destiny. The Christian believes that
there is one God who is all men's Father, who cares for their
welfare and seeks their salvation, one Master who came to save
the world and who has given in His own person the supreme
demonstration of self-sacrificing love, one Spirit, who pleads with
men to be reconciled with God, to accept His forgiveness, and
to take as their standard of conduct and service the example of
Jesus.

This gives the Christian religion a point of contact with the
wider human problems of which we have been speaking. They
are not irrelevant to the main business of the Church, which is to
be a witness to God. For God as revealed by Christ is interested
in men, cares for their welfare, and wishes His human children
to share His redemptive purpose.

The Christian therefore knows that the mission of the Church
must be as broad as humanity. He has learned from his Master
that each human individual is a child of God and a potential

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