Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington is an opportunity to reflect not only on the vision of Black liberationists, but also on how conservative white evangelicals’ resistance to change is continuing through an entitlement to power rooted…
I agree with Pope Francis: True revival will fulfill the Social Gospel
Two disparate events occurred recently disturbed by normal calm. The first was the national news coverage of a revival breaking out at Asbury University in Kentucky. The second event was a social media event where Jordan Peterson wrote a post…
MLK’s civil rights work was an outgrowth of his Baptist tradition, author explains
Martin Luther King’s role as a Civil Rights leader was heavily influenced by the Baptist tradition that gave structure to his ministry and activism, Jeremiah Chester said during a webinar presented by Baptist History and Heritage Society. “We can’t separate…
Jesus and the inauguration of the Social Gospel
Everything we know about Jesus reveals him to be a social person. He taught, healed, debated, blessed, protested and worshiped in social groups. His death was public, as were his resurrection appearances, ascension and his expected return. Jesus taught his…
We’ve been sold a sampled gospel
Sean P.Diddy Combs is held by many today as a talented if not iconic hip-hop producer. He rose to fame and prominence however through sampling — the practice of taking an old song (one that is typically already very popular)…
The Social Gospel ghosts of Rauschenbusch and Roosevelt haunt evangelicals still
Lurking in the carnage of the cultural un-civil war, there lies the determined opposition of many Christians to the Social Gospel. Two powerful movements in the 20th century, one theological and one political, produced a furious opposition to the Social…
Raushenbush named leader of Interfaith Alliance
A great-grandson of the first Jewish Supreme Court Justice and of the most prominent early 20th century Baptist pastor teaching the Social Gospel has been named leader of Interfaith Alliance, an organization dedicated to protecting the integrity of both religion…
The true gospel is social
Several years ago, a mission team of laypersons preached the morning sermon at First Baptist Church of Abilene, Texas. They had just returned from completing medical and construction projects at a small Christian hospital in the mountains near Chihuahua, Mexico….
Drinking our way through the pandemic and out of temperance
The COVID-19 pandemic is changing the ways in which Americans relate to alcohol, and it might be threatening the legacy of America’s temperance movement. A recent report from NPR noted that alcohol sales have increased dramatically since the start of…