[Dialogue] New Century, Same Crisis--The Social Gospel 100 Years Later

[Len Hockley]

Randy,
Sounds like a possibility.  I'm not really sure who is planning the guts of 
the Springboard meeting. Certainly Gillis, Harper and M Jones are involved.

Will the Springboard program team please STAND UP?

Len


At 04:50 AM 11/3/2007 -0700, you wrote:
>Len,
>
>HRN put wheels under Rauschenbusch's social gospel and the key insight 
>that it's not just individual conversion but social (meaning 
>instituitional) change as well.  We translated what it means to be social 
>pioneers into the three master strategies of (1) contextual reeducation, 
>(2) structural reformulation and (3) spiritual remotivation.  Even though 
>all three of these address social as well as individual contradictions, 
>the transformation of society's structures is, I believe, the one most 
>directed at socia change and the one that most often is neglected.  We 
>said 30 years ago that Niebuhr's social evils of "racialism, nationalism 
>and economic imperialism" were as predominant then as they were in 
>Niebuhr's time.  I think that is still true for today.  To the point, 
>today as ever in order to care for those who care one must address the 
>structures of society which continue to institutionalize racialism, 
>nationalism and economic imperialism, and not focus just on the first and 
>last strategies.  No single one of them is effective unless all three are 
>spinning.
>
>Maybe Springboard should dust off those old strategies and decide what the 
>contemporary form of them must be.  What do you think?
>
>Randy
>
>----- Original Message ----
>From: Len Hockley <lenh at efn.org>
>To: Colleague Dialogue <dialogue at wedgeblade.net>; Order Ecumenical 
>Community <oe at wedgeblade.net>; Colleague Dialogue <dialogue at wedgeblade.net>
>Sent: Friday, November 2, 2007 4:36:16 PM
>Subject: Re: [Dialogue] New Century, Same Crisis--The Social Gospel 100 
>Years Later
>
>A good read Randy.
>
>I always  thought there was a basic difference between Reinhold and H 
>.Richard.  Hooray for H. Richard
>
>Any way you can see this wisdom to be of use to our meeting of "Springboard"?
>
>Len
>
>
>At 01:43 PM 11/2/2007 +0000, R Williams wrote:
>>Colleagues,
>>
>>In the introduction to the G-O-D Lecture in RS-1 we marked the year 1907 
>>as the beginning of the 20th century, and we grounded this with events 
>>such as Einstein's theory of relativity, the Bolshevik Revolution, World 
>>War I, etc.  One of the events we did not mention was the publication in 
>>that year of the book by Walter Rauschenbusch, Christianity and the 
>>Social Crisis, which introduced what has come to be known as the "social 
>>gospel."
>>
>>I have attached an article from Commonweal magazine in which Carey Nelson 
>>Blake states that "Rauschenbusch tore down the wall that separated faith 
>>from the public world and called on the church to address the suffering 
>>and degradation that accompanied the rapid industrialization of the 
>>United States."
>>
>>Regarding the importance of this for our roots, H. Richard Niebuhr was 
>>clearly influenced by Rauschenbusch when he stated that the church as 
>>social pioneer turns its back on the manifestations of "sin" or "evil", 
>>abolishes it within itself, and leads in the social act of 
>>repentance.  For Rauschenbusch, according to Blake, "Sin was embedded in 
>>institutional arrangements, not just in individual motivations and 
>>actions...  A faithful life demanded of sinners both personal and social 
>>repentance."
>>
>>Another note of interest, Paul Raushenbush, a great-grandson of Walter, 
>>has edited a new edition titled Christianity and the Social Crisis in the 
>>21st Century.
>>
>>I hope you have time to read the attached article.  I would be interested 
>>in your reflections.
>>
>>Randy Williams
>>
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