author
Washington Gladden
1836–1918
A pioneering Protestant voice of the Social Gospel, this American minister wrote and preached with the conviction that faith should confront poverty, labor conflict, and political corruption. His work helped shape the moral language of progressive reform in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
2 Audiobooks
Who Wrote the Bible? : a Book for the People
by Washington Gladden
The Church and Modern Life
by Washington Gladden
About the author
Born in Pennsylvania in 1836 and educated at Williams College, Washington Gladden became a Congregational minister, journalist, and prolific author. He served churches in New York and Massachusetts before taking a long pastorate at First Congregational Church in Columbus, Ohio, where he became one of the best-known Protestant reformers of his era.
Gladden is remembered as an early leader of the Social Gospel movement, which urged Christians to apply religious ethics to the problems created by industrial society. In his preaching and writing, he spoke out on issues such as labor justice, public honesty, and civic reform, arguing that religion belonged not only in private devotion but also in public life.
Alongside his ministry, he took an active part in reform politics and journalism, including campaigns against corruption. He also wrote hymns, and his best-known text, "O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee," reflects the practical, service-minded faith that ran through his life and work.