The Social Gospel: Progressives Twist Scripture for Political Gain

What would you think if the President of the United States declared the government was a god to whom all citizens owed their loyalty and devotion at any cost, and therefore inalienable rights of the individual were nonsense?

On April 2, 2012 President Obama gave a speech in support of redistribution of wealth where he quoted from the Bible story of Cain and Abel saying, “I am my brothers keeper.” [1]  President Obama misquoted the scripture he was referring to and took the phrase out of context to validate his agenda. Obama was trying to push the virtue of “being your brother’s keeper” by referring to Genesis 4:1-15.  In that story Cain had jealously murdered his brother and attempted to hide it from God. When God asked Cain where his brother was, Cain defensively asked, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

So Cain’s sin was murdering his brother and covering it up. Obama’s sin is the same as the founders of what is known as the Social Gospel – they twisted scripture to manipulate people for their own political agenda.

What is the Social Gospel?

The Social Gospel is a Christian theological teaching that applies Christian ethics to social problems.[2] Its proponents use Biblical scripture as a means to influence people to support governmental interventions as a solution to economic and social problems. The Social Gospel has at its core a belief that people must overcome attachments to private properties and be devoted to public welfare.[3] Early Social Gospel theologians asserted that government, because of progress, was now in a position to bring about an earthly utopia in the form of the modern democratic state.[4]

What are the origins and implications of the Social Gospel?

The Social Gospel movement developed in the late 1800’s when a split from orthodox Christianity occurred related to the theory of evolution. The Christians who left orthodox beliefs mixed the theory of evolution with their progressive ideology and Christianity. Social Gospel followers saw evolution as the divine plan for rational social advancement. They believed this advancement would best be accomplished by a large central government that ultimately could bring about utopia on earth – a key progressive belief. The Social Gospel has been referred to as Marxism in Christian clothing.[5]

The message the Social Gospel preached was that citizens must release all attachment to private enterprise. So, for many Progressives, the state became a “god” to whom citizens must give all they have.[6]  Bible quotes were used out of context to stir guilt, fear and emotion in the people in order to control them. Religion became a political tool to further the Progressive agenda. There is a “strong religious current that runs through much of progressive thought.”[7] Early progressive ideology saw God gradually revealing himself through human history and the ultimate goal as a divinely inspired democratic state.[8] Therefore early progressives believed the state “was a god to which all citizens owed their undivided devotion.”[9]

While the Social Gospel does address legitimate areas of concern such as oppression of women and blacks, child labor concerns, troubled youth and oppressed workers, socialistic solutions are touted as the only answer to these problems.

Manipulation and Spiritual Abuse

President Obama used Social Gospel tactics at the 2012 National Prayer Breakfast when, in order to manipulate thinking regarding higher tax rates for the wealthy, he said, “For me, as a Christian, it also coincides with Jesus’s teaching that ‘for onto whom much is given, much shall be required.’”[10]  I think President Obama may have the scriptures mixed up with the story of Robin Hood, as nowhere in scripture does it say to steal from the affluent to give to the poor.

The Social Gospel was a tactic both Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson used to lay the foundation for the use of religious abuse, superiority, and Socialistic goals that we hear from Progressives today.

Theodore Roosevelt, who was an early Progressive, used this tool at the Progressive Party convention in 1912. He is quoted as saying, “Our cause is based on the eternal principles of righteousness; …We stand at Armageddon, and we battle for the Lord.” Roosevelt, playing to the emotions of the crowd, succeeded in having the convention crowd wave Bibles and sing Onward Christian Soldiers as they adjourned. [11] With all the emotion that generated and what it implied spiritually, who could disagree with Teddy?

Woodrow Wilson, a renowned Progressive, grew up in a religious family.  His upbringing proved to be quite dangerous when mixed with his narcissism and socialistic ideals. Wilson is quoted as saying, “Remember that God ordained that I should be the next President of the United States. Neither you nor any other mortal or mortals could have prevented that.”[12]  In stating this, Wilson set himself up as the mouthpiece of God. This is a form of spiritual abuse as it scares and manipulates people into wanting to please God, as expressed through their President. Wilson’s statement was a misuse of power, which is innately abusive.

Woodrow Wilson was a big proponent of redistribution of wealth for America.[13] He also implemented a progressive income tax during his presidency.[14] Between 1916 and 1919 total government expenses went up 1,709%[15] and the national debt rose from $3.6 billion to $27.4 billion![16] Tax rates, which ranged from 1% to 7% in 1913, jumped in four years – with the war as an excuse – to at least 2% with the top rate being 67% in 1917.[17] By 1920 the top rate was 73%,[18] with a new goal for America: redistribution of wealth. This is not surprising as Wilson saw little difference between socialism and democracy; he wrote in 1887 “that in fundamental theory socialism and democracy are almost if not quite one and the same.”[19]

Keep in mind the Social Gospel mentality is about curing society’s ills through Socialistic ideals such as redistribution of wealth. Redistribution of wealth is a primary principal of Progressivism, and President Obama has made it a pillar in his campaigning and Presidency.

More Social Gospel Tactics by Obama

The use of Social Gospel tactics by Obama to convince Americans that raising taxes on the rich will solve our economic problems is a political maneuver to “give voters the impression that the Republican refusal to tax the rich is the main cause of the deficit and thus the main obstacle to solving the fiscal crisis.”[20]  It is false that a tax increase on the rich will solve the federal budget deficit problem. Raising taxes on the wealthy will barely make a dent in the deficits.[21]

If the Federal government took 100% of the taxable income from the top 1% of taxpayers it would only cover seven months of the budget shortfall.[22] The truth is that raising taxes on the rich is likely to hurt the economy. Research done by former Obama advisor Christina Romer and her husband David shows that tax increases reduce economic growth and have a negative impact on economic output.[23]

Obama set the 2012 Federal budget at $3.7 trillion. That means we are spending $6.9 million every minute, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Clearly, spending is the problem.

President Obama takes the focus off our economic problems when he implies wealthy taxpayers can rescue us from our out-of-control debt and economic crisis. We must not allow the truth to be distorted by misuse of the sayings of Jesus or any other spiritual leader.  Beware of the guilt and deception this creates and search out the truth. Fiscal conservatives are stereotyped by Progressives as heartless people who do not care about starving children and the poor in our nation. Nothing could be further from the truth. These and similar statements are political tools in the hands of Progressives.

Stand Strong

Don’t get distracted by character assassinations, emotionalism and the twisting of scriptural principles. Look at the real source of America’s economic problems, such as Washington Inc. (collusion between the government and business), and a welfare state where both the rich and poor are in cahoots with the government to rip off their fellow Americans.[24] Solutions such as curtailing bureaucratic spending and immediately stopping automatic budget increases in the public sector are vital to economic recovery.