Introduction
In the nineteenth and twentieth century, social gospel movement became a broad religious and powerful movement which supported many reforms related to social issues the ideas it generated for the social justice are still influencing today’s policy. As the civil war ended in 1865, a religious movement was started by the liberal chiritians which continued until 1920[1]. The main objective of this movement was to end social problems that were emerging in the society as a result of urbanization and industrialization by applying the the rules and principles that are meant for an individual to the whole society.
Chirstian community become more interested to bring social justice in the society when they saw the results of industrialization and urbanization in their community. When people saw that industrialization is bringing wealth disparity, urban poverty and a people are less interest in their religious gathering because of the reason that people of the Europe especially Roman Catholics have started migration towards United States, they became more interested in social justice.
Protestaant Ministers started preaching and believeing that deliverance is not just only dependent on loving God, but it is dependent in behaving like Jesus, doing good works, loving your relatives and neighbors and taking good care of the needy and poor people[2]. “What Jesus would do?” is a phrase that is very famous in the Christians whenever they face a dilemma either ethical or moral came into existence because of popularity this phrase gain in this movement.
Discussion
The population of America ws increasing drastically due to migration of the people from central and southern Europe as well as due to the industrialization. Clergy thought that the people who are becoming more successful and becoming leaders of the society are paying less attention to the values and priciples of Christian as becming successful had made them greedy. Due to industrialization, there came great wealth disparity which led to the labor movement that was again supported by the social gospel movement.
American cities faced a rapid increase in the population. A lot of people were migrating towards citites because of the industrialization but yet again due to limited resources in the cities, they were unable to provide all the necessities that are required to all the immigrants and thus sleaziness and poverty followed everyone everywhere.
As a result of all this, neumerous religious also emerged such as the catholic churches of congregations[3]. Many jewish synagogues were built and some eastern orthodox also, but the protestants were continuously losing their parishioners specially who belong to the working class.
Progressivism and Social Gospel
Progressives had a belief that the greed humans have developed in themselves because of the urbanization and industrializton has taken away all the benefits that could be beneficial for all the human race. They worked to bring a cure of political and social ills that are damaging the roots of America.
Social Gospel addressed many of the social issue that include, crime, poverty,alcoholism, unemployment, racial inequality, drug addiction, civil rights, pollution, voting rights, political corruption, child labor, threat of war and the gun control. Progressives also tried to overcome the issues most of them were similar like the ones that social gospel tried to coup such as child labor, better working conditions, women’s sufferage and alcoholism.
Accomplishments
One of the major accomplishment that social gospel had is the settlement
movement. This movement helped a lot to the poor and also to the immigrants to make an improvement in their lives. Most of the settlement houses were occupied by the educated class of the america who belonged to the upper or middle class. These houses were establ;ished in the poor areas. These settlement houses were offering services to the people who live in the slums in the neighborhood. These services include health care, education and daycare.
Social Gospel and the Civil Rights Movement
Initially, social gospel movement was a phenomenon toseek out the justice for everyone as urbanization and industrialization was causing many social and cultural disparities. Ultimately, the path for Civil Rights movement was paved. As a result of this civil rights movement, N.A.A.C.P. was formed which helped the people who were facing racial inequality[4].
Social Gospel movement also give rise to many other movements like liberation movements, anti war organizing and liberation theology in other countries.
Provision of Social Legacy
Despite being shortlived, social gospel created a lasting impact on the mainline denomination policies in the United States[5]. Many programs for social reforms began in the US which led to non-sectarian cooperation which was all about social issues. Foreign policy approach of social gospel made a clear impact on nation building and Christian internationalism.
Conclusions
Social Gospel movement is one of the remarkable movement in the history that is also known as the most exclusive contribution of America to the chirstian world. This movement came into eistance as a result of urbanization and industrialization in the US plus the immigrattion of people from rural to urban areas. This things changed the whole scenario and a lot of social, cultural and wealth disparity caused panic in the effected areas. This movement helped a lot for the underpreviliged and socially deprived people.
Fundamentalism
Introduction
Fundamentalsim, sort of militantly traditionalist religious development described by the strict adjustment of scarced writing. Once it was only used to allude the American protestants who demanded the inerrancy of Bible. The term fundamentalism was connected in late twentieth century to a wide assortment of religious developments. To be sure, in the vast feel of the time period, amongst the foremost religions of the sectorian be said to have the fundamentalists movements[6]. Fundamentalism, usually comes with a religious tone that indicates tireless attachment to exclusive beliefs.
Despite being it unequalled breadth, the fundamentalism has been deply criticized on many grounds. One of the main objection is that the movements that are being called as the as the fundamentalists movements are less motivated. In most of the cases, people who joind such movements have suffered from dislocation and stress that is more typically associated with modernism[7]. Another criticism is, it is inappropriate to use fundamentalism term, which basically refers to the American Protestantism movement, to describe other religious movements specially non-western ones.
Discussion
It is a term that is used to outline the reactions of pressures of modernity and traditional religions. Fundamentalsim has become an interested topic in the academy and in the media during the twentieth century. It is a phenomenon that arises in different societies that are experiencing modernity and have different cultureal backgrounds.
Fundamentalism was emerged as a response to the liberal views that were rising in the nineteenth century in the American protestant denominations. For fundamentalists, the obliging trend of modernism threatened moral society and Christian faith that was grooming in the US[8]. Against the libeal challenge,the most logical reply was the Fundamentalists, an encyclopedia was started to published which was the base of this movement.
Cultural and Political Developments
Critiques thought that there are some political objectives behind this movement but other than few incidents, the fundamentalists did not try to participate in the polictical scenario of the United States. By 1970, fundamentalist were divided into two groups: separatists who think that for all the Christians who are true ton their religion, politics wll distract them from their original task: and activists who thought that if they get involved in the politics, it would be beneficial for them and they can easily spread their views[9].
Problems of Fundamentalist Paradigm
Fundamentalism proved to be an important and popular idea as it kept the promise of reckoning the perceived patterns of behavior and thinking in different socities with different political and religious cultures[10]. However the critiques believed that the aforementioned patterns have western bias that are creating problems. For example, Protestants described themselves against and over modern trends while in the muslim world, the majority of the msulims explicilt show their close attittudes towards Quran.
Conclusion
Chirstian fundamentalism, notably was a marvelous religious movement of the last century came into existence in he chaotic times. Most importantly, it shows the concerns of majority of the people who think that the role of religion in our daily rountine life is diminishing day by day. People who naturally turned towards the religion for their own comfort have found many questions about science and modernity. Term fundamentalist is now of common use and it is applied broadlybut we should always remember that myriad movements designated greatly in character, outlook and in origins.
End Notes
“The Most Important Question That Any Man Ever Asked Or Answered “. 2018. Biblebelievers.Com. Accessed April 3 2018. https://www.biblebelievers.com/torrey_sermons/torrey12.html.
“NOW With Bill Moyers. Society And Community. History Of The Social Gospel | PBS”. 2018. Pbs.Org. Accessed April 3 2018. http://www.pbs.org/now/society/socialgospel.html.
“”Shall The Fundamentalists Win?”: Defending Liberal Protestantism In The 1920S”. 2018. Historymatters.Gmu.Edu. Accessed April 3 2018. http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5070/.
Rauschenbusch, Walter. A theology for the social gospel. Westminster John Knox Press, 1917.
Linder, Douglas. 2018. “The Rise Of Fundamentalism In America”. Law2.Umkc.Edu. Accessed April 3 2018. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/Fundamentalism.html.
“Evolution: Library: Scopes Trial”. 2018. Pbs.Org. Accessed April 3 2018. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/08/2/l_082_01.html.
“The Social Gospel And The Progressive Era, Divining America, Teacherserve®, National Humanities Center”. 2018. Nationalhumanitiescenter.Org. Accessed April 3 2018. http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/twenty/tkeyinfo/socgospel.htm.
Shurden, Walter B., ed. The Struggle for the soul of the SBC: Moderate Responses to the Fundamentalist Movement. Mercer University Press, 1993.
“”Shall The Fundamentalists Win?”: Defending Liberal Protestantism In The 1920S”. 2018. Historymatters.Gmu.Edu. Accessed April 3 2018. http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5070/.
2018. Historytools.Davidjvoelker.Com. Accessed April 3 2018. http://historytools.davidjvoelker.com/sources/Rauschenbusch.pdf.
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“The Most Important Question That Any Man Ever Asked Or Answered “. 2018. Biblebelievers.Com. Accessed April 3 2018. https://www.biblebelievers.com/torrey_sermons/torrey12.html.
-
2018. Historytools.Davidjvoelker.Com. Accessed April 3 2018. http://historytools.davidjvoelker.com/sources/Rauschenbusch.pdf.
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“NOW With Bill Moyers. Society And Community. History Of The Social Gospel | PBS”. 2018. Pbs.Org. Accessed April 3 2018. http://www.pbs.org/now/society/socialgospel.html.
-
“”Shall The Fundamentalists Win?”: Defending Liberal Protestantism In The 1920S”. 2018. Historymatters.Gmu.Edu. Accessed April 3 2018. http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5070/.
- Rauschenbusch, Walter. A theology for the social gospel. Westminster John Knox Press, 1917. ↑
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Linder, Douglas. 2018. “The Rise Of Fundamentalism In America”. Law2.Umkc.Edu. Accessed April 3 2018. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/Fundamentalism.html.
-
“Evolution: Library: Scopes Trial”. 2018. Pbs.Org. Accessed April 3 2018. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/08/2/l_082_01.html.
-
“The Social Gospel And The Progressive Era, Divining America, Teacherserve®, National Humanities Center”. 2018. Nationalhumanitiescenter.Org. Accessed April 3 2018. http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/twenty/tkeyinfo/socgospel.htm.
- Shurden, Walter B., ed. The Struggle for the soul of the SBC: Moderate Responses to the Fundamentalist Movement. Mercer University Press, 1993. ↑
-
“”Shall The Fundamentalists Win?”: Defending Liberal Protestantism In The 1920S”. 2018. Historymatters.Gmu.Edu. Accessed April 3 2018. http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5070/.
