Walter Rauschenbusch is often associated with the Social Gospel or, to be more exact, these two names are synonymous for many people. Rauschenbusch was a Christian Theologian who saw the purpose of Christianity in spreading the Kingdom of God on Earth and who believed that religion should be concerned with both the believers’ spiritual and material well-being; these ideas had a considerable influence on the works and beliefs of other theologians and Martin Luther King Jr. in particular.
Walter Rauschenbusch: Main Beliefs
First of all, one of Rauschenbusch’s most important beliefs concerned his view of Christianity. He believed that it was the primary purpose of Christianity to spread the Kingdom of God on Earth, which could be done only by reconstituting and regenerating human relations about the will of God. According to him, the task of Christianity was not to ensure that all the individuals get to heaven after their death; instead, it was to create heaven on Earth through the atmosphere of love and harmony in people’s relations: “God is a father; men are neighbors and brothers; let them act accordingly. Let them love and then life will be true and good. Let them seek the kingdom and all things would follow” (Rauschenbusch, p. 70). Thus, according to his beliefs, Christianity made the Kingdom of God accessible to believers.
Another important belief of his was that any individual had a responsibility with regards to the society he/she lived in. This idea was reflected in Rauschenbusch’s Christianity and Social Crisis. In this work, he posited that religious and social lives were closely interrelated: “Whoever sets any bounds for the reconstructive power of the religious life over the social relations and institutions of men, to that extent denies the faith of the Master” (Rauschenbusch, p. 48). This belief presupposes that a person who tries to separate social and religious life simply miscomprehended the teachings of Jesus. Therefore, religion should be concerned not only with the spiritual well-being of a person but with his/her material well-being as well.
The Effect of Rauschenbusch’s Beliefs on M.L. King
Lastly, these were namely these ideas that served as a basis for Martin Luther King Jr.’s study of ethical and social theories that he devoted his life to. In his Pilgrimage to Nonviolence, King mentions that Rauschenbusch’s Christianity and Social Crisis had a profound influence on his thinking and ensured him with the firm theological basis for social issues he was much preoccupied with. Owing to Rauschenbusch’s teaching, he got convinced that “any religion which professes to be concerned about the souls of men and is not concerned about the social and economic conditions that scar the soul, is a spiritually moribund religion only waiting for the day to be buried” (King para. 4). Thus, though King did not completely agree with all Rauschenbusch’s ideas, he strongly went along with his beliefs about social sins and the religion’s attitude towards them.
In conclusion, Walter Rauschenbaum can be regarded as one of the greatest Christian theologians owing to the power of his beliefs that had a strong influence on the beliefs of those who, as well, dedicated their lives to religion. Thus, for instance, his views on Christianity, as well as his ideas on the responsibility of the individuals to the society and their social sins, influenced much the ideas of Martin Luther King Jr. about social issues and, consequently, his works and teachings as well.
Works Cited
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Pilgrimage to Nonviolence. Excerpt. from “Stride Toward Freedom”, 1958. Center for Teaching Peace, n.d. Web. 2010.
- Rauschenbusch, Walter. Christianity and the Social Crisis. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1992.