Chap 3 HST

• National
• legislation for prohibiting sales of alcohol

• Superiority
• of Western culture

• Anglo-American
• democratic principles were the highest political expression

• Protestant
• focus on reform

• Northern
• clergy saw implements of Protestant ways (ending of slavery/injustice) would
• bring about a “millennial age” or age of peace in America

• Writers
• such as Mark Twain and Henry Adams dealt greatly with Protestant and traditional
• views/oppositions

• Protestant
• churches tripled in size from 1860-1900

• Rising
• paradox between spiritual and material

• Scientists
• and technicians separated work from religious practices no matter how devoted

• Peaceful
• differentiation of religious and secular

• Paradox
• between religion and politics

• Republican
• Party affiliated with Protestants

• Evangelical
• political program opposed by Catholics and Lutherans

• Connections
• were subtle between religion and politics because each side wanted the favor
• from the opposing supporters

• Party
• of northern pietist moral reformers

• Greed
• rose with booming business

• Urbanization
• – YMCA created

• Church
• and secularization grew with population and city growth

• Rockefeller
• and Carnegie

• Protestant
• church had a solid middle class

• Problems
• with relationships between capitol and labor – strikes/riots in big businesses
• for better working conditions (Protestants opposed strikes and riots for the
• sake of law and order)

Individual choices effect whether you succeed or fail

Charity work for orphans and widows (Biblical twist)

• Conversion to Christianity was seen as a step in the right direction for
• success

Being idle (without work) becomes “sinful”

• Key
• to success for Protestant leaders such as Henry Beecher was for individuals to
• work hard and help themselves

• Opportunity
• in America seen as a gift from God (Russell Conwell, “Acres of Diamonds” was a
• speech where he said “to make money honestly is to preach the gospel”)

Focus on money and success led to relaxed view of morals

• Rockefeller
• believed God gave him his money at the same time he was exploiting workers and
• competing businesses

Focus on civic responsibility and charity within the middle class

• Women
• played a prominent though not leading role during Progressive Era

• Role to guard moral sector in society Frances Willard started Women’s
• Christian Temperance Union

Women had focus on holiness, wanted to change society

• Opposition
• from main stream Protestants

• Women
• played a large role abroad and supporting (made up 60% of missionaries)

Enthusiasm grew for missions during this time

• Motives
• were to spread gospel and help people socially

• Dwight
• L. Moody (1837-1899) was the Charles Finney of the 1870s to the 90s

• Success
• abroad and home as evangelist

• Pride
• in the white Anglo-Saxon culture effected missions

• Spanish
• American War 1898 saw us fighting savage races

• Cultural
• superiority

• Progressives
• attributed evil in society to violations of moral law

• Revived
• millennial view of bringing the kingdom of God to earth

• Walter
• Rauschenbusch (1861-1918) hell’s kitchen

• Kingdom
• seen as a social system not just otherworldly heaven

Saw law as a evolving social experiement, where moral absolutes were irrelevant

• Shift
• from traditional Protestant education to more academic education

• In
• 1865 the Bible was the most used educational book, by 1917 professors would
• have been embarrassed to admit that

• Science
• brought the idea of a scientific millennium as opposed to the Protestant millennium

• Progressive
• era moved from Religious belief to Scientific belief

• Bible
• not taken as literally

• Positive
• message of Christianity emphasized

• People
• not seen as depraved but potentially good

• Modern
• theology a theology of action/social gospel

• Dropped
• offensive and exclusive features of Christianity