No responsible believer in Jesus Christ is happy about the pre¬sence of such social evils as racial hatred, a spiraling crime rate, the liquor and drug traffic, slums and violence* He realizes that such con¬ditions as these have the potential to destroy his society and therefore ought to be checked. But the problem facing the Christian and the church is their role in curing the ills of society. What is the church'ร re¬sponsibility in the area of social problems? Should the church involve itself in these problems? If so, to what extent? These questions are not easily answered and debate goes on within the church. Hudson Armerding has stated the problem revealing the issue involved: "How
may the secular world be confronted, without the probability of an ac¬commodation that eventually will produce capitulation?"1