S5:E22 Walter Rauschenbusch and the Great Reversal

S5:E22 Walter Rauschenbusch and the Great Reversal

by | Oct 25, 2022 | Episodes

Why are conservative Christians against social programs?

Walter Rauscenbush published his classic book Christianity and the Social Crisis in 1907. It went on to become a defining work of the social gospel movement. We’ve spent a lot of time talking about the social gospel this season. That is because it has been identified by historians as the key movement that fundamentalists rebelled against. So we really should understand it, right?

In this episode, Chris takes us through highlights of this classic book in order to understand how the social gospel differed from evangelical Christianity. While it lifted up the necessity of doing good works, the social gospel often omitted salvation altogether. Contrast that to evangelical preachers like D.L. Moody who lived their lives with the sole purpose of evangelism.

This division between evangelicalism and liberal theologies led to the Great Reversal when theologically conservative Christians went from participating in public acts of goodwill to distancing themselves from it. Why are conservative Christians against social programs? Because people like Rauschenbush tied social programs to liberal theology and socialism.

Christianity and the Social Crisis

Breakdown of points made from Christianity and the Social Crisis

  • Rauschenbush’s thoughts on socialism (p152)
  • Theories on prophets of the Old Testament creating Judaism – p3 – 5
  • Amos and Jeremiah denied that God ever told them to sacrifice – p6
  • Morality is the only thing God cares about – p6
  • God is interested in the morality of the nation over the individual – p11, 29
  • The Bible has been altered when it comes to the stories of Jesus – p62-63
  • Wealth is associated with the wicked in the Bible – p13
  • Jewish people distributed land in communistic ways – p14
  • John the Baptist and Jesus both wanted to restore theocracy to Israel – p53
  • Rauschenbush’s ideas about how industry chews people up – p370
  • Socialism is inevitable – outside link page 153

Discussion Questions:

  • What is Christianity?
  • How much of Christianity can you remove before it becomes something else?
  • Why are we so split between those of us who think of good works and those of us who think of salvation?
  • What is the role of Christians in society?
  • Now that you’ve decided on the role of Christians in society, how do you match up with your own expectations?

Select Sources:

S5:E15 In His Steps (part 2)

S5:E15 In His Steps (part 2)

by | Jul 26, 2022 | Episodes

In His Steps free audiobook

This is the second part of this series. Please go back one episode to begin the complete audiobook

In His Steps by Charles Sheldon is a classic of Christian fiction. It is also one of the top-selling Christian books of all time. We’ve been running through the history of Christian fundamentalism this season. It’s worth noting that fundamentalism was a reaction to liberal theology, especially modernism. Another form of liberal theology was the “Social Gospel”. It was a movement led by people like Walter Rauschenbusch that emphasized the socially conscious aspects of Christianity, while simultaneously downplaying evangelism.

Christian fundamentalists did not like the Social Gospel. For one thing, it had a positive view of human progress. It said that the world could get better and better and then Jesus would return. Christian fundamentalists generally think that world history trends downward.

I’m presenting this original audio recording for many reasons. I think this book offers a great window into the era in which it was created (the late 1800s). It also represents the Social Gospel and a slice of the Holiness movement quite well. Finally, I think we need to hear this story in our modern context. Modern Christian churches are divided. What would happen if we dared to ask “What Would Jesus Do?”

Things to track as you listen:

  • The role of women in this society
  • Wealthy attitudes toward the poor
  • The genesis of financial woes in this book is sometimes economic crisis (the late 1800s was full of panics and recessions) and sometimes sin based
  • The Holiness movement and those who object to it
  • Is this book evangelistic? If so, how is the gospel presented? If not, what does this book leave out?
  • The overall positive view of human progress
  • Social movements like the pure foods movement, temperance, suffrage, anti-gambling