united in serving each other’s interests” (Tindall and Shi 722). Social Gospels and Settlement
Houses are two of the means that had reformers looking to better the United States. They
attacked social problems each in a different way. Social gospels taught Christian values and
inspiration, settlement houses focused on the more tangible problems of the poor.
Social Gospels would apply Christian teachings and biblical references to the problems of
society. Reformers focused closely on labor issues, such as better working conditions, living
wages, abolishing child labor and improving working environments (Britannica.com). According
to Washington …show more content…
Religious community organizations started to form to further the teachings of social
gospels. Two of the most influential were the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) and
the Salvation Army. The YMCA was brought over to the U.S. in 1851 from England, to help
young men socialize without the negative pressures of drinking, explicit sexuality and other such
evils. And the second organization was the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army entered the
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U.S. in 1879, with its main focus on being to bring others to Christ’s teachings. They offered
many human necessities, such and food, shelter, and work; it is still bringing those same things
to people around the world.
Along with social gospels working to better society, were settlement houses. Settlement
houses, such as Chicago’s Hull House, was set up to bring a sense of community to an otherwise
impoverished area. Jane Adams, the founder of Hull House, believed that having the space and
opportunity for people from all walks of life to congregate with help bring a sense of “economic
unity to society” (Shi and Mayer 116). Settlement houses gave a place to live, work,