Social Christianity in Scotland and Beyond, 1800-2000 - (Scottish Religious Cultures: Historical Perspectives) by Andrew Kloes & Laura M Mair

About the Book

Explores Scottish and international Christian responses to social problems in urban-industrial societies since 1800

Book Synopsis

Social Christianity in Scotland and Beyond explores the multifarious initiatives known variously as 'social Christianity', 'Christian socialism', or the 'social gospel', that spanned countries, continents, decades, and denominations. Building on the scholarship of Stewart J. Brown, to whom this volume is dedicated, fourteen leading and emerging scholars of the history of Christianity consider the varying social policies and initiatives that Christians have pursued in response to industrialisation, urbanisation, expanding global trade networks, and nascent democratic politics.
With a particular focus on religious communities in Scotland, the essays provide comparative lenses with which to view sociological and theological developments through examinations of similar phenomena in England, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States. In adopting an international perspective that extends beyond Britain and the US, this volume encourages a more holistic understanding of social Christianity as part of a multifaceted and fluid belief system that evolved and shifted according to context.

Review Quotes

This volume pays fitting tribute to a leading historian of social Christianity by making a major new contribution to the literature in fascinating studies that set the Scottish experience in a rich comparative international perspective.--John Wolffe, Professor of Religious History, The Open University