Conventionally, critics have accused Social Gospellers of largely ignoring African Americans and women’s aspirations to justice equality and desegregation in the late 19th century .
The social gospel’s origins are often traced to the rise of late 19th-century urban industrialization , immediately following the Civil War. Largely, but not exclusively, rooted in Protestant churches, the social gospel emphasized how Jesus’ ethical teachings could remedy the problems caused by “Gilded Age” capitalism.
The Social Gospel, after 1945, influenced the formation of Christian democracy political ideology among Protestants and Catholics in Europe . Many of the Social Gospel’s ideas also reappeared in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
Among the early champions of the social gospel was Washington Gladden, a prominent Congregational minister who pastored large churches in Springfield, Massachusetts, and Columbus, Ohio. Gladden was the first minister to endorse the labor union movement . He also spoke out against anti-Catholicism and racial segregation.
| Population of city of Chicago | 1840 5,000 | 1890 1,100,000 |
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What was the main purpose of the Social Gospel movement?
The Social Gospel Movement was a religious movement that arose during the second half of the nineteenth century. Ministers, especially ones belonging to the Protestant branch of Christianity, began to tie salvation and good works together. They argued that people must emulate the life of Jesus Christ .
What was the purpose of the settlement house movement?
A group of enterprising settlement house movement leaders sought to achieve change by bridging the gaps between social classes . The middle-class leaders joined underserved urban neighborhoods and opened their homes to the local children, parents, families, and older adults.
Advocates of the movement interpreted the kingdom of God as requiring social as well as individual salvation and sought the betterment of industrialized society through application of the biblical principles of charity and justice .
What was the progressive philosophy?
Progressivism is a political philosophy in support of social reform. ... Contemporary progressives promote public policies that they believe will lead to positive social change.
Who started the Social Gospel movement?
The READER’S COMPANION TO AMERICAN HISTORY mentions three leaders of the Social Gospel movement: Washington Gladden, who “sympathized with workers and urged them to seek unity in Christianity,” William Dwight Porter Bliss , who worked with the Knights of Labor and Socialist party, and Walter Rauschenbusch, a New York ...
What did Washington Gladden believe in?
Gladden was a firm believer in the social gospel. He believed that all Christians must dedicate themselves to the mission of Jesus Christ . They must fight corruption and greed. They must also do all in their power to help their fellow men and women.
He published Working People and their Employers in 1876, which advocated the unionization of employees, and was the first notable US clergyman to approve of unions. Gladden did not support socialism or laissez-faire but advocated instead the application of “Christian law” to issues.
What do fundamentalist Christians believe?
In keeping with traditional Christian doctrines concerning biblical interpretation, the mission of Jesus Christ, and the role of the church in society, fundamentalists affirmed a core of Christian beliefs that included the historical accuracy of the Bible, the imminent and physical Second Coming of Jesus Christ, and ...
How did Settlement Houses alleviate poverty?
Settlement houses were created to provide community services to ease urban problems such as poverty . ... For these working poor, Hull House provided a day care center for children of working mothers, a community kitchen, and visiting nurses. Addams and her staff gave classes in English literacy, art, and other subjects.
What impact did World War I have on the settlement house movement?
Most historians agree that settlement house influence peaked about the time of World War I. The war diverted attention from reform and Congress drastically restricted immigration . The first wave of African Americans out of the South changed settlement neighborhoods, and residents and trustees were slow to respond.
