Every seminarian has encountered the ideas of Walter Rauschenbusch and has some idea of his impact and role in American religion. I certainly did. My view was shaped by seminary professors who had positive views of liberation theology and saw him as a predecessor. It was also shaped by the Niebuhrs and their views on the failure of Social Gospel Christianity. What I had never done, until I found this free download after I got my Kindle for Christmas, was actually read any of Rauschenbusch's books. "The Social Principals of Jesus" offered lots of surprises, all of them refreshing and good.
My sense of the Social Gospel was that it equated the coming of the Kingdom of God with the redemption of the social order. I have often thought that Rauschenbusch was as impractical as ivory tower academics, and that he, like many of them, limited the Gospel to a good hearted Jesus-inspired pseudo-socialism. I was wrong on lots of counts.
At least in this book, Rauschenbush grounds everythings he says in the words of Jesus. He affirms the individual implications of the Gospel in every way. But he demonstrates that Jesus clearly understood his teachings to have an effect on the way the world worked. Rauschenbusch does not, for example, draw a distinction between individual salvation and corporate salvation, as both left and right tend to. He affirms conversion in the strongest terms. But he beliefs that those who are redeemed are called to make a more just, loving, and compassionate world, and that such a world must be based not on charity but organized so that everyone has a fair shot. He doesn't make a differentiation between personal and social morality, either. For example, he advocates abstinence from alcohol and strict sexual morality. He says that people who work for a more just world must exhibit a higher standard of morality because those with money and power will attempt to discredit them for their lifestyles otherwise.
The book is loaded with powerful quotes. Here are a few:
"Jesus did not talk about eliminating the unfit. He talked about saving them, which requires greater constructive energy if it is really to be done."
"...we must never treat a man as a means only, but always as an end in himself."
"Every generation clings to its profitable wrongs and tries to silence those who stand for higher righteousness."
"Prayer is Christian only if it makes us realize our fellows more keenly and affectionately."
"Jesus had little to say about religious ceremonial, and a great deal about righteousness and love. Under his hands the Jewish imperialistic dream changed into a call for universal human fraternity."
"It takes faith of the intellect to comprehend a stage of evolution before it is reached. It takes faith of character to launch yourself toward a great moral goal before its tangible and profitable elements are within reach."
An important caveat is due concerning format: The book was written as a study for college students. It contains chapters, short daily devotionals, and discussion questions. On the one hand, this makes for an uneven read. On the other hand, it provides helpful resources for those who would use its ideas in settings with students of any age. This possibility would be more helpful if it were published as a workbook.
Amazon sells it for nothing as a Kindle download, which makes it much more than worthwhile for those basing their understanding of Walter Rauschenbusch on what they read in "The Kingdom of God in America." Many people of my age (37) and younger, especially seem to be looking for options besides Jesus-as-capitalist-Wall-Street-tycoon and Jesus-as-Che-Guevara-compassion-equals-socialism. I think it may be time to give Walter Rauschenbusch a fresh look.
This review appears on Amazon.com. Feedback on Amazon is appreciated!
http://www.amazon.com/The-Social-Principles-Jesus-ebook/product-reviews/B004TQHDEM/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
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