The Gospel of Church

In The Gospel of Church, Janine Giordano Drake traces the rivalry between organized labor and the American churches from 1880 to 1920, highlighting how the rise in labor and agricultural movements at the turn of the century ran parallel with low church-attendance, high circulation rates of socialist newspapers, and outdoor revivalism, as communities animated by a shared commitment to a Christian Commonwealth took the place of formal religion for thousands of working people. Social Gospel ministers’ efforts to assert their authority over industrial affairs directly undermined workers’ efforts to bring about social democracy in the United States.