Description
Book SynopsisAt the height of his career, Washington Gladden was one of the most respected and beloved ministers in the United States. An 1897 newspaper profile emphasized his international reputation as both a pastor and a thinker. Gladden's reputation resulted from the warmth of his personality, the keenness of his intellect, and the breadth of his writing. More so than any of his contemporaries, he was equally successful as both the pastor of a community church and as an internationally recognized theologian. During his career, which spanned the decades from the Civil War to World War I, he led Congregational churches in New York, Massachusetts, and Ohio. He also penned dozens of books and hundreds of magazine articles. Gladden's prolific output ensured that he shaped the religious views of countless Americans throughout the nation. Yet a century after his death, Washington Gladden has been all but forgotten. The past few years have witnessed a dramatic resurgence in scholarship on mainline Prot
Trade ReviewDavid Mislin provides a much-needed, and long overdue, study of the life and thought of Washington Gladden. A critical figure in the emergence of theological liberalism and a pioneer in the development of the social gospel movement, Gladden's story has too often been overlooked by scholars. In an engaging book, Mislin fleshes out the evolution of Gladden's thought, while discussing the numerous contours of his extensive career as a minister, journalist, theologian, and reformer. Mislin not only demonstrates Gladden's impact upon his era, but suggests how Gladden laid a foundation for today's Religious Left. Anyone interested in U.S. religious history, history of American Protestantism, or religion and social reform will enjoy reading this important book. -- Christopher Evans, Professor of the History of Christianity, Boston University
Never heard of Washington Gladden? Read this book. You will be gripped by the deftly-told story of one of industrial America's towering reformers, a pioneering social gospel minister who was, in so many ways, also a flawed human being. We have a lot to learn from both Gladden's achievements and failures, and in these pages Mislin distills his legacies with unusual wisdom and grace. -- Heath W. Carter, associate professor of American Christianity, Princeton Theological Seminary
Readers from many backgrounds, from professional historians to the historically curious, will thoroughly enjoy David Mislin’s timely, accessible biography of an important and complicated man. Mislin shows us Washington Gladden from all sides, a generous, thoughtful soul with a flawed but compelling vision of Christian unity and social redemption. -- Margaret Bendroth, Executive Director, Congregational Library & Archives
