From the Social Gospel to the "Radical Gospel": The Fellowship of Southern Churchmen's Use of the Church as a Vessel for Social Change

The Fellowship of Southern Churchmen (FSC) was an interracial southern group of men and women who fought to apply Social Gospel teachings to the turmoil ridden American South. They formed in the midst of the Great Depression and eventually dissolved to make way for other organizations to take the lead in the Civil Rights Movement. The FSC stayed relevant for decades through embracing fluidity and adjusting to both the rapidly changing world around them and to the goals of the leadership. Though the FSC struggled to make waves in the traditional Old South, their influence cannot be overlooked, particularly in the Labor Movement and in improving race relations. Though these southern progressive prophets were few, they were mighty.