Originally a relatively conservative Methodist,[22] at Wesley he embracedhigher criticism. It was also in Winnipeg that he became committed to activist Christianity and the Social Gospel movement. He became a popular guest preacher acrosswestern Canada. At Wesley he tutored a number of students includingJ. S. Woodsworth,William Irvine, andWilliam Ivens who became early leaders of thesocial-democraticCo-operative Commonwealth Federation. Bland, a longtime advocate for the creation of a third party alternative to the Liberals and Conservatives, helped found theOntario CCF.[23]
Bland also became a regular writer forThe Grain Growers' Guide,then the main organ of the progressive farmers' movement,[citation needed] from 1917 to 1919.[24] This activism led him into conflict with the leaders of Wesley College and he was dismissed in 1917 after a long battle with principal Eber Crummy.
Bland moved toToronto in 1919[24] where he became the minister at theBroadway Methodist Tabernacle,[25] one of the largest Methodist churches in the city and one serving the largeworking-class community of western Toronto. He remained there until 1923, when he moved to the smallerWestern Methodist Church. He became a prominent figure in the newUnited Church of Canada. In 1935 he convinced the general assembly to pass a motion condemningcapitalism. He also led the campaign in favour of theordination of women and succeeded in 1936.
He also remained deeply involved in social activism. He was a supporter of theRepublican side in theSpanish Civil War and a leader of the Canadian Committee to Aid Spanish Democracy. Firmly anti-war, he refused to encourage Canadians to enlist in the Republican cause. Rather he focused on raising humanitarian aid for those affected by the conflict. Most notably the committee supported a home for some 100 war orphans inBarcelona that was named Salem Bland Home. He became close friends with the exiled American activistEmma Goldman, and when she died in Toronto in 1940 it was Bland who delivered the eulogy at her funeral. He also wrote a column for theToronto Star called "The Observer" from 1924 to 1950. A well-known figure in Toronto, he had his portrait painted by theGroup of Seven artistLawren S. Harris in 1926.[26] The painting is today in the collection of theArt Gallery of Ontario.
^abGoldsborough, Gordon (2016)."Salem Goldworth Bland (1859–1950)".Memorable Manitobans. Winnipeg, Manitoba: Manitoba Historical Society. Retrieved9 May 2019.
——— (2004). "Bland, Salem (1859–1950)". InWishart, David J. (ed.).Encyclopedia of the Great Plains. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press. p. 737.ISBN978-0-8032-4787-1.
——— (2008).The View from Murney Tower: Salem Bland, the Late Victorian Controversies, and the Search for a New Christianity. Vol. 1. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.ISBN978-0-8020-9748-4.
Antonides, Harry (1985).Stones for Bread: The Social Gospel and Its Contemporary Legacy. Jordan Station, Ontario: Paideia Press.ISBN978-0-88815-061-5.
Bercuson, David (1990).Confrontation at Winnipeg: Labour, Industrial Relations, and the General Strike (rev. ed.). Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press.ISBN978-0-7735-6267-7.
Bumsted, J. M. (1999).Dictionary of Manitoba Biography. Winnipeg, Manitoba: University of Manitoba Press.ISBN978-0-88755-318-9.
Gauvreau, Michael (1991).Evangelical Century: College and Creed in English Canada from the Great Revival to the Great Depression. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press.ISBN978-0-7735-6255-4.
Whiteley, Marilyn Färdig (2013). "Bland, Salem Goldsworth". In Yrigoyen, Charles Jr.; Warrick, Susan E. (eds.).Historical Dictionary of Methodism (3rd ed.). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 63.ISBN978-0-8108-7894-5.
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