In case you missed it when it came out, I thought it’d be worth posting a reminder that the Acton Institute recently partnered with the Christian History Institute to produce an issue of Christian History magazine. The issue (which you can download as a free PDF) examines the impact of automation on Europe and America and the varying responses of the church to the problems that developed. Topics examined are mission work, the rise of the Social Gospel, the impact of papal pronouncements, the Methodist phenomenon, Christian capitalists, attempts at communal living and much more.
Check out these feature articles:
Wealth, Socialism, and Jesus
Janine Giordano Drake
Churches in the nineteenth century were divided on how to reach those affected by the new economy
Conquest or Conversion
Jeffrey B. Webb
Missionaries worked hand-in-hand with economic interests but sometimes found their efforts being thwarted instead.
The Life and Times of John Bascom
William Kostlevy
How social gospelers applied the teachings of Jesus to economic issues.
Brothers and Sisters of Charity
Kevin Schmiesing
The Catholic response to a transformed world.
Eating Bread With Widows and Orphans
Jennifer Woodruff Tait
Wesleyans in Britain and America helped both the bodies and souls of those the Industrial Revolution left behind