social gospel

American  

noun

Protestantism.

1. a movement in America, chiefly in the early part of the 20th century, stressing the social teachings of Jesus and their applicability to public life.

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Social Gospel Cultural  

1. A religious movement that arose in the United States in the late nineteenth century with the goal of making the Christian churches more responsive to social problems, such as poverty and prostitution. Leaders of the movement argued that Jesus' message was as much about social reform as about individual approaches to salvation (see also salvation).

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Etymology

Origin of social gospel

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

In her book, “Toward a Womanist Ethic of Incarnation: Black Bodies, the Black Church and the Council of Chalcedon,” Marshall Turman critiqued the Morehouse social gospel tradition, even interviewing Butts.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 6, 2024

Churches were moved to intervene through their belief in the concept of the social gospel.

From Textbooks • Dec. 30, 2014

As Sloan’s company became a paragon of American success, his organizational approach acquired the status of social gospel.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 24, 2014

And his opposition to inequality stems from Puritan preachers and the social gospel rather than socialism.

From New York Times • Oct. 27, 2010

After all, King himself was speaking, first and foremost, as a preacher, fulfilling an emerging mission of religion: preaching the social gospel of justice and equality.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson