“Well, the ‘Social Gospel’ is part of my tradition,” explained the United Church of Christ (UCC) pastor a bit defensively, before adding, “I seek to follow the example of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”
This muddled word salad was gamely imparted in response to concerns raised about the frequency of woke politics woven into her sermons.
How so muddled? Well, while it’s true that the “tradition” embodied within the UCC does indeed claim the “Social Gospel,” a movement begun roughly 100 years ago, it is a bit of a stretch to assume either Bonhoeffer or King would recognize, much less support, what passes for it today.