Walter Rauschenbusch is widely regarded are a great American theological leader who is regarded as the founder of the social gospel movement in America, that transformed the church and the society in general . His main belief was that religion was not an individual activity or a phenomenon that affected only a single person. Instead, he believed that religion affected the entire society and therefore, the impetus for social reform and raising one’s voice against any sort of social evils or injustice should also come under the ambit of religion and church1. In this write-up an attempt is made to understand the religious philosophies of Walter Rauschenbusch and elaborate his principles of the social gospel movement. The Social Gospel movement also had a significant impact on the Protestant stream of thought prevalent in America . Walter Rauschenbusch was born on 4th October 1861 in a family of German immigrants2 3. His father, August Rauschenbusch was originally a Lutheran but later converted to baptism and preached the New …show more content…
Testament to the people in USA2. After beginning his education and completing his graduation in America, Walter Rauschenbusch spent four years in Germany studying further . In the year 1886, he completed his seminary training and was ordained as a minister in one of the churches in New York City3. However, after he began his career as a minister, he gained exposure to the real problems that the people living in that area were facing . The encountered the hard living conditions that the immigrants living in the New York City were going through, most of whom belonged to the lower to middle working class strata of the society. Walter Rauschenbusch found himself to be utterly socked when he witnessed the number of deaths taking place, particularly of children, most of which were taking place due to the social and economic evils of malnutrition, inadequate medical attention, poor living condition etc. All these incidents invoked a great deal of empathy within him and he tried to provide some solace to the people by preaching them God and his philosophies4. However, he soon realized that most of the problems faced were economic and social injustice was its root cause. This brought about two awakenings within him. First, he understood that religious cannot end with an individual and it has to spread to the entire society for it to make a difference. Religion that is confined to only an individual can only provide the inner strength and conviction to a person to carry on the path of righteousness. However, it does not make much of a difference in getting rid of the social issues present in the society . Second, he also realized that social ethics and religion were interlinked. He began to identify a structural issue in the entire society of his time and New York City was just a small sample of the country4. These realizations led him to revisit his religious learnings and try to look for deeper meaning in the religious scriptures for the society and its problems during that time4. He wished to come up with a theory that would help in redeeming the entire society5. While during his education he had focused more on the literal and individual level interpretations of the Bible, after witnessing the hardships that the people were facing in the society, Walter Rauschenbusch went to Europe yet again before the beginning of the twentieth century to explore the meaning of the religious scriptures for deciding the social policy. It was the result of this intensive and ground-breaking research that Walter Rauschenbusch got the inspiration for his highly famous book based on the theme of social theology titled “Christianity and the Social Crisis” which got published in the year 1907 .
In the book’s introduction, Walter Rauschenbusch has written “It follows that the relation between Christianity and social crisis is one of the most pressing questions for all intelligent men who realize the power of religion, and most of all the religious leaders of the people who give direction to the forces of religion” . He has also stated in his book that the main purpose of Christianity was to transform the normal human societies and regions into the Kingdom of God as described in the religious scriptures8. Christianity guides the way and described the moral and ethical principles by which not only every individual but also the entire society should function so as to achieve this
utopia. Walter Rauschenbusch has also stated in his book that the major or perhaps the only significant factor that distinguished the Christian prophets who dwelled even in the historical times from the others was their strong belief in the fact that God desires only righteous behavior and nothing else beyond it8. He compared the concept of God presented in Christianity with the other primitive practices that people before them followed (which centered largely around appeasement of the Gods by either ethical or unethical or immoral means ) and found that in Christianity the major focus in on taking the actions which are ethically and morally correct and not much emphasis is laid on the method or the social convention being followed9. He has quoted verses from the Bible that emphasizes the God’s preference for morality and goodness over other things9. He formed the above mentioned findings as the basis of this theory of social reform. He mentioned in his book that “If the hydraulic force of religion could be turned toward conduct, there is nothing which it could not accomplish”9. He also preached a distinction between morality at an individual level and morality exhibited in actions taken publically, terming them as private and public morality and said that public morality has the potential to transform the way in which the society functions. Walter Rauschenbusch also made these findings as the basis of his Social Gospel movement and wrote yet another book after it, titled “A Theology for the social gospel” . In the book he has mentioned a need for the theology to grow and evolve in accordance with the needs of the society, if it is expected to remain relevant in all the different times10. He has also explained his notion about the concept of social gospel as well in the book. He states that similar to the orthodox views present in Christianity, the social gospel also preaches the concept of salvation. However, instead of preaching salvation of an individual, it focusses on the sins of the entire societal order and the evils of oppression and extortion present in it that impact all the individual living in it10. The social gospel thus preaches the concept of repentance and salvation for the collective sins of the society. According to Rauschenbusch, the gospel is superior to the theology and the role of theology is only as a set of methods and procedures that facilitate the adoption of the gospel among the general public. Thus, it is necessary for the theology to reinvent itself and evolve along with the changing times and changing societal contexts, so that it remains relevant for the people who wish to adopt a particular gospel . Here, the objective of Walter Rauschenbusch is not to undermine theology and exhibit his preference of the Gospel over it. Instead, he only wishes to clarify the relationship between the two and highlight the need for adaptation. Consequently, it can be stated that Walter Rauschenbusch was indeed one of the American theologians, who had a highly progressive outlook towards religion and believed that for the people and the social institutions to remain religious it is necessary that the religious and the theological practices are adapted to the modern day norms. Because of his progressive ideas, he became an inspiration to many leaders who came later on, one of the most prominent of them being Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who also had similar progressive thoughts regarding religion and whose philosophies of social justice had religious and theological roots just like those of Walter Rauschenbusch.
The book is divided into chapters regarding idols of history, humanity, money, nature, power, and religion. Then it hesitantly offers a prediction if the current trends hold, and instruction for the Christian community whether or not the trends hold.
In the essay "Worldviews in Conflict," Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcey compare and contrast the ideas of Christianity and the views of today's society. Throughout the essay, they provide information about how the changes in society affect views regarding Christianity. Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcy's essay was written to contribute information so others could understand their views about the shifting cultural context and how it affects society's beliefs. The authors Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcey's essay is credible because they both have knowledge and experience regarding the topic and researched various parts of the topic using reliable sources. Along with this essay, Charles Colson has written thirty books which have received much praise among the Christian community.
The Second Great Awaking consisted of new applications of religion that deviated from rationalism, which sparked promotion of democracy and freedom. The message of salvation rather than condemnation was evident in this movement as spoken by Charles G. Finney. He sought to remove sin from reformed churches and organize sinners to unity and freedom (Doc B). This practice showed the crucial democrati...
This paper elaborates on the diverse contributions peoples of African descent have made to the pluralistic religious landscape of America and replicates various passages from our textbook. It focuses on the personal narratives of non-religious to religious leaders—exemplifying their influence on the African American religious movement during slavery and the reconstruction of America. Each section represents different historical periods, regional variations, and non-Christian expressions of African-American religion.
Perhaps the most misunderstood, least recognized, and largely undervalued of all the great reformers of the sixteenth century is Michael Sattler, the Anabaptist. The little that is actually known about Michael Sattler is often times assumed or misinterpreted. However, the definite information available regarding this “radical” suggest that his brief yet significant role as a Reformation leader was truly invaluable for the unification and survival of the Anabaptist movement and its teachings. In addition, the radical ideas of Sattler and other Anabaptists have helped shape Western culture as we know it today. The contributions of Sattler to the greater Christian world are undeniable. This essay will engage the life, teaching, writings, and influence of the martyr Michael Sattler.
Kittelson, James M. Luther the Reformer: The Story of the Man and His Career. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003.
Religion is a part of society that is so closely bound to the rest of one’s life it becomes hard to distinguish what part of religion is actually being portrayed through themselves, or what is being portrayed through their culture and the rest of their society. In Holy Terrors, Bruce Lincoln states that religion is used as a justifiable mean of supporting violence and war throughout time (Lincoln 2). This becomes truly visible in times such as the practice of Jihad, the Reformation, and 9/11. The purpose of this essay is to show that as long as religion is bound to a political and cultural aspect of a community, religious war and destruction will always occur throughout the world. A historical methodology will be deployed in order to gain
The political organization and religion aspects during the 16th century influenced Protestant Reformation to occur in Germany. Martin Luther’s writings reflect on his views and perspectives of German politics and religion at the time. Martin Luther’s ideas in the Letter to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation and The Statement of Grievances mentions Martin Luther’s thoughts about how corrupt the church is, why the corruption in the church needs to end, and what Martin Luther’s ideas are to change the way of the church.
Grant Wacker’s biography America’s Pastor is a superb breakdown of the many aspects of the life of Billy Graham. Unlike other biographies, Wacker examines the world-renowned evangelist from the perspective of Graham’s multiple individualities. In his book, Wacker looks at Graham as a preacher, icon, southerner, entrepreneur, architect, pilgrim, pastor, and patriarch. It is through these distinctions that the author provides the reader with a purpose for his writing. As an explanation of some of his selected points of view, Wacker writes: “As ‘Preacher,’ he articulated a traditional evangelical theology but presented it in increasingly appealing ways…As ‘Entrepreneur,’ he built from the ground up a crusade structure and organization of remarkable
As part of revivals in Christian faith during 18th century onward three practices evolved into their own interpretation on the place and authority of Scripture in the Christian faith. The first of these were the Liberals who “viewed themselves as the saviors of a defunct out of date Christianity” (Bingham 149). Their founder, Friedrich Schleiermacher an 18th century pastor, “did not view traditional, authoritative doctrines, creeds and biblical texts as the preeminent sources in theology (150). Instead the Liberal perspective of Christianity put more emphasis on the doctrines of sin and grace and less attention on the holiness of the trinity (Kerr 213). Jesus was viewed as a historical figure that we can learn from spiritually and the Bible is used as a source of knowledge on Christian history (Bingham 152, 153). In this theological movement being a Christian is considered “nothing but feeling and experience” (Lane 238).
...atin America, giving hope to those who are or were afraid to let go of the controlling grip of western dominance and showing that the opinions of the south will be more traditionalist and supernatural. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the changing face of Global Christianity. It is clear that a watershed event has occurred, and we are just now becoming aware of this change. Though at times this book was a bit dry and difficult to read but in the end it wasn’t a bad read. The first few chapters I felt overloaded you with information but as I kept reading it slowly dwindle down to analysis, narrative, and application of the information. For Christian readers, I think the value of this book prepares you for the “new world order” so to speak in Christianity as Africa and Latin American decide which direction the church will take.
While sociological and legal questions inevitably impinge upon any such reflection, I am here addressing the subject as a theologian. At this level the question has to be answered primarily in terms of revelation, as it comes to us through Scripture and tradition, interpreted with the guidance of the ecclesiastical magisterium.
However for the purpose of this essay it will mean the decline of religion. There are many statistics that argue against the statement “religion is declining rather than changing”. Christian church membership in Britain between 1930 and 1990 has dropped from 9.
The Christian religion means salvation to some and to others it is only something that only resides in the thoughts of the people of that society. A Marxist would tell you that true salvation could only be achieved here on earth by working. Salvation is something that all would hope would be in the future for themselves. In this paper we have examined two differing opinions on how salvation can be achieved one was through religion and the other was the socialist way of life. The argument between societies about religion will not be settled here on earth. Who is right and who is wrong in the argument about religion? Is religion just a figment of our imagination, is it something humans made up to make us feel good about the future and our salvation. Or are the Marxists wrong, could religion be everything it is meant to be in the Christian religion. Could religion be the real salvation? These are great questions to ponder and talk about.
Religious Fundamentalism is not a modern phenomenon, although, it has received a rise in the late twentieth century. It occurs differently in different parts of the world but arises in societies that are deeply troubled or going through a crisis (Heywood, 2012, p. 282). The rise in Religious Fundamentalism can be linked to the secularization thesis, which implies that victory of reason over religion follows modernization. Also, the moral protest of faiths such as Islam and Christianity can be linked to the rise of Religious Fundamentalism, as they protest the influence of corruption and pretence that infiltrate their beliefs from the spread of secularization (Heywood, 2012, p. 283). Religious Fundamentalists have followed a traditional political thought process, yet, have embraced a militant style of activity which often can turn violent (Heywood, 2012, p. 291).