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42-541: Ford Hall may refer to: Ford Hall Forum , the oldest free public lecture series in the United States . Ford Hall, located on the campus of Berry College . Ford Hall, located on the campus of Brandeis University . Ford Hall, a chapel in Derbyshire, United Kingdom . Ford Hall, located on the campus of Eastern Illinois University . Ford Hall, located on

84-545: A common meeting ground for all the people where there will be full, free, and open public discussion of all vital questions affecting human welfare." Periodically, the Forum specifically recognizes the value of expressing sentiment that may not always be welcomed but is certainly necessary with its First Amendment Award in honor of Louis P. and Evelyn Smith, long time active benefactors of the Forum. Recipients are listed below along with other speakers. Since its inception in 1908,

126-559: A psychologist from the University of Wisconsin, analyzed some commonly-held superstitions. But while the programs seemed to be popular with the audience, by early 1927 WBZ had stopped broadcasting them, and replaced them with programs that had a sponsor. The Ford Hall Forum continued to provide interesting talks, but the radio audience could no longer hear them. It would not be till the mid 1950s when radio stations began regularly broadcasting Ford Hall Forum events. WCOP did so in 1956 when

168-569: A public podium knowledgeable and thought-provoking speakers. These speakers are presented in person, for free, and in settings that facilitate frank and open debate. All programs provide equal time for speakers' remarks and questions from the audience. The Forum was founded in February 1908 by George W. Coleman, a Boston businessman and then leader of the Boston Baptist Social Union. The first public lectures were held in

210-611: A subject of love and service. Walter Rauschenbusch died in Rochester on July 25, 1918, at the age of 56. Rauschenbusch's work influenced, among others, Martin Luther King Jr. , Desmond Tutu , Lucy Randolph Mason , Reinhold Niebuhr , Norman Thomas , George McGovern , James McClendon , and his grandson, Richard Rorty . Even in the 21st century Rauschenbusch's name is used by certain social-justice ministries in tribute to his life and work, including such groups as

252-482: A talk; police had to be called to calm the protesters, and several were arrested. Another controversial speaker, Malcolm X , was invited to speak in the 1960s, at a time when he was widely considered too dangerous to be given a public podium in the heart of Boston. In the early 1990s, when former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke was a candidate for a seat in the U.S. Senate, the Forum brought him to Boston to answer questions about his views and about his past. Ousted by

294-494: A trinitarian transaction that is remote from human experience; and it implies a concept of divine justice that is repugnant to human sensitivity." But rather than shaking his faith, these challenges reinforced it. In 1886 , Rauschenbusch began his pastorate in the Second German Baptist Church in " Hell's Kitchen ", New York . Urban poverty and funerals for children led him to social activism. For him,

336-460: A very real sense bear the weight of the public sins of organized society, and they in turn are causally connected with all private sins." Rauschenbusch enumerated six sins, all of a public nature, which combined to kill Jesus. He bore their crushing attack in his body and soul. He bore them, not by sympathy, but by direct experience. Insofar as the personal sins of men have contributed to the existence of these public sins, he came into collision with

378-425: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Architectural disambiguation pages Ford Hall Forum The Ford Hall Forum's mission is "to promote freedom of speech and foster an informed and engaged citizenry through the free public presentation of lectures, debates, and discussions." Its events strive to illuminate key issues facing society by bringing to

420-585: The American Baptist Churches USA and obtained a Bachelor of Divinity in 1886. When he attended Rochester Theological Seminary , his early teachings were challenged. He learned of higher criticism , which led him to comment later that his "inherited ideas about the inerrancy of the Bible became untenable." He also began to doubt the substitutionary atonement; in his words, "it was not taught by Jesus; it makes salvation dependent upon

462-407: The problem of evil , which he saw embodied not in individuals, but in "suprapersonal entities", which were socio-economic and political institutions. He found four major loci of suprapersonal evil: militarism, individualism, capitalism, and nationalism. To these he juxtaposed four institutional embodiments of good: pacifism, collectivism, socialism, and internationalism. The social gospel movement

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504-518: The Baptist , the baptism was "not a ritual act of individual salvation but an act of dedication to a religious and social movement." Concerning the social depth and breadth of Christ's atoning work, Rauschenbusch wrote: "Jesus did not in any real sense bear the sin of some ancient Briton who beat up his wife in B. C. 56, or of some mountaineer in Tennessee who got drunk in A. D. 1917. But he did in

546-694: The Baptist Social Union, so that it could hold free public meetings, concerts, and open discussions on current events. The first speaker was the Baptist Pastor Walter Rauschenbusch whose book "Christianity and the Social Crisis" had been released the year before. In 1924, Boston and Springfield-based station WBZ agreed to broadcast some of the Ford Hall Forum's Sunday night meetings, giving

588-436: The Boston Baptist Social Union for fear of being associated with radicalism, the Ford Hall Forum began its own separate enterprise in 1929. The stated purpose of the new corporation was: "To provide education such as will develop intelligent, capable, and responsible citizens, minister to the welfare of all, and promote understanding of civic, moral, religious, and spiritual responsibilities. This can be done in part by maintaining

630-525: The Catholic view on evolution; he also took questions from the audience. And a talk by W.E.B. Du Bois in January 1926 addressed "the hypocrisy of white folk." Not all of the talks were about current events or controversial issues; the listeners also heard presentations from famous humorists, authors, historians, poets, and medical professionals. For example, in late November 1926, Professor Joseph Jastrow,

672-766: The Church had an essential role in the fight against systemic injustices among all groups and for each person. In 1892, Rauschenbusch and some friends formed a group called the Brotherhood of the Kingdom . Pastors and leaders joined the organization to debate and implement the social gospel . In 1897, he began teaching the New Testament at Rochester Theological Seminary in Rochester, New York , until 1902, where he taught Church history. In 1907, he published

714-688: The Ford Hall Forum was based at the Ford Building on Ashburton Place, but in late 1941, it moved to a new location: the John Hancock Hall on St. James Avenue. It moved again in October 1946, to Jordan Hall, on Gainsboro Street. Sometime in 1974, Ford Hall Forum relocated to Alumni Auditorium at Northeastern University . The Ford Hall Forum currently is presenting its lecture series in cooperation with Suffolk University . Walter Rauschenbusch Walter Rauschenbusch (1861–1918)

756-437: The Forum was accused of being a haven for radicals, socialists, and Communists by people who disagreed with some of these speakers. In 1930, W.E.B. Du Bois participated in a debate about whether Black people should be encouraged to seek social equality, a contentious topic in an era when American was still segregated. The Forum endured a large and angry protest in 1933, when a pro-Nazi speaker, Prof. Friedrich Schoenemann, gave

798-449: The Kingdom of Evil. Jesus bore these sins in no legal or artificial sense, but in their impact on his own body and soul. He had not contributed to them, as we have, and yet they were laid on him. They were not only the sins of Caiaphas, Pilate, or Judas, but the social sin of all mankind, to which all who ever lived have contributed, and under which all who ever lived have suffered. Rauschenbusch also devoted considerable effort to explicating

840-409: The Kingdom of God" of which Jesus Christ "always spoke" had been gradually replaced by that of the church. This was done at first by the early church out of what appeared to be necessity, but Rauschenbusch called Christians to return to the doctrine of the Kingdom of God. Of course, such a replacement has cost theology and Christians at large a great deal: the way we view Jesus and the synoptic gospels,

882-1104: The Rauschenbusch Metro Ministries in New York and the Rauschenbusch Center for Spirit and Action in Seattle. The North American Baptist Conference Archives in Sioux Falls , South Dakota , and the American Baptist Historical Society in Atlanta , Georgia , both maintain extensive Rauschenbusch collections. The Archives of the Orchard Community Church in Greece , New York, contain the original baptismal records of Walter and membership records for his wife and father. A stained-glass window

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924-631: The Union's meeting place, the Ford Building on Ashburton Place, Beacon Hill , from which the Forum's name originates. The building was named after Daniel Sharp Ford, formerly editor of the Youth's Companion magazine, as well as publisher of a Baptist magazine, the Christian Watchman . Mr. Ford was a noted philanthropist who died in December 1899. When he died, his will bequeathed the building to

966-461: The basis of human society." Rauschenbusch wrote that "Christianity is in its nature revolutionary" and tried to remind society of that. He taught that the Kingdom of God "is not a matter of getting individuals to heaven, but of transforming the life on earth into the harmony of heaven." In Rauschenbusch's early adulthood, mainline Protestant churches were largely allied with the social and political establishment, in effect supporting such practices as

1008-616: The book Christianity and the Social Crisis which would influence the actions of several actors of the social gospel . In 1917, the publication of the book A Theology for the Social Gospel will rally at the cause of the social gospel many liberal Protestant churches. In this book, he explains that Christians must be like the Almighty who became man in Jesus Christ , who was with everyone equally and considered people as

1050-464: The campus of Eastern Michigan University which serves as a gallery and administration building. Ford Hall, Ice District , Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Ford Hall, located on the campus of Ithaca College . Ford Hall (Kansas State University) , an all-female residence hall at Kansas State University. Ford Hall, located on the campus of the University of Louisville . Ford Hall, located on

1092-400: The campus of Northwest Nazarene University . Ford Hall, located on the campus of the University of Minnesota . Ford Hall, located on the campus of Rutgers University . Ford Hall, located on the campus of Smith College . Ford Hall, located on the campus of Suffolk University . Ford Hall, located on the campus of SUNY Oneonta . Ford Hall (Willamette University) , located on

1134-610: The campus of Willamette University in Oregon. Ford Hall, located on the campus of Williston Northampton School . Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Ford Hall . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ford_Hall&oldid=1025331578 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

1176-527: The ethical principles of Jesus, and worship rituals have all been affected by this replacement. Rauschenbusch saw four practical advantages in emphasizing the Kingdom of God rather than the Church: The Kingdom of God is not subject to the pitfalls of the Church; it can test and correct the Church; it is a prophetic, future-focused ideology and a revolutionary, social and political force that understands all creation to be sacred; and it can help save

1218-458: The religious and the social life has not understood Jesus. Whoever sets any bounds for the reconstructive power of the religious life over the social relations and institutions of men, to that extent denies the faith of the Master." The significance of this work is that it spoke of the individual's responsibility toward society. In his Theology for the Social Gospel (1917), he wrote that for John

1260-505: The social gospel would be "a permanent addition to our spiritual outlook and that its arrival constitute[d] a state in the development of the Christian religion", and thus a systematic tool for using it was necessary. In A Theology for the Social Gospel , Rauschenbusch wrote that the individualistic gospel had made the sinfulness of the individual clear, but it had not shed light on institutionalized sinfulness: "It has not evoked faith in

1302-506: The speakers and their perspectives a much wider audience than just the people in the room (or the people who read about the speakers when the newspapers reported summaries of what they said). Among the Ford Hall Forum speakers heard on WBZ in 1924 was Rabbi Stephen Samuel Wise , who denounced the Ku Klux Klan . A 1925 talk by Father Michael J. Ahern, who was both a theologian and a scientist (with an advanced degree in geology), discussed

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1344-429: The station broadcast several talks, including one by anthropologist Margaret Mead. Subsequently, Harvard's WHRB-FM taped and then broadcast several talks during 1957, including one by 1950 Nobel Peace Prize winner Ralph J. Bunche. The taped presentations continued to be heard on WHRB-FM until December 1961. By the end of 1961, the programs were being heard on WGBH-FM. As a free speech institution that does not endorse

1386-558: The totality of evil in mankind. It requires no legal fiction of imputation to explain that "he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities." Solidarity explains it. These six "social sins" which Jesus, according to Rauschenbusch, bore on the cross: Religious bigotry, the combination of graft and political power, the corruption of justice, the mob spirit [being "the social group gone mad"] and mob action, militarism, and class contempt – every student of history will recognize that these sum up constitutional forces in

1428-711: The upper portion of the Rauschenbusch window is substantially different from the original. A photograph of the original window appears in a booklet that was published for the centennial celebration of the church in 1951. Rauschenbusch's view of Christianity was that its purpose was to spread the Kingdom of God, not through a " fire and brimstone " style of preaching, but by the Christlike lives led by its members. Rauschenbusch did not understand Jesus' death as an act of substitutionary atonement; rather, he came to believe that Jesus died "to substitute love for selfishness as

1470-419: The use of child labor and the domination of robber barons . Many church leaders did not see a connection between these issues and their own congregations, so did nothing to address the suffering. But Rauschenbusch saw it as his duty as a minister and student of Christ to act with love by trying to improve social conditions. In Christianity and the Social Crisis (1907), Rauschenbusch wrote, "Whoever uncouples

1512-437: The view of any of its speakers, the Forum has occasionally given a stage to speakers whom other institutions would not (or could not). In 1929, Margaret Sanger appeared at the Forum, visibly gagged, after Mayor James Michael Curley issued an injunction barring her from speaking about family planning. The Forum frequently withstood criticism for hosting meetings that featured activists whose views were considered controversial;

1554-418: The will and power of God to redeem the permanent institutions of human society from their inherited guilt of oppression and extortion." This ideology would be inherited by liberation theologians and civil rights advocates and leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. The idea of the Kingdom of God is crucial to Rauschenbusch's proposed theology of the social gospel. He stated that the ideology and "doctrine of

1596-636: Was an American theologian and Baptist pastor who taught at the Rochester Theological Seminary . Rauschenbusch was a key figure in the Social Gospel and single tax movements that flourished in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was also the maternal grandfather of the influential philosopher Richard Rorty and the great-grandfather of Paul Raushenbush . Walter Rauschenbusch

1638-481: Was born October 4, 1861, in Rochester , New York , to Germans Augustus Rauschenbusch and the former Caroline Rump. Though he went through a youthful rebellious period, at age 17 he experienced a personal religious conversion which "influenced [his] soul down to its depths." Like the Prodigal Son , he wrote, "I came to my Father, and I began to pray for help and got it." But he later felt that this experience

1680-572: Was given to the Andrews Street Baptist Church (known as the First German Baptist Church until 1918) in Rochester around 1929 by Mrs. Edmund Lyon. The building was vacant during the late 1960s and some of the windows were stolen, including part of the original Rauschenbusch window. A new congregation purchased the building and a stained-glass expert repaired and re-created some of the windows; however,

1722-520: Was incomplete, focused on repentance from personal sins but not from social sins. After high school, he went to study in a gymnasium (equivalent to a preparatory school) in Gütersloh in Germany . Thereafter, he returned to the United States and studied at the University of Rochester where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in 1884. Then, he studied theology at the Rochester Theological Seminary of

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1764-482: Was not a unified and well-focused movement, as it contained members who disagreed with the conclusions of others within the movement. Rauschenbusch stated that the movement needed "a theology to make it effective" and likewise "theology needs the social gospel to vitalize it." In A Theology for the Social Gospel (1917), Rauschenbusch took up the task of creating "a systematic theology large enough to match [our social gospel] and vital enough to back it." He believed that

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