kingdom on earth, A
Book Description
In the closing decades of the Victorian era, a powerful spiritual movement emerged that would reshape Christianity's relationship with society for over six decades. A Kingdom on Earth explores how Social Christianity became a transformative force across the United States, Canada, and Britain, as Protestant communities grappled with mounting social challenges and inequality.
Paul T. Phillips traces this remarkable journey of faith-driven reform, revealing how Social Gospelers and Christian Socialists envisioned a more compassionate, less competitive world. These spiritual pioneers didn't confine their beliefs to Sunday sermons. Instead, they actively engaged in social work, political activism, and the development of modern social sciences, seeking to manifest divine principles in earthly institutions.
Drawing from extensive sources across three nations, Phillips illuminates the complex tensions these reformers faced as they collaborated with secular movements while maintaining their religious foundations. The movement's quest for social harmony and justice created inevitable conflicts with competing ideologies and introduced secularizing pressures within the churches themselves.
Yet despite these worldly challenges, the author demonstrates that the movement's core remained fundamentally spiritual. By extending his analysis through 1940, Phillips connects Social Christianity's legacy to the emergence of the modern welfare state, showing how religious conviction can drive lasting social transformation.
This comprehensive study offers valuable insights for anyone seeking to understand how spiritual principles can be applied to create meaningful social change.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~8 hours)
📄 Length: 303 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Socialism, Christian
- ✓ Explore Church history, 20th century
- ✓ Explore Church history, 19th century
- ✓ Explore Church history
- ✓ Explore Christian Socialism
- ✓ Explore Socialism, history
- ✓ Explore Christian sociology, history
- ✓ Explore Great britain, church history
