In His Steps

In His Steps (1896) is a seminal work of Christian social fiction, best remembered for its searching question, "What would Jesus do?" Set in the fictional town of Raymond, the novel follows a minister and his congregation as they pledge to govern every decision by Christ's example. Its plain, sermon-inflected prose and episodic structure reflect the didactic realism of late nineteenth-century religious literature, while its concern for labor, poverty, journalism, and urban vice places it firmly within the Social Gospel movement. Charles M. Sheldon, a Congregational minister in Topeka, Kansas, wrote from pastoral experience and reformist conviction. Deeply engaged with the moral crises of industrial America, he believed Christianity demanded practical, public obedience rather than private sentiment alone. The book grew out of sermons delivered to his congregation, which explains both its directness and its urgent appeal to conscience. Readers interested in American religious history, ethical fiction, or the roots of modern evangelical activism will find In His Steps indispensable. Though stylistically simple, it remains powerful as a challenge to complacency and a landmark text in socially engaged Christianity.