Conclusion

Abstract

The intercollegiate YMCA was in many ways a transitional institution between the evangelical piety of the 1870s and the growing secularism of the early twentieth century. Birthed in the revivalist fervor of the 1850s and channeling this energy to the colleges, the religious, social, and institutional changes of the next decades pushed the associations to embrace new ideals and new practices that coordinated more effectively with campus life. The transformation of the college YMCA across its three core time periods can be viewed from a number of unique vantage points. From a theological angle of vision, the shifting philosophy of the movement can be characterized as a transition from conservative evangelicalism (1858–1888) to liberal evangelicalism (1888–1917) to a pluralistic liberal Protestantism (1917–1934). The individualistic gospel, concerned primarily for the salvation of individual souls, marked Wishard’s era and gave the YMCA a central place within the larger tenor of Protestant revivalism. All “social work” was taken up with gospel proclamation, bathed in the sentiment that mass personal conversions would foster a larger social renewal. The conservative social gospel of the Mott era, alternatively, highlighted social study and service in addition to personal work. A gospel for social as well as personal regeneration, this emphasis was nonetheless directed at character reformation in the community.