Walter Rauschenbusch

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Walter Rauschenbusch

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Walter Rauschenbusch , 1861-1918, American clergyman, b. Rochester, N.Y. In 1886 he was ordained and began work among German immigrants as pastor of the Second German Baptist Church in New York City. He studied (1891-92) economics and theology at the Univ. of Berlin and industrial relations in England, where he became acquainted with the Fabian Society. In 1902 he was appointed professor of church history at Rochester Theological Seminary. He was a leading figure in the Social Gospel movement, which sought to rectify economic and social injustice. His writings include Christianity and the Social Crisis (1907), Christianizing the Social Order (1912), The Social Principles of Jesus (1916), and A Theology for the Social Gospel (1917).

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Rauschenbusch, Walter

The Oxford Companion to United States History | 2001 | | © The Oxford Companion to United States History 2001, originally published by Oxford University Press 2001. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Rauschenbusch, Walter (1861–1918), theologian of the Social Gospel.Born in Rochester, New York, the son of a prominent German‐American Baptist minister, Walter Rauschenbusch graduated from the University of Rochester and Rochester Theological Seminary. From 1886 to 1897 he served the Second German Baptist Church in New York City, where exposure to poverty and disease profoundly reoriented his thinking toward the social significance of the gospel. Returning to the Rochester seminary in 1897, he taught there until his death.

The central motif that emerged from Rauschenbusch's pastoral experience and theological, historical, and sociological studies, including a European sabbatical in 1891, was the coming Kingdom of God. For him, the kingdom idea encompassed all of Christianity, including its evangelical aspects and its social mission. With several associates, he formed the Brotherhood of the Kingdom (1893), a small but influential mutual‐support network and forum for theological exploration.

Rauschenbusch's critique of capitalism, especially in Christianity and the Social Crisis (1907), which brought him national prominence, and Christianizing the Social Order (1912), identified him as one of the Social Gospel's most radical thinkers. He believed that socialism was spiritually and morally congruent with Christianity. Although he never joined the Socialist party, he spoke and wrote under its auspices (and voted for its candidates). His writings, including also The Social Principles of Jesus (1916) and A Theology for the Social Gospel (1917), influenced an entire generation of ministers and lay people far beyond his own classroom.
See also Niebuhr, Reinhold; Progressive Era; Protestantism; Religion.

Bibliography

Dores R. Sharpe , Walter Rauschenbusch, 1942.
Paul M. Minus , Walter Rauschenbusch: American Reformer, 1988.

Jacob H. Dorn

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Paul S. Boyer. "Rauschenbusch, Walter." The Oxford Companion to United States History. Oxford University Press. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 16 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

Paul S. Boyer. "Rauschenbusch, Walter." The Oxford Companion to United States History. Oxford University Press. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (November 16, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O119-RauschenbuschWalter.html

Paul S. Boyer. "Rauschenbusch, Walter." The Oxford Companion to United States History. Oxford University Press. 2001. Retrieved November 16, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O119-RauschenbuschWalter.html

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Rauschenbusch, Walter

The Oxford Companion to American Literature | 1995 | | © The Oxford Companion to American Literature 1995, originally published by Oxford University Press 1995. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Rauschenbusch, Walter (1861–1918), Baptist minister of New York and professor of church history at Rochester Theological Seminary (1897–1918), was a leader of the Christian Socialist movement. His books include Christianity and the Social Crisis (1907), Prayers of …Social Awakening (1910), Christianizing the Social Order (1912), and Theology for the Social Gospel (1917).

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James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Rauschenbusch, Walter." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. Oxford University Press. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. 16 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Rauschenbusch, Walter." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. Oxford University Press. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. (November 16, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-RauschenbuschWalter.html

James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Rauschenbusch, Walter." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. Oxford University Press. 1995. Retrieved November 16, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-RauschenbuschWalter.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

Free Article The Kingdom is Always but Coming: A Life of Walter Rauschenbusch.(Book Review)
Magazine article from: Baptist History and Heritage; 3/22/2005
Free Article Kingdom coming: Rauschenbusch's Christianity and the Social Crisis.(Walter Rauschenbusch)(Critical essay)
Magazine article from: The Christian Century; 11/27/2007
Free Article Passion for Justice: Retrieving the Legacies of Walter Rauschenbusch, John A. Ryan, and Reinhold Niebuhr.(Brief Article)
Magazine article from: The Christian Century; 5/12/1993

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The legacy of Walter Rauschenbusch: a life informed by mission.
Magazine article from: International Bulletin of Missionary Research; 4/1/2004; ; 700+ words ; According to Walter Rauschenbusch (1861-1918), "the Christianization...Missions. At the turn of the century Rauschenbusch witnessed hundreds of students...in the trenches." (1) For Rauschenbusch, known for his leading contribution...
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Magazine article from: Baptist History and Heritage; 3/22/2005; ; 700+ words ; ...Always but Coming: A Life of Walter Rauschenbusch. By Christopher H. Evans...provide an intimate portrait of Rauschenbusch and his relationships with...passed since the death of Walter Rauschenbusch in 1918. However, he was...
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Magazine article from: Anglican Theological Review; 10/1/2005; ; 700+ words ; ...Always but Coming: A Life of Walter Rauschenbusch. By Christopher H. Evans...informative biography of Walter Rauschenbusch by Christopher Evans, associate...Divinity School. It portrays Rauschenbusch as the foremost theologian...
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Magazine article from: The Christian Century; 11/27/2007; ; 700+ words ; IN THE 1880S Walter Rauschenbusch was a Baptist pastor in the Hell...and had to start over. In 1891 Rauschenbusch decided, with deep sadness...the manner of Jesus. Until then Rauschenbusch had preached the liberal idea...
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Magazine article from: Commonweal; 10/26/2007; ; 700+ words ; ...least the next fifty years. Walter Rauschenbusch's 1907 manifesto of the American...spirit of his contemporaries, Rauschenbusch tore down the wall that separated...unrestrained market forces. Rauschenbusch's social gospel went on to...
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