Stewart J. Brown and Christian Social Action

‘My portrayal is that of a man, all too human, who burned with a rage against social injustice and human suffering— a man who, with a passionate religious faith, rose to greatness in his time.’1 Stewart J. Brown penned these words in his introduction to Thomas Chalmers and the Godly Commonwealth, the first of many books and one which marked the commencement of an important and lengthy career as a historian of modern ecclesiastical history. While referencing a specific figure and a specific period, Brown’s words are likewise applicable to the personalities, institutions, and movements explored across this volume. Christian social action – that is, the intertwining of faith and philanthropy made manifest in the myriad church responses to the challenges industrialisation and urbanisation posed – sits at the heart of this book. Social Christianity in Scotland and Beyond, 1800–2000 aims to open a conversation on the multifarious initiatives known variously as ‘social Christianity’, ‘Christian socialism’ or the ‘social gospel’, that spanned countries, continents, decades and denominations. It explores the varying ways in which Christians have perceived and responded to the distinct social problems that emerged in Scotland and further afield in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.