Muscular Christianity is the view of the Victorian-era English writers Charles Kingsley and Thomas Hughes (though the name was bestowed by others). Kingsley and Hughes promoted physical strength and health (at least for men) as well as a vigorous pursuit of Christian ideals in personal life and politics. The term is also applied to later movements that combine physical and Christian spiritual development. Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her Ascension to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian Era of the United Kingdom marked the height of the British industrial revolution and the apex of the British Empire. ... Charles Kingsley A statue of Charles Kingsley at Bideford, Devon (UK) Charles Kingsley (June 12, 1819 – January 23, 1875) was an English novelist, particularly associated with the West Country. ... A statue of Thomas Hughes at Rugby School For the recipient of the Victoria Cross see Thomas Hughes, VC Thomas Hughes (October 20, 1822 – March 22, 1896) was an English lawyer and author. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ...

Though muscular Christianity is most closely associated with Kingsley and Hughes, aspects of it appeared in literature as early as 1762, when Rousseau's Emile described physical education as important for the formation of moral character.^[1] The term itself probably first appeared in a review of Kingsley's novel Two Years Ago in the February 21, 1857 issue of the Saturday Review.^[2] Kingsley wrote a reply to this review in which he called the term "painful, if not offensive",^[3] but he later used it favourably on occasion.^[4] Hughes used it in Tom Brown at Oxford; saying that it was "a good thing to have strong and well-exercised bodies," he specified, "The least of the muscular Christians has hold of the old chivalrous and Christian belief, that a man's body is given him to be trained and brought into subjection, and then used for the protection of the weak, the advancement of all righteous causes, and the subduing of the earth which God has given to the children of men."^[5] Rousseau is a French surname. ... Physical instruction at the U.S. Naval Training Station, Newport, RI, 1917 In most educational systems, physical education (PE), also called physical training (PT) or gym in less progressive settings, is a course in the curriculum which utilizes learning in the cognitive, affective and psycho motor domains in a play... Tom Brown at Oxford is a novel by Thomas Hughes, first published in 1861. ...

In addition to the beliefs stated above, muscular Christianity preached the spiritual value of sports, especially team sports. As Kingsley said, "games conduce not merely to physical but to moral health" (Education and Health, quoted by Ladd and Mathisen).

Muscular Christianity spread to other countries in the 19th century. In the United States it appeared first in private schools and then in the YMCA and in the preaching of evangelists such as Dwight L. Moody.^[6] (The addition of athletics to the YMCA led to, among other things, the invention of basketball and volleyball.) Parodied by Sinclair Lewis in Elmer Gantry (though he had praised the Oberlin College YMCA for its "positive earnest muscular Christianity") and out of step with theologians such as Reinhold Niebuhr, its influence declined in American mainline Protestantism. Nonetheless it was felt in such evangelical organizations as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Athletes in Action, and the Promise Keepers.^[7] Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... YMCAs in the United States and Canada use this logo. ... Dwight Lyman Moody, circa 1890s. ... Sara Giauro shoots a three-point shot, FIBA Europe Cup for Women Finals 2005. ... Volleyball is an Olympic sport in which two teams separated by a high net use their hands, arms, or (rarely) other parts of their bodies to hit a ball back and forth over the net. ... Sinclair Lewis Sinclair Lewis (February 7, 1885 — January 10, 1951) was an American novelist and playwright. ... For information on the UK singer Elmer Gantry, aka Dave Terry, see Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera Elmer Gantry is a 1927 novel by Sinclair Lewis. ... Oberlin College is a small, selective liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, in the United States. ... Reinhold Niebuhr (June 21, 1892 – June 1, 1971) was a Protestant theologian best known for his study of the task of relating the Christian faith to the reality of modern politics and diplomacy. ... Protestantism is one of three main groups within Christianity, whose beliefs are centered on Jesus. ... The word evangelicalism usually refers to religious practices and traditions which are found in conservative, almost always Protestant Christianity. ... Mission The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is a not-for-profit organization that has been based in Kansas City, Missouri since 1956. ... Athletes in Action is a evangelical Christian sports ministry. ... Promise Keepers is an international Christian organization for men, based in Denver, Colorado, United States. ...

References

1. ^ Watson, Nick J.; Stuart Weir and Stephen Friend (2005). "The Development of Muscular Christianity in Victorian Britain and Beyond". Journal of Religion & Society 7: paragraph 7.
2. ^ Ladd, Tony (1999). Muscular Christianity: Evangelical Protestants and the Development of American Sport. Grand Rapids, Mich.: BridgePoint Books, pp. 13–14. ISBN 0-8010-5847-3. 
3. ^ Watson, Weir, and Friend, paragraph 6.
4. ^ Kingsley, Charles (1889). Letters and Memoirs of His Life, vol. II. Scribner's.  Quoted by Rosen, David. “The volcano and the cathedral: muscular Christianity and the origins of primal manliness”, in Donald E. Hall (ed.): Muscular Christianity: Embodying the Victorian Age. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-45318-6. 
5. ^ Chapter 11, quoted by Ladd and Mathisen
6. ^ Heather, Hendershot (2004). Shaking the World for Jesus: Media and Conservative Evangelical Culture. University of Chicago Press, p. 226. ISBN 0-226-32679-9. 
7. ^ Putney, Clifford (2001). Muscular Christianity: Manhood and Sports in Protestant America, 1880–1920. Harvard University Press, pp. 205–206. ISBN 0674011252.