The Social Creed originated to express
Methodism's outrage over the miserable lives of the millions of workers in factories, mines, mills, tenements and company towns.
It was adopted by the
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...
, the first
denomination in
Christendom
The terms Christendom or Christian world commonly refer to the global Christian community, Christian states, Christian-majority countries or countries in which Christianity is dominant or prevails.SeMerriam-Webster.com : dictionary, "Christen ...
to adopt an official ''Social Creed''. As a part of
United Methodist social principles,
United Methodist congregations are encouraged to regularly reflect upon the creed and use it in
worship services.
History
Influenced by the
Social Gospel
The Social Gospel is a social movement within Protestantism that aims to apply Christian ethics to social problems, especially issues of social justice such as economic inequality, poverty, alcoholism, crime, racial tensions, slums, unclean en ...
movement and the Progressive politics of early-20th-century America, the Church wrote and adopted the creed in 1908. Its primary authors were
Harry F. Ward
Harry Frederick Ward Jr. (15 October 1873 – 9 December 1966) was an English-born American Methodist minister and political activist who identified himself with the movement for Christian socialism, best remembered as first national chairman of t ...
, Elbert R. Zaring, Frank Mason North,
Herbert Welch, and Worth M. Tippy. It has been altered through the years, and still appears in ''
The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church'', following the ''Social Principles'' section.
Social Creed
The 2016 Social Creed as it appears in the Book of Discipline.
1908 Methodist Social Creed
The Methodist Episcopal Church states:
When the Federal Council of Churches adopted the social creed in December 1908, they added the following phrase at the end:
{{quote, To the toilers of America and to those who by organized effort are seeking to lift the crushing burdens of the poor, and to reduce the hardships and uphold the
dignity of labor
The dignity of labour or the dignity of work is the philosophical holding that all types of jobs are respected equally, and no occupation is considered superior and none of the jobs should be discriminated on any basis. This view holds that all ty ...
, this Council sends the greeting of human brotherhood and the pledge of sympathy and of help in a cause which belongs to all who follow Christ.
[{{Cite web, url=http://nationalcouncilofchurches.us/common-witness/1908/social-creed.php, title=National Council of Churches - Common Witness - the Social Creed of the Churches]
See also
*
Catholic social teaching
Catholic social teaching (CST) is an area of Catholic doctrine which is concerned with human dignity and the common good in society. It addresses oppression, the role of the state, subsidiarity, social organization, social justice, and w ...
*
Evangelical left
The Evangelical left is a Christian left movement in evangelical Christianity that affirms Conservative Christianity, conservative evangelical theology and are politically Progressivism, progressive. It is mainly based in the US, but is also found ...
*
General Board of Church and Society
*
Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount ( anglicized from the Matthean Vulgate Latin section title: ) is a collection of sayings spoken by Jesus of Nazareth found in the Gospel of Matthew (chapters 5, 6, and 7). that emphasizes his moral teachings. It is th ...
*
Social Gospel
The Social Gospel is a social movement within Protestantism that aims to apply Christian ethics to social problems, especially issues of social justice such as economic inequality, poverty, alcoholism, crime, racial tensions, slums, unclean en ...
*
Social justice
Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...
*
The Upper Room (United Methodist Church)
References
External links
Methodist Federation for Social ActionThe United Methodist General Board of Church and SocietyThe Social Creed of the Churches
by Harry F. Ward
Methodism
Religion and politics
Practical theology
1908 documents
History of Methodism in the United States