ABSTRACT
In reaction to liberal 'social gospel' advocates they defended a negative attitude to social action, apart from immediate local philanthropy. If we had lived then, we might well have made the same mistakes. It was a difficult time for the churches. They were losing ground, and it was easy to think that the old paths were no good. As David Wells has put it: 'Christian truth went from being an end in itself to being merely the means to personal healing'. The soothing Thought for the Day on radio and the bland 'spirituality' of an outlook influenced by New Age sound more attractive. Ministers and youth leaders easily forget that the input that they provide – often only one service on Sunday – is far from being enough for those with little background of biblical knowledge. A good biblical diet may not seem as immediately exciting as a more experience-based approach.
