SOCIAL SCIENCE FOUNDED ON A UNIFIED NATURAL SCIENCE 485 



incorporate into his own science what is not estabHshed by its 

 own methods. 



Sociology can be of great ser\ace to theology. According to 

 theology the ultimate work of God in the universe is the 

 Church, a society which is a spiritual body having Christ Him- 

 self as its head. History, viewed theologically, is the drama of 

 the institution of this society by Christ and of its struggle to 

 complete His mission. The Church as it now exists is a society 

 developing in concrete circumstances. We as Christians and 

 members of that society have to play our role in this present 

 moment amidst these present conditions. Revelation shows 

 us the nature of the Church and its history in outline, but to 

 fill out this outline in thought and in action requires a pro- 

 found analysis of our times, its forces and institutions, its social 

 trends. From the life of the single parish to the life of the 

 Church throughout the world we must see the life of the Church 

 as it really is, studying it through the eyes both of faith and of 

 science, with a vision that humbly accepts the facts, unafraid, 

 since ultimate victory is assured. 



This realistic Christian vision is possible today only if we 

 make full use of the social sciences and of the natural science 

 on which they are securely founded. 



Benedict M. Ashley, O. P. 



Dominican House of Studies 

 River Forest, Illinois 



