“Social salvation” and social justice: the social gospel influence in social work development in the progressive years

Background and purpose. Religion shaped the emergence and development of social work in the Progressive Years, not only influencing the perspectives adopted initially to answer to the “urban and social question”, but also as a key factor to impulse social work pioneers to social reform. In particular, the social Gospel movement in the context of Christianity, based on concept of “the Kingdom of God on earth” shifting the “social salvation” rather than “individual salvation”, the social Gospel movement contributed to embodying social justice in social work practice and policy. This presentation is part of a wider ongoing research on social work and social reform in the Progressive Years, adopts an historical approach and is based mainly on secondary sources, but also on primary sources like archives, letters and other sources. Main points of the presentation. The presentation explores, firstly, the development of the social Gospel movement in the context of social sciences emergence and social work profissionalisation in the Progressive Years in United States and, secondly, how religion beliefs and theologies influenced both Settlement movement leaders such Jane Addams, Graham Taylor or Robert Woods, and social work pioneers of Charities movement, such Mary Richmond among others, leading them to embrace the values of human rights, social responsibility and social justice in social work practice and policy. How the presentation will address the conference aims and themes. The presentation will address the conference aims and themes. Firstly, because revisiting and gaining a deeper understanding of these social work roots is a heuristic and inspiring legacy for today’s social work facing human rights and social justice challenges under a societal context of uncertainty and changing welfare state paradigms. Secondly, because this historical approach is a valuable contribution to social work education for human rights and social justice. Conclusions from and implications for practice, policy or further research. The research puts in evidence that the religion beliefs, and the social Gospel in particular, played a relevant role in the formation of thought of social work pioneers and in their orientation to human rights and social justice as core part of social work values. Other conclusion is that departing from different starting points, visions and approaches adopted to tackle the social and urban question, the social reform towards the social justice is a foundational element of the profession social ethics. According to this, one of the major implications for education and practice is to stress the social work conception as policy-based profession and the development of competences in social policy analysis and policy practice, but also the critical reflexivity about professional purpose and the political dimension inherent to social work values. Regarding research, more evidence and understanding is necessary on the social work policy practice engagement and education.