social gospel
noun
1
: the application of Christian principles to social problems
2
capitalized S&G
: a movement in American Protestant Christianity especially in the first part of the 20th century to bring the social order into conformity with Christian principles
Examples of social gospel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
After pursuing doctoral studies at Union Theological Seminary under James Cone, a central figure of Black-liberation theology, Warnock took up a series of posts at churches associated with the tradition of the Black social gospel, where, like King, he was known for political activism.
—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2022
His priestly parsimony came with a social gospel.
—Mark Brilliant, Washington Post, 10 July 2020
Over subsequent decades, escalating inequality has yielded a significant number of ultrawealthy individuals who heeded Novak’s call to defend capitalism against the depredations of the social gospel.
—Katherine Stewart, The New Republic, 9 Mar. 2021
The sermons at Bethany advanced the social gospel, aiming to attract the working poor and the foreign born to a Christian—that is, Protestant—way of living that would help them better themselves in a rapidly industrializing world.
—Marc Levinson, WSJ, 28 Oct. 2018
The opposite is true in other spheres of U.S. Christianity, particularly Mainline Protestantism and African American churches, where social gospel is often seen as core.
—Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post, 15 Jan. 2018
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2022
His priestly parsimony came with a social gospel.
—Mark Brilliant, Washington Post, 10 July 2020
Over subsequent decades, escalating inequality has yielded a significant number of ultrawealthy individuals who heeded Novak’s call to defend capitalism against the depredations of the social gospel.
—Katherine Stewart, The New Republic, 9 Mar. 2021
The sermons at Bethany advanced the social gospel, aiming to attract the working poor and the foreign born to a Christian—that is, Protestant—way of living that would help them better themselves in a rapidly industrializing world.
—Marc Levinson, WSJ, 28 Oct. 2018
The opposite is true in other spheres of U.S. Christianity, particularly Mainline Protestantism and African American churches, where social gospel is often seen as core.
—Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post, 15 Jan. 2018
Dictionary Entries Near social gospel
Cite this Entry
“Social gospel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20gospel. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share