I used one of this man's quotes in a post, and I thought I would share a bit more about him:
GLADDEN, WASHINGTON 1836-1918
Congregational minister
Roots
Solomon Washington Gladden, the "Father of the Social Gospel" and one of the most influential clergymen in America during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, was born in Pottsgrove, Pennsylvania, in 1836. His father died when Washington was six years old, resulting in his being raised by his uncles on a farm in Oswego, New York, a part of the country that had been swept by religious revivals in the 1830s. At sixteen Gladden began working for the Oswego Gazette; the first of many affiliations with newspapers throughout his career. He attended Oswego Academy and in 1856 enrolled at Williams College, graduating in 1859. He was soon married and licensed to preach. He had led a rather ordinary life in his first twenty-four years. But Gladden was no ordinary man.
Clergyman and Author
In 1860 he became pastor of the First Congregational Church in Brooklyn where, later that year, he was ordained. A second position took him to Morrisania, New York, for five years (18611866), and he then moved on to North Adams, Massachusetts. During these years Gladden was influenced by the work of Horace Bushnell, a Congregational pastor in Hartford, Connecticut, who had pushed the idea of transcending conflict through a theology that rose above the factiousness of denominational forces. The work influenced Gladden greatly. A basic tenet of his social gospel would be the importance of putting moral and practical solutions above theological debate. While in Massachusetts Gladden began his prolific and influential literary career by writing for New York's Independent and Scribner's Monthly. In 1868 he published the first of his many popular books, Plain Thoughts on the Art of Living. In 1871 he became an editorial staff member of the Independent, a position he quit four years later because he found the paper's advertising dishonest. He moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1875 to serve the North Congregational Church, staying there for seven years.
Labor and Capital
Early in his life Gladden had become interested in the struggle between labor and capital, a student not only of labor rights and relations but of economics as well. His seven years in the industrial city of Springfield confirmed his support for workers against what Gladden saw as the immoral forces of capital. support of labor unions became a tenet of his social gospel thought, and he later advocated public ownership of utilities and cooperative management of industries, although he disavowed socialism. His criticism of capitalism grew stronger during the years as he furthered his study of workers' rights and taxation. Books with titles such as Tools and the Man (1893) and Social Salvation (1902) presented his views of how churches should deal with economic injustices.
Columbus
Gladden's greatest work and greatest fame came during his years with the First Congregational Church, Columbus, Ohio. From 1882 until his death in 1918, Gladden worked in the church as his writing increased, his popularity bloomed, and his influence grew. He wrote popular books of contemporary theological criticism, all the while preaching the gospel of a socially active church. He was a firm believer in civic organizations, and in 1900, tired of remaining unheard, he ran for city council in Columbus and was elected to a two-year term. He had recognized that public organizations did not function well because the individuals most suited for the task of leadership by and large refused to take the responsibility of doing so. He hoped to impress on people, through his words and example, the notion that public service was not only a respectable option but could also be a Christian duty. His Applied Christianity: Moral Aspects of Social Questions (1886) explained his philosophy of social activism and the role of religion in fostering the development of a moral social order.
Gladden's Legacy
Washington Gladden was a fair and highly scrupled voice at a time of great conflict not only within and between churches but also between social classes, immigrants, and early labor forces and capital. He authored thirty-eight books and fourteen hundred articles and lectured widely, spreading his words of reconciliation, progress, and compassion. His unswerving dedication to applying his principles to all the major social issues of his day placed him firmly in American religious history as the major force in the awakening of the Protestant conscience in America. He died on 2 July 1918.
"Gladden, Washington 1836-1918." American Decades. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2011 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.
GLADDEN, WASHINGTON 1836-1918
Congregational minister
Roots
Solomon Washington Gladden, the "Father of the Social Gospel" and one of the most influential clergymen in America during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, was born in Pottsgrove, Pennsylvania, in 1836. His father died when Washington was six years old, resulting in his being raised by his uncles on a farm in Oswego, New York, a part of the country that had been swept by religious revivals in the 1830s. At sixteen Gladden began working for the Oswego Gazette; the first of many affiliations with newspapers throughout his career. He attended Oswego Academy and in 1856 enrolled at Williams College, graduating in 1859. He was soon married and licensed to preach. He had led a rather ordinary life in his first twenty-four years. But Gladden was no ordinary man.
Clergyman and Author
In 1860 he became pastor of the First Congregational Church in Brooklyn where, later that year, he was ordained. A second position took him to Morrisania, New York, for five years (18611866), and he then moved on to North Adams, Massachusetts. During these years Gladden was influenced by the work of Horace Bushnell, a Congregational pastor in Hartford, Connecticut, who had pushed the idea of transcending conflict through a theology that rose above the factiousness of denominational forces. The work influenced Gladden greatly. A basic tenet of his social gospel would be the importance of putting moral and practical solutions above theological debate. While in Massachusetts Gladden began his prolific and influential literary career by writing for New York's Independent and Scribner's Monthly. In 1868 he published the first of his many popular books, Plain Thoughts on the Art of Living. In 1871 he became an editorial staff member of the Independent, a position he quit four years later because he found the paper's advertising dishonest. He moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1875 to serve the North Congregational Church, staying there for seven years.
Labor and Capital
Early in his life Gladden had become interested in the struggle between labor and capital, a student not only of labor rights and relations but of economics as well. His seven years in the industrial city of Springfield confirmed his support for workers against what Gladden saw as the immoral forces of capital. support of labor unions became a tenet of his social gospel thought, and he later advocated public ownership of utilities and cooperative management of industries, although he disavowed socialism. His criticism of capitalism grew stronger during the years as he furthered his study of workers' rights and taxation. Books with titles such as Tools and the Man (1893) and Social Salvation (1902) presented his views of how churches should deal with economic injustices.
Columbus
Gladden's greatest work and greatest fame came during his years with the First Congregational Church, Columbus, Ohio. From 1882 until his death in 1918, Gladden worked in the church as his writing increased, his popularity bloomed, and his influence grew. He wrote popular books of contemporary theological criticism, all the while preaching the gospel of a socially active church. He was a firm believer in civic organizations, and in 1900, tired of remaining unheard, he ran for city council in Columbus and was elected to a two-year term. He had recognized that public organizations did not function well because the individuals most suited for the task of leadership by and large refused to take the responsibility of doing so. He hoped to impress on people, through his words and example, the notion that public service was not only a respectable option but could also be a Christian duty. His Applied Christianity: Moral Aspects of Social Questions (1886) explained his philosophy of social activism and the role of religion in fostering the development of a moral social order.
Gladden's Legacy
Washington Gladden was a fair and highly scrupled voice at a time of great conflict not only within and between churches but also between social classes, immigrants, and early labor forces and capital. He authored thirty-eight books and fourteen hundred articles and lectured widely, spreading his words of reconciliation, progress, and compassion. His unswerving dedication to applying his principles to all the major social issues of his day placed him firmly in American religious history as the major force in the awakening of the Protestant conscience in America. He died on 2 July 1918.
"Gladden, Washington 1836-1918." American Decades. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2011 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.
