social gospel

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.

Social Gospel

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).

Word History and Origins

Origin of social gospel¹

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

Stewart warned that the email “calls for an earthly savior, a strongman redeemer” even as it “appears to leave no room for recognizing the humanity of the political opposition, for loving thy neighbor, seeking understanding, and the social gospel. It’s ultimately about money; this is another fleecing operation.”

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He's described the social gospel as heretical.

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Many, if not most, American Christians see the social gospel as the gospel.

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The movement that emerged under those conditions came to be known as the "Social Gospel" for Protestants, which joined like-minded Protestant antecedents and the existing tradition of Catholic social teaching to uphold the ideals of human dignity and the common good.

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Marshall Turman, a Yale Divinity School professor, offered pointed critiques in her first book at what she deemed the inherent patriarchy of Morehouse’s social gospel justice tradition.

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