Western Agrarian Revolt, The C.C.F., and The Social Gospel

Abstract

<p>The religious movement known as the Christian social gospel arose in Canada in the early years of the twentieth century, and stemmed primarily from the Methodist, Presbyterian and ,Anglican churches. Arguing that the word of Christ had to be applied to the economic and political environment, the social gospel strived to inject a secular meaning into christian teachings, and thereby do away with the traditional meaning of religion as strictly an individual, mysterious, and spititual phenonena. Such spokesmen as Salem Bland, William Ivens. William Irvine, and J.S. Woodsworth -- all part of what would later be known as the radical social gospel -- even went so far as to question the basis of the capitalist system, and in the process began their long and fruitful association with the farmers of Western Canada, and later the C. C. F. party.</p> <p>Although the ideals of the social gospel influenced all aspects of reform in Canada, no where did it have a Dare profound effect than in the political protest of the western farmers' movement and the C.C.F. party. The social gospel lent a moral legitimacy to the economic and political demands of these groups and often placed their political protest in the light of a God-given duty, or moral crusade. This made it easier to arouse both the convictions and the passions of the rank and file membership, and in the process often served to deflect charges of being communists and "red agitators". In short, the social gospel stood at the forefront of both these political movements, influencing their ideology, parliamentary performance, and their overall view of both mankind and society.</p>