Social Gospel

Social Gospel. A social movement within Protestantism that aims to apply Christian ethics to social problems, especially issues of social justice such as economic inequality, poverty, alcoholism, crime, racial tensions, slums, unclean environment, child labor, lack of unionization, poor schools, and the dangers of war.

It was most prominent in the early 20th-century U.S. and Canada. Theologically, advocates of the movement sought to put into practice the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

They typically were postmillennialist; that is, they believed the Second Coming could not happen until humankind rid itself of social evils by human effort. The Social Gospel was more popular among clergy than laity. Its leaders were predominantly associated with the liberal wing of the progressive movement and most were theologically liberal, although a few were also conservative when it came to their views on social issues.

Important leaders included Richard T. Ely, Josiah Strong, Washington Gladden, and Walter Rauschenbusch.