The church is attempting to live in an antiquated image of the time. In a yet age, it thinks in terms of oxen. It is pitifully behind the present age it claims to serve. For this reason, it has lost its role of leadership today. While the youth of the new world are executing a revolution for human dignity, the church follows reluctantly at a distance. In brief it has become an echo of the times, not a voice to it.

The heart of the matter is that the church no longer knows who it is. It has become vague about its purpose and confused about its message. It has lost its sense of mission to civilization and its dedication to the well-being of the neighbor. It has become a thing, an it, a lifeless object rather than living, breathing human movement. No longer willing or able to risk itself, it has surrendered its self-confidence, with drawn from the world and turned to an attitude of defensiveness. It has become an institution that exists for the sake of the institution - that is, for itself. Cumbersomeness increasingly renders it ineffective in the world.

In sum, the church is living in a dream world. It is irrelevant to the modern age and apparently impotent to do anything about it. It is not in any authentic communication with or to the world. And yet this is exactly what it must do - become human, exist in the new world of today. It must discover a means of mutual exchange or dialogue with the real world. It must forge anew a "social gospel" that has to do with the actual personal and social issues and problems of our time. It is in need of a new image of itself as mission to humanity, a fresh dedication to mankind.

This demands a new unity in the church and fresh way for depth communication within the common body. It must eliminate segregation of all kind from within its own house, first of all. It must find ways of enabling each other to be free men of radical love engaged in the great struggles of this age. To do this, first of all, a decisive effort in the direction of adult education must now be made. The laity must be trained depth. Secondly, a new approach to the training of youth is urgently required. It must reject old moralistic images of life that do not correspond to the actual world they live in and on the other hand it must offer new living and relevant images of life. The very methods and educational tools must be twentieth century, such as the use of drama, and various other art forms.

Lastly, the church today is in need of corps of awakened individuals who will assume the role of serious leadership in awakening the church. These will be signs of renewal and the active agents of the same. Finally, each of us must decide whether we shall be this corps of spirit men - living and speaking and acting as men of faith in the midst of the world.