Social Gospel Movement

In 1896, Social Gospel proponent Charles Monroe Sheldon asked, "What would Jesus do?". And today, we can see his lasting legacy with the acronym, "WWJD," on bumper stickers, wristbands, and more. But, according to the Social Gospel, what would Jesus do? Keep reading to learn more about the the timeline of the Social Gospel Movement, its successes, and more.

Social Gospel Movement Timeline

The Social Gospel Movement was a religious movement among various Protestant denominations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that aimed to improve the conditions of the urban poor. Proponents believed helping the less fortunate was a means to salvation.

Social Gospel Movement Timeline: Historical Context

America was not new to religious movements when the Social Gospel movement came around. In fact, there had been not one, but two periods known for religious revival and fervor: the First and Second Great Awakening. The First Great Awakening of the early to mid-18th century focused on salvation for the individual. In contrast, the Second Great Awakening of the late-18th and early-19th centuries introduced concern for society and its problems.

The concern for societal problems during the Second Great Awakening led to movements against drinking, prostitution, and even slavery. Here, we can find Protestant origins in the temperance movement and abolition movement. Following the Civil War, reform was no longer on the main agenda. Instead, everyone was busy experiencing the boom of industry and laissez-faire capitalism of the Gilded Age.

With industrialization came the growth of urban populations as rural citizens fled to city centers for work. Citizens who were once farmers or shop owners were now wage-earners competing for jobs, giving large industries the power to take advantage of them. Adding in immigrants from Southern and Central Europe, cities became overcrowded and defined by squalor.

Fig. 1 - the slums in New York City

During the Gilded Age, Social Darwinism found support as a way to write off the suffering of those in need. Social Darwinists believed that natural selection and “survival of the fittest” applied to human beings. Following this flawed logic, groups such as the poor or disabled were simply “unfit” and helping them would interfere with the process of evolution and the betterment of society. Proponents of the Social Gospel movement attacked this ideology.

Social Gospel Movement Timeline: Development Under Washington Gladden

The Social Gospel movement first developed in the 1880s under Washington Gladden. During his time, serving as a minister at The Congregational Church in Springfield, Massachusetts, he became aware of the plight of workers while employees from shoe factories across town were on strike. Having previous experience writing as an editor for The New York Independent, he wrote Working People and Their Employers in 1876, advocating for workers’ unions and appealing to Christianity.

Fig. 2 - Washington Gladden

Social Gospel Movement Facts

The Social Gospel preached the importance of good works (charitable acts) in achieving salvation. The goal was to emulate Jesus Christ by helping the less fortunate and casting aside earthly desires. Hoarding wealth was sinful as it could be used to better the lives of others. The Social Gospel movement itself focused mainly on the plight of workers and advocated for reforms that would better their conditions such as:

• A reduced work week (no work on Sundays)

• The abolition of child labor

• A livable wage

• Regulation in factories

• Disability insurance

Social Gospel Movement Facts: The Peak of the Movement

By the early 20th century, it became clear that the societal problems caused by industrialization were not going away. The middle class could also see the plight of workers and the urban poor firsthand as investigative journalists, called muckrakers, exposed the horrific conditions in factories and tenement houses. As a result, the Social Gospel gained popularity alongside Progressivism.

Walter Rauschenbusch

Walter Rauschenbusch was a popular theologist and leading proponent of the Social Gospel movement. In 1907, he published Christianity and the Social Crisis, which became a key text outlining the principles of the movement as well as a call to action for the average Protestant.

Fig. 3 - Walter Rauschenbusch

Settlement Houses

One of the greatest contributions of the Social Gospel movement was the creation of settlement houses for the urban poor. Through these settlement houses, those in poverty could get access to healthcare, education, daycare, and other necessities they would not have otherwise. Many settlement houses also had spaces for recreation and offered counseling to residents.

One of the most famous examples of a settlement house is the Hull House founded and operated by Jane Addams. Although she never claimed to be a proponent of the Social Gospel movement, her work embodied its message. Many settlement houses modeled their own facilities after the Hull House.

Fig. 4 - Jane Addams

Civil Rights

Although the Social Gospel movement did not focus on civil rights, equality was the logical conclusion and there was a clear overlap between civil rights activists and proponents of the Social Gospel. Washington Gladden, who we discussed earlier, actually played an important role in the creation of the NAACP, a prominent civil rights organization founded in 1909.

Social Gospel Movement: Successes and Significance

During World War I, the Social Gospel became a mechanism for the Protestant ministers to increase nationalism and popular support for the war. After the devastation and disillusionment following the war, both the Social Gospel movement and Progressivism as a whole lost their momentum.

However, in conjunction with the efforts of Progressives, proponents of the Social Gospel movement were successful in getting reforms passed at the state, local, and national levels throughout the early 19th century. Across the United States, factory regulation laws became the norm as did workmen’s compensation. Child labor became increasingly regulated and welfare benefits appeared for the first time. And, outside of working conditions, there were the great successes of the temperance movement and women’s suffrage movement.

Social Gospel Movement Impact

The Social Gospel movement played a large role in the rise of Progressivism and the election of religious, reform-minded leaders like Woodrow Wilson. Although the Social Gospel movement lost ground among the general public following the 1920s, it succeeded in creating lasting legislation and changing the public's perspective on the plight of the working class and urban poor.