We are soon finishing the Acts of the Apostles Zoom and broadcasting Revelation, the Social Gospel Movement (two episodes) inbetween.
The juxtaposition struck me as amusing, because the Social Gospel Movement of the early 20th century had the similar rah-rah of the recent Church Growth Movement, now fast fading away. I find failed fads...moving.
Walter Rauschenbusch gave the Social Gospel Movement lectures at Yale Divinity in 1917; he died in 1918. The SGM label disappeared quickly but the agenda continued. Rauschenbusch was a complete apostate in doctrine, a striking parallel with Donald McGavran, who also opposed the Scriptures and created quite a fan-base, which drew all denominations plus ELCA-LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic).
This might seem odd to many readers, but the results have proven to be astonishing. Pushing aside the content of the Scriptures, the charlatans offer an alternative to the revealed Word of God.
The mainline denominations have folded with devastating speed. They are equal at the bottom, so friendly they have nothing left to say.
