But within the limitations of human nature I believe
that the constitutional structure of the social order can be
squared with the demands of Christian morality. At every
new step of moral progress the clamor has gone up that
fairness and decency were utopian fanaticism and would
ruin society, but instead of making the social machinery
unworkable, every step toward collective Christian ethics
proved an immense relief to society.

An unchristian social order can be known by the fact
that it makes good men do bad things. It tempts, defeats,
drains, and degrades, and leaves men stunted, cowed, and
shamed in their manhood. A Christian social order makes
bad men do good things. It sets high aims, steadies the
vagrant impulses of the weak, trains the powers of the
young, and is felt by all as an uplifting force which leaves
them with the consciousness of a broader and nobler hu-
manity as their years go on.

Having now explained what we mean by christianizing
the social order, we might draw from the Gospels a list of
the Christian principles of social life and test the existing
social order by them. But we shall find it more fruitful
to trace the moral evolution of those social institutions which
have to some degree been christianized and in this way
amplify our conceptions of the christianizing process.
History will give us a better comprehension of the problem
than the closest definition of terms. If we know how a
thing has been done, we see how it can and ought to be
done.

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