Social Gospel facts for kids

The Social Gospel was a special movement within Protestantism, a branch of Christianity. It aimed to use Christian ideas and values to solve big problems in society. These problems included things like people not having enough money (economic inequality), poverty, crime, and unfair treatment based on race. It also looked at bad living conditions in cities, child labor, and the need for workers to form groups (unions).

This movement was most popular in the early 1900s in the United States and Canada. People involved in the Social Gospel believed that Christians should work to make the world better, just like the Lord's Prayer says: "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." They thought that if people worked hard to fix social problems, the world would become a better place. The Social Gospel was more popular among church leaders than regular church members. Key leaders included Richard T. Ely, Josiah Strong, Washington Gladden, and Walter Rauschenbusch.

History of the Social Gospel

The name Social Gospel was first used by Charles Oliver Brown. He used it when talking about a book from 1879 called Progress and Poverty by Henry George. This book helped start a movement about fair taxes.

The Social Gospel had a big impact on many Protestant churches in America. For example, in 1910, the Presbyterians said their church's main goals included helping people, creating a sense of community, and promoting fairness in society. They wanted to show the world what the "Kingdom of Heaven" could look like on Earth.

In the late 1800s, many Protestants were upset by how much poverty there was and how bad living conditions were in poor city areas. The Social Gospel movement gave them a religious reason to act. People in the movement hoped that by creating public programs and making sure children went to school, poor people could learn skills. They believed this would help improve their lives and their communities. Important goals of the Social Gospel included stopping child labor and limiting the long hours mothers had to work. By 1920, they were fighting against the 12-hour workday for steel workers in the U.S.

Washington Gladden's Role

Washington Gladden (1836–1918) was an American church leader. His actions and words made him known as a "pioneer" of the Social Gospel, even before the term was widely used. Gladden spoke up for workers and their right to form unions.

Gladden believed that Christian rules should apply to every part of life, including how bosses treated their employees. His 1877 book, The Christian Way, was his first national call for Christian values to be used in everyday life. This book helped him become a leader in the Social Gospel movement. Many historians see Gladden as one of the movement's "founding fathers."

Later, in the 1900s, Walter Rauschenbusch became a key leader.

Walter Rauschenbusch's Influence

Walter Rauschenbusch (1861–1918) was another important thinker for the Social Gospel movement. He was a Baptist pastor at the Second German Baptist Church in a tough neighborhood called "Hell's Kitchen" in New York City.

In 1892, Rauschenbusch and other Social Gospel leaders formed a group called the Brotherhood of the Kingdom. Pastors and leaders joined this group to discuss and put the Social Gospel into action.

In 1907, he wrote a book called Christianity and the Social Crisis. This book greatly influenced many people involved in the Social Gospel. His work is often seen as one of the best summaries of Social Gospel ideas. Rauschenbusch spoke out against what he saw as the selfishness of capitalism. Instead, he supported a type of Christian socialism that encouraged labor unions and shared economic efforts.

A Theology for the Social Gospel (1917)

The Social Gospel movement was not always in agreement. It had members who sometimes had different ideas. Rauschenbusch felt the movement needed "a theology to make it effective." He also believed that "theology needs the social gospel to vitalize it." In his 1917 book, A Theology for the Social Gospel, Rauschenbusch tried to create a complete system of beliefs for the Social Gospel. He thought the Social Gospel would be a lasting part of Christian faith.

In this book, Rauschenbusch explained that traditional Christian teachings focused on individual wrongdoing. But he felt they didn't focus enough on problems caused by unfair systems in society. He believed that God wanted to fix these larger problems too. This idea later influenced liberation theologians and civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr..

Rauschenbusch believed the "Kingdom of God" was very important to the Social Gospel. He said that Jesus often spoke about the "Kingdom of God," but over time, the Church became the main focus instead. Rauschenbusch urged Christians to return to the idea of the "Kingdom of God." He believed this idea was not limited by the Church's problems. It could help guide and improve the Church. He saw it as a forward-looking, revolutionary force that could help fix society's problems.

He also explained that Christians should be like Jesus, who treated everyone equally. Jesus saw people as subjects of love and service.

Settlement Houses and Community Help

Many reformers who were inspired by the Social Gospel movement opened "settlement houses." A famous one was Hull House in Chicago, run by Jane Addams. These houses helped poor people and immigrants improve their lives. Settlement houses offered services like daycare, education, and health care in neighborhoods with difficult living conditions.

The YMCA, which originally helped young people from rural areas adjust to city life while keeping their faith, became a strong part of the Social Gospel by the 1890s. Many churches, including Catholic ones, also did missionary work in other countries. This work often included Social Gospel ideas, especially providing medical help. Black churches, like the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church, also had active programs supporting the Social Gospel.

Progressive Movement Connection

Before the First World War in the United States, the Social Gospel was the religious side of the progressive movement. This movement aimed to fight against unfairness, suffering, and poverty in society. Denver, Colorado, was a key center for Social Gospel activities.

For example, Thomas Uzzel led a Methodist church there from 1885 to 1910. He set up a free clinic, a job placement office, a summer camp for kids, and English classes for immigrants. Other church leaders also worked for social change. Mark A. Matthews in Seattle was another important leader. His church was the largest Presbyterian church in the country. He created a model church with night schools, job bureaus, a kindergarten, and a clinic.

The American South also had its own version of the Social Gospel. It focused especially on prohibition, which was the banning of alcohol. Other reforms included outlawing public swearing and certain sports like boxing. White Baptist churches in the South, though generally conservative, also became more involved in social issues like temperance and helping orphans.

Later Influence and Legacy

During the New Deal in the 1930s, some Social Gospel ideas appeared in government programs. Leaders like Harry Hopkins and Mary McLeod Bethune worked to help people, including African Americans. After 1940, the movement became less strong, but it was revived in the 1950s by Black leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement.

Even today, the Social Gospel still influences groups like Jim Wallis's Sojourners organization. It also inspires local groups like the Virginia Interfaith Center. The work of John Steinbruck, a pastor in Washington, D.C., from 1970 to 1997, is another modern example. He was a strong supporter of the Social Gospel and helped homeless people and refugees.

The Social Gospel movement reached its peak in the early 1900s. Some scholars believe it declined after the trauma of the First World War. Others argue that the war actually encouraged more reform efforts.

Even though it was not a long-lasting movement, the Social Gospel had a big impact on many mainstream churches in the United States. Many churches started programs for social reform. This led to different churches working together in 1910 to form the Federal Council of Churches. The Social Gospel's focus on people leading change may have also helped lead to women's right to vote and prohibition. Some historians believe that Social Gospel ideas learned in childhood influenced President Lyndon B. Johnson's commitment to social justice, like his "Great Society" programs and his work for racial equality.

The Social Gospel movement has been called "the most distinctive American contribution to world Christianity." After 1945, it also influenced the creation of Christian democracy in Europe. Many of its ideas also reappeared in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Principles of the Social Gospel continue to inspire newer movements today.

Canada's Social Gospel

In Canada, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, a political party now known as the New Democratic Party, was founded on Social Gospel ideas in the 1930s. It was started by J. S. Woodsworth, a Methodist minister, and William Irvine. Woodsworth wrote a lot about the Social Gospel based on his experiences working with immigrants in poor areas of Winnipeg. He called for the "Kingdom of God" to be present "here and now."

This political party took power in the province of Saskatchewan in 1944. Led by Tommy Douglas, a Baptist minister, this group introduced important social programs like universal healthcare, family allowances, and old age pensions. This political party has since become less religious and more focused on social democratic ideas.

The Social Service Council (SSC) was a group that promoted Social Gospel ideas in Canada. However, some of its leaders, like Charlotte Whitton, opposed wider social security programs. She believed in traditional private charity instead of government help.

The Social Gospel also influenced the creation of the People's Church in Brandon, Manitoba, in 1919. Started by Methodist minister A. E. Smith, this church aimed to be an alternative to traditional churches that Smith felt didn't care enough about social issues. Other People's Churches were founded in other Canadian cities.

Social Gospel in Books

The ideas of the Social Gospel are shown in novels like In His Steps (1897) and The Reformer (1902) by the minister Charles Sheldon. Sheldon is famous for coining the phrase "What would Jesus do?" He believed in Christian socialism and strongly supported the Social Gospel movement. Walter Rauschenbusch, a key Social Gospel thinker, said Sheldon's novels inspired his own ideas.

Many important books that defined the Social Gospel movement were written by members of the Brotherhood of the Kingdom. These included Walter Rauschenbusch's Christianity and the Social Crisis (1907) and Christianizing the Social Order (1912). Also, Samuel Zane Batten wrote The New Citizenship (1898) and The Social Task of Christianity (1911).

The Social Gospel Today

In the United States, the Social Gospel still influences liberal Protestant churches. Its ideas can also be found in many service and relief groups connected to Protestant churches and the Catholic Church. It also remains important among Christian socialist groups in Britain, including those in the Church of England and Methodist churches.

See also

In Spanish: Evangelio social para niños