prehension upon the future of Christianity. As
far as they recognize disturbing facts at all they are very much like
Carlyle who, when told that Christianity was upon its last legs, said,
"What of that? Christianity has always been upon its last legs." And
perhaps their simple faith and hope are more to the point than many
opposing attitudes. The churches have grown faster than the population,
or at least they had at the last census. More than that, there has been
a marked increase in church activity. The churches are better organized;
they are learning the secret of cooeperation; they are reaching out in
more directions and all of them, even the more democratic, are more hard
driven from the top.

The result of all this has been a great show of action, though it is
difficult now to say whether the real results of this multiplied
activity have been commensurate in spiritual force and ethical fruitage
with the intensity of their organized life. (The writer thinks not.) But
through all this we discern, nevertheless, a marked weakening of
authority as far as the Church goes and a general loosening of ties;
though the churches in the regions of finance and organization drive
harder than they used to drive, in the matter of creed and conduct they
are driving with an easy rein. Denominational loyalties are relaxed;
there is much changing from one denomination to another and within the
denominations and individual churches there is, of course, a substantial
proportion of membership which is only nominal.

_Efforts at Reconstruction Within the Church_

There are those who view with apprehension the whole future of religion.
They believe that the foundations of the great deep are breaking beneath
us, that Christianity must be profoundly recast before it can go on
prevailingly, and they are reaching in one direction and another for
constructive changes, but all this within the frontiers of historic
Christianity and the Church. They want church unity but they still want
a church; they want a new theology but still a theology; they want new
applications of religion but still substantially the old religion. There
was more of this during the war than just now. Such a book as Orchard's
"Future of Religion," perhaps the most thoughtful analysis of conditions
given us for a long time, was born of the war itself and already many of
its anticipations seem to miss the point. Such expectations of wholesale
religious reconstruction leave