ABSTRACT
The ideals of the evangelical Christians are aspirations which have called forth the best efforts and the most disinterested actions throughout human history. Compared with psychoanalysis, historical materialism, or functionalism, the action theory may not be so economical of organizing concepts or of hypotheses. A general theory is presented in the form of a sociological model which provides a kind of consensus of the various theories of social innovation, in the light of all the facts encountered in the course of historical research. Considered as a scientific theory of social innovation, in the light of the case-studies, historical materialism must be adjudged inadequate. Individual literacy has important social consequences. The power to identify is the product of a number of factors one of which is group literacy. The intensity of group life can be regarded as being proportional to the number of interactions between members.
