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001 74857
003 UtSlPG
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010 _a25010792
040 _aUtSlPG
041 7 _aen
_2iso639-1
050 4 _aBV
100 1 _aGalpin, Charles Josiah,
_d1864-1947
245 1 0 _aEmpty churches
264 1 _aSalt Lake City, UT :
_bProject Gutenberg,
_c2024
300 _a1 online resource :
_bmultiple file formats
336 _atext
_btxt
_2rdacontent
337 _acomputer
_bc
_2rdamedia
338 _aonline resource
_bcr
_2rdacarrier
500 _aRelease date is 2024-12-08
508 _aCarla Foust and The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
520 _a"Empty Churches: The Rural-Urban Dilemma" by Charles Josiah Galpin is a sociological analysis written in the early 20th century. The book addresses the pressing issue of declining church attendance and the overabundance of competing churches in rural America, highlighting the detrimental effects on community cohesion and spiritual life. Galpin argues that rural churches are often underfunded and understaffed, which contributes to a spiritual crisis in areas where the churches should be serving as vital centers of community and faith. The opening of the book sets a poignant scene in a rural church where a struggling young minister faces a nearly empty congregation, serving as an immediate portrayal of the larger problem of "competitive religion" among numerous denominations that ultimately dilutes the effectiveness and reach of spiritual guidance in these areas. Galpin highlights stark statistics depicting the spiritual neglect of rural populations, such as a significant portion of children growing up without exposure to any religious teachings. Through a mixture of personal anecdotes and alarming research findings, the beginning lays the groundwork for an in-depth discussion on how to address the imbalance in church distribution and the urgent need for churches to better serve their communities. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
534 _pOriginally published:
_cNew York, NY: The Century Co., 1925
653 _aChurch attendance
653 _aRural churches -- United States
653 _aCommunity churches
856 4 0 _uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/74857
999 _c115582
_d115582