Walter Rauschenbusch is widely regarded are a great American theological leader who is regarded as the founder of the social gospel movement in America, that transformed the church and the society in general . His main belief was that religion was not an individual activity or a phenomenon that affected only a single person. Instead, he believed that religion affected the entire society and therefore, the impetus for social reform and raising one’s voice against any sort of social evils or injustice should also come under the ambit of religion and church1. In this write-up an attempt is made to understand the religious philosophies of Walter Rauschenbusch and elaborate his principles of the social gospel movement. The Social Gospel movement also had a significant impact on the Protestant stream of thought prevalent in America . Walter Rauschenbusch was born on 4th October 1861 in a family of German immigrants2 3. His father, August Rauschenbusch was originally a Lutheran but later converted to baptism and preached the New …show more content…
In the book’s introduction, Walter Rauschenbusch has written “It follows that the relation between Christianity and social crisis is one of the most pressing questions for all intelligent men who realize the power of religion, and most of all the religious leaders of the people who give direction to the forces of religion” . He has also stated in his book that the main purpose of Christianity was to transform the normal human societies and regions into the Kingdom of God as described in the religious scriptures8. Christianity guides the way and described the moral and ethical principles by which not only every individual but also the entire society should function so as to achieve this
This paper elaborates on the diverse contributions peoples of African descent have made to the pluralistic religious landscape of America and replicates various passages from our textbook. It focuses on the personal narratives of non-religious to religious leaders—exemplifying their influence on the African American religious movement during slavery and the reconstruction of America. Each section represents different historical periods, regional variations, and non-Christian expressions of African-American religion.
Religion is a part of society that is so closely bound to the rest of one’s life it becomes hard to distinguish what part of religion is actually being portrayed through themselves, or what is being portrayed through their culture and the rest of their society. In Holy Terrors, Bruce Lincoln states that religion is used as a justifiable mean of supporting violence and war throughout time (Lincoln 2). This becomes truly visible in times such as the practice of Jihad, the Reformation, and 9/11. The purpose of this essay is to show that as long as religion is bound to a political and cultural aspect of a community, religious war and destruction will always occur throughout the world. A historical methodology will be deployed in order to gain
The book is divided into chapters regarding idols of history, humanity, money, nature, power, and religion. Then it hesitantly offers a prediction if the current trends hold, and instruction for the Christian community whether or not the trends hold.
Perhaps the most misunderstood, least recognized, and largely undervalued of all the great reformers of the sixteenth century is Michael Sattler, the Anabaptist. The little that is actually known about Michael Sattler is often times assumed or misinterpreted. However, the definite information available regarding this “radical” suggest that his brief yet significant role as a Reformation leader was truly invaluable for the unification and survival of the Anabaptist movement and its teachings. In addition, the radical ideas of Sattler and other Anabaptists have helped shape Western culture as we know it today. The contributions of Sattler to the greater Christian world are undeniable. This essay will engage the life, teaching, writings, and influence of the martyr Michael Sattler.
Kittelson, James M. Luther the Reformer: The Story of the Man and His Career. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003.
Grant Wacker’s biography America’s Pastor is a superb breakdown of the many aspects of the life of Billy Graham. Unlike other biographies, Wacker examines the world-renowned evangelist from the perspective of Graham’s multiple individualities. In his book, Wacker looks at Graham as a preacher, icon, southerner, entrepreneur, architect, pilgrim, pastor, and patriarch. It is through these distinctions that the author provides the reader with a purpose for his writing. As an explanation of some of his selected points of view, Wacker writes: “As ‘Preacher,’ he articulated a traditional evangelical theology but presented it in increasingly appealing ways…As ‘Entrepreneur,’ he built from the ground up a crusade structure and organization of remarkable
In the essay "Worldviews in Conflict," Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcey compare and contrast the ideas of Christianity and the views of today's society. Throughout the essay, they provide information about how the changes in society affect views regarding Christianity. Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcy's essay was written to contribute information so others could understand their views about the shifting cultural context and how it affects society's beliefs. The authors Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcey's essay is credible because they both have knowledge and experience regarding the topic and researched various parts of the topic using reliable sources. Along with this essay, Charles Colson has written thirty books which have received much praise among the Christian community.
...atin America, giving hope to those who are or were afraid to let go of the controlling grip of western dominance and showing that the opinions of the south will be more traditionalist and supernatural. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the changing face of Global Christianity. It is clear that a watershed event has occurred, and we are just now becoming aware of this change. Though at times this book was a bit dry and difficult to read but in the end it wasn’t a bad read. The first few chapters I felt overloaded you with information but as I kept reading it slowly dwindle down to analysis, narrative, and application of the information. For Christian readers, I think the value of this book prepares you for the “new world order” so to speak in Christianity as Africa and Latin American decide which direction the church will take.
However for the purpose of this essay it will mean the decline of religion. There are many statistics that argue against the statement “religion is declining rather than changing”. Christian church membership in Britain between 1930 and 1990 has dropped from 9.
While sociological and legal questions inevitably impinge upon any such reflection, I am here addressing the subject as a theologian. At this level the question has to be answered primarily in terms of revelation, as it comes to us through Scripture and tradition, interpreted with the guidance of the ecclesiastical magisterium.
The political organization and religion aspects during the 16th century influenced Protestant Reformation to occur in Germany. Martin Luther’s writings reflect on his views and perspectives of German politics and religion at the time. Martin Luther’s ideas in the Letter to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation and The Statement of Grievances mentions Martin Luther’s thoughts about how corrupt the church is, why the corruption in the church needs to end, and what Martin Luther’s ideas are to change the way of the church.
The Christian religion means salvation to some and to others it is only something that only resides in the thoughts of the people of that society. A Marxist would tell you that true salvation could only be achieved here on earth by working. Salvation is something that all would hope would be in the future for themselves. In this paper we have examined two differing opinions on how salvation can be achieved one was through religion and the other was the socialist way of life. The argument between societies about religion will not be settled here on earth. Who is right and who is wrong in the argument about religion? Is religion just a figment of our imagination, is it something humans made up to make us feel good about the future and our salvation. Or are the Marxists wrong, could religion be everything it is meant to be in the Christian religion. Could religion be the real salvation? These are great questions to ponder and talk about.
As part of revivals in Christian faith during 18th century onward three practices evolved into their own interpretation on the place and authority of Scripture in the Christian faith. The first of these were the Liberals who “viewed themselves as the saviors of a defunct out of date Christianity” (Bingham 149). Their founder, Friedrich Schleiermacher an 18th century pastor, “did not view traditional, authoritative doctrines, creeds and biblical texts as the preeminent sources in theology (150). Instead the Liberal perspective of Christianity put more emphasis on the doctrines of sin and grace and less attention on the holiness of the trinity (Kerr 213). Jesus was viewed as a historical figure that we can learn from spiritually and the Bible is used as a source of knowledge on Christian history (Bingham 152, 153). In this theological movement being a Christian is considered “nothing but feeling and experience” (Lane 238).
The Story of Christianity is a very informative summation; a continuation of Volume 1 which covered the beginning of the church up to the Protestant Reformation, while Vol. 2 dealt with the Protestant Reformation up to more modern time period. This author delivers a more comprehensive and deeper look into the development of Christianity, which includes particular events which had transpired throughout the world; particularly how Christianity has expanded into Central and South America. Gonzalez opens up this book with the “Call for Reformation,” where he shares with his readers the need for reform; the papacy had started to decline and was corrupt, in addition to the Great Schism, which had further weakened the papacy (p.8). The author explains how the church was not the only issue but that the church’s teachings were off track as well, seeing that the people had deviated from...
Religious Fundamentalism is not a modern phenomenon, although, it has received a rise in the late twentieth century. It occurs differently in different parts of the world but arises in societies that are deeply troubled or going through a crisis (Heywood, 2012, p. 282). The rise in Religious Fundamentalism can be linked to the secularization thesis, which implies that victory of reason over religion follows modernization. Also, the moral protest of faiths such as Islam and Christianity can be linked to the rise of Religious Fundamentalism, as they protest the influence of corruption and pretence that infiltrate their beliefs from the spread of secularization (Heywood, 2012, p. 283). Religious Fundamentalists have followed a traditional political thought process, yet, have embraced a militant style of activity which often can turn violent (Heywood, 2012, p. 291).