Arthur Cushman McGiffert
A liberal Protestant theologian who challenged orthodox doctrines, championing historical criticism and a modernized view of Christianity's development.
1861–1933 (age 72)·American theologian·Birthday: March 4·The Gilded Age
Biography
Arthur Cushman McGiffert stood at the storm center of American religious thought at the turn of the 20th century. The son of a Presbyterian minister, he studied in Germany, absorbing the historical-critical methods that would define his career. As a professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York, he became a leading figure of theological modernism. His groundbreaking work, 'A History of Christianity in the Apostolic Age,' argued for a radical diversity in early Christian belief, a view so controversial it led to his resignation from the Presbyterian ministry. Unfazed, he continued to shape liberal Protestantism, later serving as president of Union Seminary. McGiffert's legacy is that of a courageous scholar who insisted that Christian faith could and must engage honestly with modern historical and scientific thought, a stance that permanently altered the landscape of American theology.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Arthur was born in 1861, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Arthur Was Born
The biggest hits of 1861
Arthur's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1861Born
President: Abraham Lincoln
1866Started school
President: Andrew Johnson
1874Became a teenager
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1877Could drive
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1879Could vote
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1882Turned 21
First electrical power plant opens in New York
President: Chester A. Arthur
1891Turned 30
President: Benjamin Harrison
1901Turned 40
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Turned 50
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1921Turned 60
First commercial radio broadcasts
President: Warren G. Harding"My Man" — Fanny Brice
1931Turned 70
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1933Died at 72
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
Key Achievements
- Authored the influential and controversial 'A History of Christianity in the Apostolic Age' (1897).
- Served as President of Union Theological Seminary in New York from 1917 to 1926.
- Was a prominent exponent of the 'Social Gospel' movement in American theology.
- Held the prestigious Washburn Chair of Church History at Union Theological Seminary.
Did You Know?
He was a student of the famous German church historian Adolf von Harnack.
His son, Arthur Cushman McGiffert Jr., also became a notable theologian and seminary president.
He was a founding member of the American Committee for the Defense of Leon Trotsky in 1937.
“Theology is but the theory of religion, and must change as religion develops.”
