What is the difference between the Gospel and the social gospel?

on Jul 29, 2026

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: Many of my friends say that all religions are the same and just have different names for God. Some say the most important thing is to practice the social gospel. What is the difference between the Gospel and the social gospel? Isn’t social justice really just progressive religion? – G.S.

A: There is no such thing as a “social gospel.” It is a misnomer. There is only one Gospel. “If anyone preaches any other gospel to you … let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:9, NKJV). The Gospel teaches that Jesus Christ will forgive sinners, give them a new heart, and give them a love for others.

We live in a lost and dying world, and the world’s system could hardly be described as one that is sensitive to people’s needs. There is a hardness in the human heart.

Abraham Lincoln once said, characteristically, “I am sorry for the man who can’t feel the whip when it is laid on the other man’s back.” Much of the world is calloused and indifferent toward mankind’s poverty and distress. This is due largely to the fact that for many people there has never been a rebirth. The love of God has never been shed abroad in their hearts.

Many people speak of the social gospel as though it were separate and apart from the redemptive Gospel. The truth is: There is only one Gospel. We must be redeemed; we must be made right with God before we can become sensitive to the needs of others. Divine love, like a reflected sunbeam, shines down before it radiates out. Unless our hearts are conditioned by the Holy Spirit to receive and reflect the warmth of God’s compassion, we cannot love others as we ought. “Jesus went about … preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness … among the people” (Matthew 9:35, NKJV).

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)