A Theology for the Social Gospel

Walter Rauschenbusch (1861 - 1918) was a Baptist minister and theologian. He was a key figure in the American social gospel movement. Rauschenbusch did not believe in fire and brimstone preaching. He believed the answers could be found in leading a Christ like life. He believed that Christ died "to substitute love for selfishness as the basis of human society." Rauschenbusch wrote of Christianity as being not a means of getting to heaven, but rather Christianity transforming the life on earth into the harmony with heaven.