Politics in the Church To what extent should the Church
pledge itself to definite views about such matters as unemployment and the means that should be adopted to abolish it ? The ques- tion will come up at the Spring Session of the Church Assembly on a resolution contained, in a report of the Social and Industrial Commission on Unemployment. The Commission expresses the conviction that the Church is right to concern itself with unemployment, and that it should support certain specific remedies, such as the raising of the school-leaving age, but that it should not commit itself to particular economic or financial policies. The question that will come before the Assembly bristles with difficulties. A Church that did not concern itself with the most urgent economic problems of our day might well be accused of being out of touch with realities. But how far should'it go ? Should it favour moderate social reforms, or the programme of Socialism, or, say, the Douglas Credit system ? Might it. conceivably have to ,find itself in the position of saying that rejection of the Douglas Credit system or of a scheme for reforming banking was inconsistent with Christianity ? The layman will be inclined to say that the Church must press for strenuous thought and action in these matters, but should not in its corporate capacity concern itself with highly controversial details.
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