The Social Gospel

“Obama is not a brown-skinned anti-war socialist who gives away free health care. You’re thinking of Jesus,” jokes the popular comedian John Fugelsang. While offered as a comedic reflection the reality of the jest is no laughing matter, at least not in American politics these days and certainly not in the pews of American Christian churches.

Battle lines have been drawn between Progressive Christians and those of the more conservative Religious Right and the raging battle is to be found on the field of American politics. While this is not a new battleground for Christians it is at least one of the most contentious fights of the 21st century.

At stake is not only political ambition, with elections looming, but perhaps more importantly for people of the Christian faith, the understanding of what it means to be an American and a Christian in light of the Social Gospel.

The Social Gospel was an intellectual movement out of the early 1900’s within primarily the Protestant Christian church. It attempted to address community needs and social problems from a Christian sense of compassion, outreach, and civil contribution as much as it sought to define Christian ethics and responsibilities in terms of community activism launched from within the church. The movement has seen a resurgence in the last ten years.

In the debate on health care reform and various other social programs presented by the Obama administration, battle lines have been drawn and the call to arms sounded. In the cross hairs, to borrow a popular phrase, is the basic understanding of what it means to be a Christian and an American and to love your neighbor as yourself, caring for the poor, the oppressed, and those who are sick, indeed the “least of these.”

Br'er Abbot

31 ¶When the ^aSon of man shall come in his ^bglory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

 32 And before him shall be gathered all ^anations: and he shall^bseparate them one from another, as a ^cshepherd divideth his^dsheep from the goats:

 33 And he shall set the sheep on his ^aright hand, but the goats on the left.

 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his ^aright hand, Come, ye ^bblessed of my Father, ^cinherit the ^dkingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

 35 For I was an ^ahungred, and ye ^bgave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a ^cstranger, and ye took me in:

 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye ^avisited me: I was in ^bprison, and ye came unto me.

 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave theedrink?

 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

 39 Or when saw we thee ^asick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have ^adone it unto one of the ^bleast of these my ^cbrethren, ye have done it unto me.

 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the ^aleft hand, ^bDepartfrom me, ye ^ccursed, into everlasting ^dfire, ^eprepared for the devil and his angels:

 42 For I was an ^ahungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the ^aleast of these, ye did itnot to me.

 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.