Twenteith Century Shapers of Baptist Social Ethics

Michael Westmoreland-White of the Levellers blog is doing a chapter-by-chapter review of the recently released Twentieth Century Shapers of Baptist Social Ethics by Larry McSwain (editor) and Loyd Allen (historical consultant). I highly recommend this volume. You may have noticed that Twentieth Century Shapers is prominently featured on my sidebar.

Michael’s begins his review series with a post on the Walter Rauschenbusch. This chapter on Rauschenbusch was written by Paul Lewis, Associate Professor of Christian Ethics in the Roberts Department of Christianity at Mercer University.

Here is a snippet from the Rauschenbusch chapter review:

Rauschenbusch was a strong Baptist believer in liberty of conscience, religious liberty, and church-state separation, but NOT in apolitical, socially inactive church. His churches worked to address social evil and to influence policies–to stem alcoholism, prevent child labor, reform industry, work for economic justice, end poverty. Toward the end of his life, in the wake of WWI, Rauschenbusch, who previously had given little thought to the gospel’s implications for war and peace, became a pacifist.

Go stop by the Levellers blog, leave Michael a comment and enjoy the review.