This paper examines a distinctive Christian slogan, “What would Jesus do?” which was emerged from Charles Sheldon’s social gospel novel, In His Steps (1897). This book eventually became one of the most influential bestseller during the last century. It is known that In His Steps has sold more than thirty million copies. However, this important Christian legacy has generally been ignored by the academic scholarship. The goal of this research is to rediscover a popular old evangelical heritage. How has this “sappy” “popular” novel received such a massive response from the ordinary readers generation by generation. I examine the history of the birth and reception of In His Steps, examining the Christian literary culture in author’s time. Also, I analyze and evaluate the contents and messages in this novel. What could be the author wanted to tell through this fictional narrative? Which portraits of Jesus are described in this book and in the slogan, “What would Jesus do?” Is it really possible for today’s Christians to follow in Jesus’ steps through asking this question, as the author suggested in the story? I discuss theological and ethical validity of Sheldon’s “imitation ethics.”
I define that Sheldon’s message was an evangelical social gospel influenced by the holiness evangelicalism of his era. Sheldon believed that Jesus’ teaching should be applied to government and that the church has a definite responsibility for social reform. However, evangelical readers in the 20th century ignored the “social gospel” spirit in this book, only accepting his emphasis of personal morality and piety. However, in both Sheldon’s social gospel message and the recent evangelical movement, popular media are actively used to embrace the question, “What would Jesus do?” Sheldon aimed to “make religion interesting.” His writing of religious fiction was only for presenting and spreading gospel message, not creating interesting plots nor producing literary masterpiece.
Scholars has criticized that Sheldon’s novels are too naive and sentimental with the lack of realistic anthropology. Surely his optimistic idealism overlooked the gray part of complex human life, simply dividing a (good) christian way from a (evil) secular way. However, his suggestion does not primarily aim for the possibility of following in Jesus’ steps, but for the motif of Christian life. It is a spiritual technique for devoted Christians with seriously asking what Jesus would do in one’s context. It is not for the “right” decisionmaking but for a disciplinary method, expecting the presence of the Holy Spirit. It is appropriate that Stanley Grenz expressed Sheldon’s imitation ethics as an “evangelical autonomy.” His imitation ethics observe that devotion to Christ unifies faithful Christians with their cosmic Master in the deepest aspect of their personhood. Sheldon strived for “social reform” through individual transformation, which is the very message of his religious fiction.

• 윤영훈(횃불트리니티 신학대학원대학교 교수) | Young-Hoon Yoon