Good Samaritans: Applications of Social Christianity by Southern Baptists During the Early Twentieth Century

In the early twentieth century, the Social Gospel movement sought to spur Christians to serve their neighbors through social and political reform, often through ecumenical groups. However, Southern Baptists remained distant from this movement because they were weary of the liberal Christianity expressed by Social Gospel leaders that appeared to replace the power of the Gospel with acts of service. Instead, the Southern Baptist Convention formally addressed social reforms and civic engagement by creating the Social Service Commission and Committee on Civic Righteousness. These groups expressed the need to reform the home and advocated civic engagement while remaining true to the Southern Baptist position of the separation of church and state. From the example set by core leaders of the Social Service Commission, the Southern Baptists’ application of social Christianity combined theological fundamentalism with moderate stances on political and cultural reforms. This dissertation will assess the social Christianity of Texas Baptists in the Dallas region. Texas Baptist pastors invested in caring for orphans while advocating for better healthcare facilities. The Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) presided over debates among their members regarding the application of fundamentalism, most notably when the BGCT investigated the leadership and education at Baylor University during the evolution controversy. Furthermore, Texas Baptists addressed race relations when they witnessed the Dallas Ku Klux Klan rise to record numbers and horrific instances of lynchings. By the Texas Baptist application, Southern Baptist perspectives regarding social Christianity encompassed the need to continually present the power of the Gospel while actively participating in civic righteousness that sought to reform society to prepare the Kingdom to come.