Salem Bland
Encyclopedia
Salem Goldworth Bland was a Methodist theologian and was one of Canada's most important Social Gospel
thinkers.
He was born in Lachute, Quebec
the son of H.F.B. Bland, a Methodist preacher. As a child he lost the use of one of his legs, likely due to polio. He had the useless leg amputated at age thirty and replaced it with an artificial limb. He was raised in Kingston, Ontario
and studied at Queen’s University and McGill
. He was ordained a Methodist minister in 1880 and served as a preacher in a series of churches in Ottawa and Quebec. In 1903 he accepted a position at Wesley College
in Winnipeg as a professor of church history and of Greek.
Originally a relatively conservative Methodist, at Wesley he embraced Higher Criticism. It was also in Winnipeg that he became committed to activist Christianity and the Social Gospel movement. He became a popular guest preacher across western Canada. At Wesley he tutored a number of students including J. S. Woodsworth
, William Irvine
, and William Ivens
who became early leaders of the social-democratic CCF
. Bland also became a regular writer for the Grain Growers' Guide, then the main organ of the progressive farmers' movement. This activism led him into conflict with the leaders of Wesley College and he was dismissed in 1917 after a long battle with principal Eber Crummy.
Bland moved to Toronto where he became the preacher at the Broadway Methodist Tabernacle
, one of the largest Methodist churches in the city and one serving the large working class community of western Toronto. He remained there until 1923, when he moved to the smaller Western Methodist Church. He became a prominent figure in the new United Church of Canada
. In 1935 he convinced the general assembly to pass a motion condemning capitalism
. He also led the campaign in favour of the ordination of women, and succeeded in 1936.
He also remained deeply involved in social activism. He was a supporter of the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War
and a leader of the Canadian Committee to Aid Spanish Democracy. Firmly anti-war, he refused to encourage Canadians to enlist in the Republican cause. Rather he focused on raising humanitarian aid for those affected by the conflict. Most notably the Committee supported a home for some 100 war orphans in Barcelona that was named Salem Bland Home. He became close friends with exiled American activist Emma Goldman
, and when she died in Toronto in 1940 it was Bland who delivered the eulogy at her funeral. He also wrote a column for the Toronto Star called the observer from 1924 to 1950. A well known figure in Toronto he had his portrait painted by Group of Seven artist Lawren S. Harris in 1926. The painting is today in the collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario
.
Social Gospel
The Social Gospel movement is a Protestant Christian intellectual movement that was most prominent in the early 20th century United States and Canada...
thinkers.
He was born in Lachute, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
the son of H.F.B. Bland, a Methodist preacher. As a child he lost the use of one of his legs, likely due to polio. He had the useless leg amputated at age thirty and replaced it with an artificial limb. He was raised in Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
and studied at Queen’s University and McGill
McGill
McGill may refer to:People:* McGill , a common surname of Scottish and Irish origin and list of for individuals with the surname McGill* McGill family , a prominent early Americo-Liberian family...
. He was ordained a Methodist minister in 1880 and served as a preacher in a series of churches in Ottawa and Quebec. In 1903 he accepted a position at Wesley College
Wesley College, Winnipeg
Wesley College was a college that existed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada from 1888 to 1967. It was one of the University of Winnipeg's founding colleges.-History:...
in Winnipeg as a professor of church history and of Greek.
Originally a relatively conservative Methodist, at Wesley he embraced Higher Criticism. It was also in Winnipeg that he became committed to activist Christianity and the Social Gospel movement. He became a popular guest preacher across western Canada. At Wesley he tutored a number of students including J. S. Woodsworth
J. S. Woodsworth
James Shaver Woodsworth was a pioneer in the Canadian social democratic movement. Following more than two decades ministering to the poor and the working class, J. S...
, William Irvine
William Irvine (Canadian politician)
William Irvine was a Canadian politician, journalist and clergyman. He served in the Canadian House of Commons on three different occasions, as a representative of Labour, the United Farmers of Alberta and the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...
, and William Ivens
William Ivens
William Ivens was a religious and political figure in Manitoba, Canada. He was a leading figure in the Winnipeg General Strike, and subsequently served as a Labour member of the Manitoba legislature from 1920 to 1936....
who became early leaders of the social-democratic CCF
CCF
CCF can refer to:* 100 cubic feet, an American standard measurement of water or natural gas volume, more often written "Ccf" * Cambodian Children's Fund, charity organisation...
. Bland also became a regular writer for the Grain Growers' Guide, then the main organ of the progressive farmers' movement. This activism led him into conflict with the leaders of Wesley College and he was dismissed in 1917 after a long battle with principal Eber Crummy.
Bland moved to Toronto where he became the preacher at the Broadway Methodist Tabernacle
Broadway Methodist Tabernacle
Broadway Methodist Tabernacle was a prominent Methodist church in Toronto, Canada. That existed from 1872 to 1924. The congregation was founded in 1872 and was originally housed in a wood chapel at the intersection of Spadina Avenue and Dundas Street It was originally named the Spadina Avenue...
, one of the largest Methodist churches in the city and one serving the large working class community of western Toronto. He remained there until 1923, when he moved to the smaller Western Methodist Church. He became a prominent figure in the new United Church of Canada
United Church of Canada
The United Church of Canada is a Protestant Christian denomination in Canada. It is the largest Protestant church and, after the Roman Catholic Church, the second-largest Christian church in Canada...
. In 1935 he convinced the general assembly to pass a motion condemning capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
. He also led the campaign in favour of the ordination of women, and succeeded in 1936.
He also remained deeply involved in social activism. He was a supporter of the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
and a leader of the Canadian Committee to Aid Spanish Democracy. Firmly anti-war, he refused to encourage Canadians to enlist in the Republican cause. Rather he focused on raising humanitarian aid for those affected by the conflict. Most notably the Committee supported a home for some 100 war orphans in Barcelona that was named Salem Bland Home. He became close friends with exiled American activist Emma Goldman
Emma Goldman
Emma Goldman was an anarchist known for her political activism, writing and speeches. She played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europe in the first half of the twentieth century....
, and when she died in Toronto in 1940 it was Bland who delivered the eulogy at her funeral. He also wrote a column for the Toronto Star called the observer from 1924 to 1950. A well known figure in Toronto he had his portrait painted by Group of Seven artist Lawren S. Harris in 1926. The painting is today in the collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario
Art Gallery of Ontario
Under the direction of its CEO Matthew Teitelbaum, the AGO embarked on a $254 million redevelopment plan by architect Frank Gehry in 2004, called Transformation AGO. The new addition would require demolition of the 1992 Post-Modernist wing by Barton Myers and Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg...
.
Works
- The New Christianity or The Religion of the New Age. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1920.
- James Henderson, D.D.. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1926.
Further Reading
- Allen, Richard. The Social Passion: Religion and Social Reform in Canada 1914-28. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1971.
- Allen, Richard. The View from Murney Tower: Salem Bland, the Late Victorian Controversies, and the Search for a New Christianity. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008.