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
Dickens baked his social gospel deep into the tale.
—
Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Dec. 2024
Many proponents of the early 20th century social gospel saw their efforts to help the needy as part of building a Christian society.
—Peter Smith, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2024
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
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Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Dec. 2024
Many proponents of the early 20th century social gospel saw their efforts to help the needy as part of building a Christian society.
—Peter Smith, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2024
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
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 30 Dec. 2024.
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