The Social Action Pattern of the Protestant Religious Leader

Abstract

N JANUARY IO, I935, we sent out through the Religion and Labor Foundation a social action questionnaire to ioo,ooo religious leaders of twenty-two major faiths and denominations with a letter signed by fourteen religious leaders of the Catholic, Jewish and Protestant faiths. It should be understood that the purpose of this questionnaire was educational. It was designed to stimulate the thinking of the ministers on radical types of action, rather than to obtain scientific data. Consequently the responses left much to be desired when it comes to showing the total action pattern of the minister. Nevertheless the returns do have considerable sociological value. There were 47 specific questions grouped under eleven general action patterns: (i) Social legislation; (2) Civil liberties; (3) Co6peration with labor leaders; (4) Industrial disputes; (5) Right of labor to organize; (6) Aid to underprivileged groups; (7) Political activity; (8) Rural cooperation; (g) Jail service; (io) Membership in national organizations for social justice; (i i) Willingness to organize the group or participate in social action; (i 2) Concrete examples of individual and group action.