During my time in Seminary, no movement within Baptist history has inspired me more than Walter Rauschenbusch’s Social Gospel. The son of German immigrants, Rauschenbusch’s ministry was defined by his time as a pastor at a church in the infamous Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of New York City. As the name suggests, the community was not the nicest place to live, with rampant gang violence and extreme poverty. Rauschenbusch was moved by the daily struggles of the men, women, and children to whom he ministered. All of them worked long hours in dangerous factories in order to barely survive in slum like conditions.

Rauschenbusch intrigues me because theologically he saw humanity as a collective whole. In other words, we are all connected and our social salvation is found through helping one another create a world worthy of Christ. This means striving for justice for all citizens (regardless of socioeconomic class), a clean environment, good healthcare for all, food for the starving, a warm bed for the cold, and a place of worship welcoming of all. Furthermore, this sort of sentiment must not be restricted within our own borders but sought outside of America.

This is why I found it welcoming to hear President Obama say the following in his inaugural address this past Tuesday:

“To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.”

With these words, President Obama reminded me of the devotion Rauschenbusch felt and the challenges he sought to change within his ministry. Furthermore, he caused me to reconsider my role in changing society for the better.

Walter Rauschenbusch’s Social Gospel is still prophetic and the challenges he confronted exist today. In America, an invisible class system, poverty, hunger, and numerous other forms of social injustice oppress millions of people. When I watch the news and hear of these atrocities, I begin to wonder where we fit into this big clutter of humanity. Are we as Christians doing what we are called to do or are we sitting idly by hoping someone else will clean up the mess? It appears as though Rauschenbusch’s message is becoming part of the social consciousness again. Are we ready for the challenge?