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The Philadelphia Church of Christ

David Harrington Watt

in Bible-Carrying Christians: Conservative Protestants and Social Power

The Philadelphia Church of Christ, a congregation associated with a movement called the International Churches of Christ, put a great deal of emphasis on the importance of rapid church growth. The ... More

The Philadelphia Church of Christ, a congregation associated with a movement called the International Churches of Christ, put a great deal of emphasis on the importance of rapid church growth. The congregation was a place where people were taught that it is a mistake for Christians to pour too much energy into resisting the power of nation‐states or corporations. At the Philadelphia Church of Christ, people were taught that it is natural for women to defer to men and for homosexuals to defer to heterosexuals. People were taught, too, that it is imperative for Christians to unhesitatingly follow directions given to them by ministers and by other church authorities.Less

The Monastic Order

H. E. J. COWDREY

in Lanfranc: Scholar, Monk, Archbishop

When Lanfranc became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1070, he had some two-and-a-half decades of monastic life behind him. Lanfranc's episcopal model, for himself as a monk and for others who shared his ... More

When Lanfranc became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1070, he had some two-and-a-half decades of monastic life behind him. Lanfranc's episcopal model, for himself as a monk and for others who shared his pastoral care, was that of a monk-bishop who, according to his circumstances, combined the qualities of the cloister with those requisite for his wider responsibility. Lanfranc exhibited a combination of severity arising from an insistence upon authority and obedience with a pastoral care for the duly subject which arose from mercy and charity. This chapter examines Lanfranc's monastic order, his reforming of monastic life at Christ Church, his dealings with three abbeys (St. Albans, Bury St. Edmunds, and St. Augustine's at Canterbury), the body of legislation that he provided in his monastic constitutions, and his propagation of and provision for cathedral and episcopal monasteries.Less

Christ Church

J. F. A. Mason

in The History of the University of Oxford: Volume VII: Nineteenth-Century Oxford, Part 2

Henry George Liddell, Dean of Christ Church College from 1855 to 1891, was the nephew of the Baron Ravensworth of the second creation and the cousin of the latter’s successor, later the first Earl; ... More

Henry George Liddell, Dean of Christ Church College from 1855 to 1891, was the nephew of the Baron Ravensworth of the second creation and the cousin of the latter’s successor, later the first Earl; he came from County Durham and always retained something of a northern accent, though he spent his life in southern England, at Charterhouse, Christ Church, Westminster, Christ Church again, and Ascot. He returned to Christ Church in 1855 as the obvious choice to succeed Dean Gaisford. Since 1846, he had been headmaster of Westminster, the pre-eminent source of young men for Christ Church. Liddell was known as a leading Greek scholar, the famous lexicon which he edited with his Christ Church contemporary Robert Scott having already reached its fourth edition. He had been a chaplain to the Queen and a member of the first Oxford University Commission. To John Ruskin, he was ‘one of the rarest types of nobly presenced Englishmen’.Less

The Third Factor: Aesthetic Impact

Richard Kieckhefer

in Theology in Stone: Church Architecture From Byzantium to Berkeley

There is broad consensus that churches should be places of beauty, but for different reasons. The aesthetic design of a church may be viewed as a way of signaling holiness--the presence of the holy ... More

There is broad consensus that churches should be places of beauty, but for different reasons. The aesthetic design of a church may be viewed as a way of signaling holiness--the presence of the holy (i.e., the divine) within the sacred (i.e., a cultural complex drawing upon sacred tradition and fostering a sacred community). The emphasis in the classic sacramental tradition on an interplay of transcendence and immanence—with creation of height, light, and volume that call attention to themselves and serve as sacred symbols—is illustrated by early descriptions (ekphraseis) of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (Istanbul) An alternative conception of church aesthetics is found at Christ Church Lutheran in Minneapolis, where architectural forms are simple and subtle reminders of grace. A church by Julia Morgan serves as an example of architectural articulation. And the Thorncrown Chapel at Eureka Springs, Arkansas, illustrates the integration of church design with natural setting.Less

 “When in Our Music God Is Glorified”: Singing and Singing about Singing in a Congregational Church

Judith Gray

in Music in American Religious Experience

Drawing upon the participatory worship and ethnography of its author, this chapter considers the frequent use of hymns that use singing as a text about the sacredness of singing in the hymnody of the ... More

Drawing upon the participatory worship and ethnography of its author, this chapter considers the frequent use of hymns that use singing as a text about the sacredness of singing in the hymnody of the United Church of Christ. In both text and context, the Pilgrim Hymnal of the Congregational Church and the choices of congregation members illustrate the ways in which personal choices about music express communal concepts and practices of faith and worship. Statistical comparison is employed to follow patterns of song choice of the course of five years (1989-93) in the First Congregational Church of Washington, DC, thus illustrating the rich texture of hymn singing during the life and liturgy of the church itself. The chapter concludes that hymns allow worshipers to express thoughts and sentiments they would otherwise not express.Less

Evangelicals and the Established Church

Grayson Carter

in Anglican Evangelicals: Protestant Secessions from the Via Media, c. 1800-1850

The chief origins of the Evangelical Revival are to be found in the Church of England. A sizeable proportion of the growing band of ‘Gospel clergymen’ still stayed within the Church into which they ... More

The chief origins of the Evangelical Revival are to be found in the Church of England. A sizeable proportion of the growing band of ‘Gospel clergymen’ still stayed within the Church into which they were ordained. These came to be known as Evangelical clergymen, a title that taxonomically distinguished them from the ‘Methodism’ of the more irregular evangelical bodies. In historical categorization, ‘Evangelical’ has come to be equated with this large body of Christians who subscribed to a theology and spirituality characterized by the general evangelical attributes of conversionism, activism, biblicism, and crucicentrism, but who practised their piety within the State Church. If Evangelicalism produced few students of ecclesiology to compare with those of the Oxford Movement, nevertheless Evangelicals, as aggressive and innovative evangelists, were forced constantly to come to terms with ecelesiological issues in ways seldom faced by the ordinary incumbent who took the existing ecclesiastical order and status quo for granted. Central to Evangelical ecclesiology was the idea of the ‘Church of Christ’.Less

Lanfranc and the English

H. E. J. COWDREY

in Lanfranc: Scholar, Monk, Archbishop

There has been considerable debate amongst historians about the process by which Lanfranc established his ultimate view of English saints. It has involved the wider question of the attitude of Norman ... More

There has been considerable debate amongst historians about the process by which Lanfranc established his ultimate view of English saints. It has involved the wider question of the attitude of Norman abbots to the traditions and observances of their English subjects. There has been a strong tendency amongst recent scholars to question whether Norman churchmen in general disparaged the sanctity of England's men and women whom they found to be venerated in their churches, and whether in particular Lanfranc purged the Canterbury calendar of many English saints and reduced or suspended the recognition of his predecessors as archbishop, Dunstan (959-988) and Elphege (1006-1012). This chapter examines the newer view and presents examples confirming that Lanfranc was not hostile to the saints of Christ Church.Less

The Church of Canterbury

H. E. J. COWDREY

in Lanfranc: Scholar, Monk, Archbishop

If the endeavour to assert the primacy of Canterbury was one aspect of Lanfranc's renewal of the mother church of the kingdom, a second and complementary concern was with the primatial see itself. In ... More

If the endeavour to assert the primacy of Canterbury was one aspect of Lanfranc's renewal of the mother church of the kingdom, a second and complementary concern was with the primatial see itself. In addition to his building work in the cathedral and cathedral monastery of Christ Church, Lanfranc was remembered for his foundation, construction, and endowment near the city of three charitable institutions: the hospital of St. John the Baptist, the priory of St. Gregory the Great, and the leper hospital of St. Nicholas. Upon the death in 1075 of Bishop Siward of Rochester, Lanfranc began to use the Norman bishops of that see as his episcopal assistants; for their support he endowed and reordered their see in a manner that imitated his renewal of the see of Canterbury itself. This chapter also discusses Lanfranc's administration of the lands and income of Canterbury and his securing of Canterbury's lands and privileges.Less

More Hindus and Others Come to Town

Paul D. Numrich

in The Faith Next Door: American Christians and Their New Religious Neighbors

This chapter updates the story in chapter 1 by exploring the increasing religious diversity of the blue-collar city featured there and revisiting the principal churches involved in the 1985 debate ... More

This chapter updates the story in chapter 1 by exploring the increasing religious diversity of the blue-collar city featured there and revisiting the principal churches involved in the 1985 debate over a new Hindu temple to see where they stand today. Two pastors are featured: a United Church of Christ pastor, who considers religious diversity an opportunity for dialogue and mutual understanding, and the pastor of a “seeker sensitive” church affiliated with the Willow Creek Association, who interprets religious diversity as a sign of both spiritual warfare and potential harvest for the Gospel. Both see opportunity in a multireligious America but define it in very different ways.Less

History and Mainline Protestants: The United Church of Christ Comes of Age

Margaret Bendroth

in The Last Puritans: Mainline Protestants and the Power of the Past

This concluding chapter describes the emergence of the United Church of Christ (UCC). It argues that history did not survive in the UCC—as the antimerger critics had feared—however, the merger itself ... More

This concluding chapter describes the emergence of the United Church of Christ (UCC). It argues that history did not survive in the UCC—as the antimerger critics had feared—however, the merger itself was not to blame. As the previous chapter has shown, the disputes of the 1940s and 1950s brought history emphatically to the forefront; by 1957, the Congregational churches were more acutely aware of their historic tradition than ever. Moreover, Congregational identity of a sort lived on in the UCC many years after the merger, though often in a truncated and defensive fashion. Thus, in the twenty-first century, the UCC was not borne so much an abandonment of history, as it was from a fundamental confusion about its role and purpose—a problem broadly true of most mainline churches today.Less

“This Is Our Red Sea”: Exodusters, Prophet William Saunders Crowdy, and the Beginnings of Black Israelism

Jacob S. Dorman

in Chosen People: The Rise of American Black Israelite Religions

This chapter describes how Prophet William Saunders Crowdy, the founder of the Church of God and Saints of Christ, was born into slavery, experienced liberation, participated in the Civil War as a ... More

This chapter describes how Prophet William Saunders Crowdy, the founder of the Church of God and Saints of Christ, was born into slavery, experienced liberation, participated in the Civil War as a teenager, and moved to Kansas City and then to a Black town in Oklahoma as a middle-aged man. It was there, as the nation endured a horrific era of lynching and the rise of Jim Crow, that Crowdy had the revelation that African Americans were in fact the descendants of the ancient Israelites. Crowdy's extraordinary success in spreading this message, not just among African Americans but also among white Americans and Black South Africans, is a testament to the importance of the idea of the Israelites in American and Christian religious imaginations.Less

Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian

Andrew Billingsley

in Mighty Like a River: The Black Church and Social Reform

Visitors to the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago are likely to be struck by the appearance of a beautiful oil painting that hangs in the vestibule. The sign underneath the painting reads, ... More

Visitors to the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago are likely to be struck by the appearance of a beautiful oil painting that hangs in the vestibule. The sign underneath the painting reads, “We Are Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian”. The painting, the slogan, and their prominent placement in the church indicate that this church has boldly confronted one of the four major challenges confronting the church today, namely, how to be authentically black and authentically Christian at the same time. The ten elements of a black value system were adopted by the congregation with the admonition. Eight specific elements of a dynamic black worship program are discussed, namely bringing the message, making a joyful noise, experiencing the Holy Ghost, spirited prayer life, engaging Christian education, a faithful set of auxiliaries, especially usher boards, a sustained pattern of financial giving and expanding program of benevolence.Less

Nauvoo as a Reorganized Church Foothold

Scott C. Esplin

in Return to the City of Joseph: Modern Mormonism's Contest for the Soul of Nauvoo

Though Nauvoo was abandoned by most Latter-day Saints in the nineteenth century, Emma Smith, the widow of Church founder Joseph Smith, and her children remained in the city, maintaining a Mormon ... More

Though Nauvoo was abandoned by most Latter-day Saints in the nineteenth century, Emma Smith, the widow of Church founder Joseph Smith, and her children remained in the city, maintaining a Mormon presence in western Illinois. This chapter examines the rise of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Community of Christ), founded by Smith’s children, and their use of family and historic sites in Nauvoo in the early twentieth century. It discusses the transformation of these sites from family residences to religious tourism centers used to proselytize people to the faith. It also introduces the competing views of Mormonism that developed between the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Reorganized Church.Less

The “Spiritual Healing Project”: A Study of the Meaning of Spiritual Healing in the United Church of Christ

Bobbie Mckay and Lewis A. Musil

in Religion and Healing in America

This chapter discusses the results of a 1995 study on the meaning of spiritual healing in mainstream religious congregations. The United Church of Christ (UCC) was selected for this study because of ... More

This chapter discusses the results of a 1995 study on the meaning of spiritual healing in mainstream religious congregations. The United Church of Christ (UCC) was selected for this study because of its broad socioeconomic, ethnic, and geographic diversity. The UCC has been supportive of women clergy, has been open and affirming of participation of gays at all levels, and is a leading advocate of civil rights and social change. Currently, two optional healing services are available in the UCC: one for individuals, another for groups. Many UCC churches include lay intercessory prayer groups. Despite the rather sharp differences in plot or structure of the stories, several core themes echo across all the categories: surrender, acceptance, surprise, transformation, the experience of peace, the experience of God's healing presence and love, the use of prayer in the healing process, and an absence of emphasis on the role of suffering. These themes were often interwoven, creating a powerful portrait of the experience of spiritual healing.Less

Black Liberation Theology, Black Power, and the Black Arts Movement at Trinity United Church of Christ

Kymberly N. Pinder

in Painting the Gospel: Black Public Art and Religion in Chicago

This chapter examines the Black Mural Movement in the context of religious imagery by focusing on the evolution of Joseph W. Evans Jr.'s art. In 1986 Evans illustrated the motto of Chicago's Trinity ... More

This chapter examines the Black Mural Movement in the context of religious imagery by focusing on the evolution of Joseph W. Evans Jr.'s art. In 1986 Evans illustrated the motto of Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ (TUCC), “Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian” with a painting of a Jesus with dark brown skin and tightly curled black hair, his arms outstretched around a smiling African American family. This image of a black Christ was Evans's vision of being black and Christian. In the 1970s Evans joined TUCC, where the pastor, Jeremiah Wright Jr., promoted Black Liberation Theology and recommended specific texts and sermons for the artist to study that transformed his conception of Christ. This chapter first considers black theology and pan-Africanism at TUCC before discussing the influence of the Black Arts Movement and the muralist William Walker on Chicago. It also assesses the impact, in terms of style and content, of the murals on Chicago's South Side on Evans's work and concludes with an overview of TUCC's stained glass program.Less

Commensality and Love Feast: The Agape Meal in the Late Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Brethren in Christ Church

Heidi Oberholtzer Lee

in Food and Faith in Christian Culture

This chapter discusses the love feast, or agape, of the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Brethren in Christ Church. The love feast represents a central movement and site of pious ... More

This chapter discusses the love feast, or agape, of the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Brethren in Christ Church. The love feast represents a central movement and site of pious practice, sacred eating, theological discussion, and evangelization by gastronomy. For the Brethren in Christ, the love feast once required each of its host churches many months of planning, which includes food enough for two days of feasting by hundreds of church members and visitors, and overnight housing. The typical event includes a time of personal testimonies for most of a Saturday; Saturday evening with feet washing ceremony, fellowship dinner, and subsequent sharing of a communion (Eucharistic) meal; Sunday morning with a church service, and afternoon with sharing, preaching, and religious instruction. Today, most Brethren love feasts consist primarily of feet washing and one potluck meal for local congregants, as well as a time of sharing, church services, and sometimes baptisms.Less

Introduction

Grayson Carter

in Anglican Evangelicals: Protestant Secessions from the Via Media, c. 1800-1850

Although the Evangelical Revival was cradled in the Church of England, its relationship to its mother Church was not always an easy one. From the outset, its presence aroused hostility. There were ... More

Although the Evangelical Revival was cradled in the Church of England, its relationship to its mother Church was not always an easy one. From the outset, its presence aroused hostility. There were persistent claims that Evangelicals were suspect as churchmen, that they were half-hearted in their attachment to the Establishment, if not downright disloyal. Their theology aroused uncomfortable memories of militant Puritanism. Evangelical ecclesiology was regarded with similar suspicion, for it placed paramount stress on the overriding claims of the invisible ‘Church of Christ’. This book explores the complexities of Evangelicalism by looking at those clergymen who were so discontented with the status quo in the Established Church that they were propelled into outright secession. The main focus of this study is on the period between 1800 and 1850, especially that of the 1830s and 1840s, which produced the greatest number of secessions.Less

United Methodism in Crisis: Prophetic Witness through the Board of Church and Society

in Public Pulpits: Methodists and Mainline Churches in the Moral Argument of Public Life

The United Methodist Building is the last nongovernmental edifice left facing directly onto the Capitol. Dedicated in 1924 by the Board of Temperance, Prohibition, and Public Morals of the Methodist ... More

The United Methodist Building is the last nongovernmental edifice left facing directly onto the Capitol. Dedicated in 1924 by the Board of Temperance, Prohibition, and Public Morals of the Methodist Episcopal Church (North), the building today houses the Washington offices of the United Church of Christ, the Presbyterian Church (USA), the National Council of Churches, and a score of other religious agencies and advocacy groups, earning it the nickname “the God Box.” The building's prime tenant and landlord is the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society (GBCS), established there to represent and give voice to “the religious conscience of America.” The board is directed by the United Methodist Church to project plans and programs that challenge its members to work for righteousness through their own local churches, through ecumenical channels, and through society at large. The GBCS is charged to carry out a remarkably broad array of missions of moral and social inquiry, advocacy, education, planning, and programming that extend nationwide from Capitol Hill to local church pews and back again.Less

Denominations: Movers, Shakers, Dissidents, Reformers, Missioners

Elaine Allen Lechtreck

in Southern White Ministers and the Civil Rights Movement

This chapter is about denominations in the South that once supported slavery and segregation. Now all have made apologies for past sins and injustices and continue to eradicate racial prejudice ... More

This chapter is about denominations in the South that once supported slavery and segregation. Now all have made apologies for past sins and injustices and continue to eradicate racial prejudice within their ranks. How did this happen? It took the combined efforts of many ministers and lay people---not all are mentioned: Baptists, Finlator, Gilmore, Holmes, Jordan, Maston, McClain, Seymour, Shannon, Stallings, Turner, Valentine; Methodists, Blanchard, Brabham, Butts, Cunningham, Ed King, Haugabook, Rhett Jackson, Reese, Schroerlucke, Selah, Sellers, Eben Taylor, Turnipseed (Methodists were also challenged to merge black and white Conferences that had been separate since 1939); Episcopalians Gray, Hines, Marmion, Morris, Stuart; Presbyterians, Calhoun, Edwards, Miller, Moffett, Rice, Smylie, Randolph Taylor, Thompson, Tucker, Yeuell; Disciples of Christ, Cartwright, Hulan; Churches of Christ, Chalk, Floyd, Fred Gray, Money, Price; Lutherans, Anderson, Davis, Ellwanger, Herzfeld, Homrighausen, Voigt Included is a review of the Delta Ministry and more about Will Campbell.Less