A historical account of the development of American religious life.

                   A historical account of the development of American religious life.

Question-Answer Model

                                                    Question 1.

(A) The gilded age.

(B) The age of big business.

(C) The rise of the city.

                                              Question 2.

(A)The cultural myth of domesticity imbued in women the value of self-sacrifice. This is because married men were viewed as the heads of the households and the wives, though considered to have greater spiritual insight, were expected to submit to the wills of their husband.

The women also wanted to emulate the quality of servitude in relation to their husbands and children based on the role of Jesus as a servant. For these reasons, women stayed at home and were spiritual; they thus voraciously attended the church services more frequently than men, but they did not participate in church leadership which was considered to be a role only reserved for men.

The nuns who administered the local parish schools were expected to be role models to the schoolchildren and imbue in the schoolchildren the virtue of piety. The nuns were also expected to teach women who were to be married so that such women will teach religion within their household.

Those women who resisted subordination to men viewed Christianity as a religion espousing the ideals of justice and equality. These women wanted to affirm Paul’s teachings that Jesus was neither male nor female, and therefore, women should be allowed to teach and lead within the context of the denomination.

 (B) The argument that was used to deny the women’s desire to preach and to be ordained was that women’s superior spirituality was derived from the fact that women remained in the confines of their homes, and they were therefore, insulated from the temptations and troubles that existed in the public world. Hence, giving women responsibilities in the public field as preachers or ordained clergy would erode their religious observance.

 Defiant women were dealt with in various ways. Some were expelled from the community of the holy and/or the colony. Others were suspected to be witches and were therefore isolated.

 A woman preacher, Elizabeth, the colored woman, was never ordained. Another unlicensed preacher, Phoebe Palmer (b.1807) participated in revival meeting in the United States (US), Great Britain and Canada where she preached a holiness theology stressing the importance of Pentecostal spirit baptism, and, authored several books including The Way of Holiness(Corrigan and Hudson 303). Preaching from such women as Phoebe Palmer, Nancy Towle (a Baptist itinerant), Harriet Livermore (a circuit preacher) and Clarissa Richmond led to the revival of lay ministries during the nineteenth century.

 (C) Social reforms and religion were closely linked due to the fact that most social reform agendas such as leadership roles for women in the church, antislavery and moral questions were discussed in religious gatherings.

Catholic nuns and sisters oversaw all social causes such as education, orphanages, nursing and houses of protection for immigrant women. The laywomen were active in most organizations and causes such as labor activism, poverty alleviation and educational reforms.

The three areas where the women reformers had the most impact were in the educational reforms, temperance movement and antislavery movement.

 Frances Willard mission was to reform the social order in order to make the entire world homelike, though she stated that a home is not merely the four square walls(Corrigan and Hudson 304). The reforms she believed to be most important were temperance, women’s suffrage and labor reforms.

 (D)Shakers which was founded by Anna Lee and built up after her death by Joseph Meacham developed the concept of a deity that emphasized the duality of gender. Thus, they considered God as a father-mother pair whom they referred to as Holy Mother Wisdom and Eternal Father, the former is featured as a tender loving personality while the later is attributed to be potentially wrathful and stern, though both figures were capable of justice, love and power.

The founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy understood God to be unitary devoid of all attributes of the flesh including gender and she therefore addressed God as Our Father-Mother God in the Lord’s Prayer that she had rewritten.

(E)Muscular Christianity designated that males in the church must be very active in church affairs, they should be realists and competitive, and, that they must be purposeful in the church in order to succeed in this moral battle termed Christianity.

Muscular Christianity also considered the role of women in the church to be submissive to their men folk and maintenance of emotionality.

                                                       Question 3.

(A). Reverend Antoinette Brown Blackwell was responding to Dr.Clarke’s assertion that women are physically and physiologically incapable of habitual study.

Reverend Blackwell testimony from experiences of her life describes how she was able to study in a co-educational facility with boys and she was able to excel in her studies without any health complications developing. She thus states that a woman can perform demanding brainwork without any adverse health effects.

Professor R.L.Dabney dismisses the biblical witness of the four prophetesses by stating that these four women were exceptionally holy because they were divinely inspired. He also states that the call that these holy women received was extraordinary and supernatural something which the defiant women of his time did not possess.

 (B)The Women’s Christian Temperance Union planned to achieve its goal by applying the following strategy. First of all, they would hold temperance mass meetings regularly. Secondly, they will distribute temperance literature in homes and saloons. Thirdly, they would teach children in public schools and Sabbath-schools about the chemistry, physiology, hygiene and ethics of total abstinence. Fourthly, they would engrave a copy of “The Railroad to Ruin” and related pictures in every classroom wall and offer prizes to essays discussing about temperance. Fifthly, they would organize gleeful temperance meeting made up of young people who will sing temperance doctrines into individuals’ heart and mind. Sixthly, they will enlist the assistance of the press by seeking permission to publish temperance-related articles. Seventhly, they would strive to secure regular temperance sermons and special meetings after weekly prayer meetings and Sabbath-schools for pastors. Finally, they would preserve materials related to temperance in the hands of the duly appointed officer.

The pledge states that there would be no sellers of alcohol if there were no drinkers. This pledge is to be extensively distributed with life signatures being mandatory. Women had a special pledge to pledging to themselves, their children and households to banish alcohol and alcohol-related literature. It is also recommended that women be allowed keep an open pledge book in churches and Sabbath schools.

Catholic women’s congress organized a reform group that strived to elevate the status of womanhood by way of reverence of the Blessed Virgin, by reforming the education system and promoting philanthropy.

 (C)The Salvation Army in the US hoped to reach the poor, homeless, criminals, jobless people, orphans, single mothers, and people with low self-esteem.

Booth states that treating women as equals of men strengthens their faith in God and thus these women pray voraciously. These women are thus able to courageously evangelize to the wicked individuals, and tirelessly toil for the poor.

 (D)The YMCA based its outreach programs on the following principles. The first principle is to stimulate constructive, competent, independent thinking and actions to deal with personal problems, economic, inter-racial, and political issues. They also challenge men to explore Christian principles and visualize how Christian ideals would change the economic, political, inter-racial, business and national affairs. They also encourage groups to redesign their Christian patterns of life. They encourage co-operation with minorities and dissenting groups in order to reshape their Christian convictions. Finally, they bring together males through various activities into fellowship based on friendship and understanding in order to positively transform their contemporary lifestyles.

                                                    Question 4.

(A).The problem of indifference is the tendency of former church-goers drifting into nonattendance of church. This was caused by the rural to urban migration which caused the former rural church-goers to be gradually disconnected from their customs and pattern of habit till they finally severed their ties with the church.

Most influential business leaders and community leaders were active churchgoers who participated in religious activities, and, they were regular Sunday-school teachers. The Roman Catholic Church enabled a smooth transition for catholic immigrants thus retaining their loyalty to the church. The rural-to-city white collar workers were recruited into the church by revival campaigns, YMCA and Sunday school.

(B)Mission chapels were intended to fulfill with the spiritual needs of poor and working-class neighborhoods.

Rescue missions were meant to reach out and rehabilitate the less valued members of the society such as prostitutes, alcoholics, vagrants, jobless men and former convicts.

The Salvation Army intended to meet the following three needs of city-dwellers:

a. Shelter for sleeping at night.

b. Food.

c. Employment or jobs from which the individuals would earn income.

(C)An institutional church is defined as an organized body of Christian adherents who find themselves in a challenging unyielding environment which necessitates them to complement the conventional methods of the gospel (such as preaching, pastoral visitation, Sunday school and prayer meetings) with systems of organized kindness, which, by assisting the people to fulfill their physical, intellectual and social needs would attract the people to accept the gospel.

 Institutional churches were viewed as practical solutions to promote such activities as education, philanthropy and reformation.

                                   Question 5.

 (A)The complacency of both the catholic and protestant churches in their acceptance of the status quo was challenged by social unrest and vigorous social activism.

 (B)According to Andrew Carnegie, civilization depends on triple laws. These laws are the sanctity of private property, free competition and freedom to accumulate wealth (Corrigan and Hudson 321).

 Carnegie stated that the primary obligation of a wealthy man is to donate his wealth to charities that will improve the common good of the society during his lifetime (Corrigan and Hudson 321).

The catholic took two positions on the gospel of wealth. The conservative position espoused that people should humbly accept their economic status as it reflected acceptances of the divine will of God; it also preached that poverty does strengthen Christian values. The liberal position appraised the benefits of laissez-faire as a way of achieving the common good for the society.

 (C) Smoldering discontent among farmers during this period was caused by the manipulation of the railroads system and mass-marketing channels by bankers and other wealthy entities.

Discontent among workers during this period was caused by poor working conditions for long hours coupled with poor wages; women and children were also employed and the wealth created was being concentrated within the hands of a few wealthy individuals.

The middle-class protestant churches reacted to the strikes first by expressing shock, and then panic and they finally fiercely denounced such strikes and asked the government to deal strongly with the striking workers (Corrigan and Hudson 324).

The Knights of Labor was the first ever mass labor union.

Cardinal Gibbons did interceded with Rome on behalf of the Knights of Labor and obtained a ruling instructing that the Knight of Labor must be tolerated (Corrigan and Hudson 324).

Social gospel movement was based on the teachings of Jesus that one should treat others the way he/she wants others to treat him/her.

Washington Gladden stated that the church would reduce the alienation felt by working class people by showing concern to their plights and supporting the fight for social justice

 (D)Progressive movement grew out of middle-class idealism.

Women’s voting was expected to strengthen the virtues of society, promote morality and altruism and enhance humanitarian endeavor.

                                                        Question 6.

(A)The Baptist minister stated that to be rich is good because to accumulate wealth honestly is equal to preaching the gospel.

The Baptist preacher is preaching about the importance of money which is not the right thing to do as preachers are meant to mainly fulfill the spiritual needs of the congregation and not their economic needs.

 (B)The sermon appeared in the context of the dilemmas facing Christian adherents when modernity and Christian ideals clashed.

The preacher envisages that phenomenal social transformation would occur if the hearers would emulate Jesus actions in such situations because the plight of the poor people would be appropriately addressed; workers would be decently remunerated, social justice would prevail and people would spend there wealth wisely.

(C)Episcopal bishop Huntington espoused two ways of solving the worker/employer conflict:

a. Both parties should exhibit empathy for each other.

b. Both parties should solve their conflicts with clarity of mind.

Huntington answers his detractors that the wealthy prosperous people are the ones in danger of ruin thus the need for them to have be reasonable and have a clear mind when making important decisions(Corrigan and Hudson 105).

(D)Gibbons states that monopolies influence the legislative process for their own selfish goals, they mistreat their workers and their avaricious greed fuels corruption and oppression(Corrigan and Hudson 107).

Corringan states that the American workingmen should join associations that have been approved by the Holy See in order to address their plights.

Catholics workmen can resist danger by coming together to form an association impervious to the influence of the wealthy people. They can also come together to strengthen their faith in God.

(E)Rauschenbusch considers industrial economic system as civilized barbarism because it values   human live as a commodity to be used to produce more commodities.

Religion has various functions in the society. Religion teaches the value of a person’s soul in relation to the body. It also teaches about the value of moral integrity in relation to income. Religion enables the society to value human life over materials.

(F)Gladden favors municipal ownership of property as he views as a way whereby each and every individual does own part of the property.

Gladden considers that people have the capacity to govern themselves if they have the proper value systems.

                                                    Question 7.

(A)Senator Beveridge rationale for acquiring Philippines is that the American race has been chosen by God to civilize the world.

Senator Boar replied to Senator Beveridge assertions by saying that the devil tempted jesus by telling him that the entire world belong to Satan.

The world peace union comprised the leaders of the protestant, catholic and Jewish groups who promoted peaceful settlement of international conflicts.

(B)Josiah strong stated that the America can offer the world two gifts which would be spearheaded by members of the Anglo-Saxon race.

a.Spiritual Christianity.      

b.Civilised liberty.

                                                  Part Two.

                                             New frontiers for the church.

American religious life in the late nineteenth century faced a number of challenges that included nascent feminism, rapid urbanization and economic change. Also it is during this time that American missionaries considered themselves as the tools chosen by God to spread the message of Christianity though out the world.

Feminism threatened to disrupt the social order that had existed in society since ancient times, this social order relegated the roles of the woman to the kitchen and household chores. Rapid urbanization was brought about by the industrial revolution and the regular rural church attendants were slowly detached from religion due to breakdown of the traditional family ties. Thus, urbanization increased the level of secularism in the US. Another consequence of the industrial revolution was changes in the economy with the factory system allowing factory owners to accumulate tremendous wealth and the middle-class economic situation became increasingly fluid which culminated in widespread strikes and industrial riots which made the church to face a dilemma of its time. Dollar diplomacy, imperialism and evangelization enabled the US missionaries to spread the gospel to vast regions of the world.

These frontiers were interconnected. The industrial revolution and mass education enabled large populations of people to specialize in various fields thus giving rise to urban centers and economic changes. These urban centers attracted population from the rural areas which caused a population explosion in these urban regions. Because these immigrants encountered a new environment in the urban centers, they adapted to it and broke their ties with the church as they adopted the more secular urban lifestyles. Mass education enabled women to be educated and these women did form associations in the urban regions that would later become the feminist movement.

Feminists such as Reverend Antoinette were espousing for the need for women to be included in the leadership roles in the church. This caused a lot of controversy as many mainline denominations did not accept women into its leadership ranks. Women who still remained defiant were dealt with by being expelled from their colonies or local communities, and, some were declared to be witches and they were burnt. This feminist movement led to musculanization of Christianity. This led to the formations of new non-orthodox churches such as Christian Science which considered God in different perspectives than other mainstream denominations as they included a feminine attribute to God. This concept was incorporated into the principles of the Quaker Movements. Because of the changes brought about by modernization in the society and educational reforms, more women were ordained as clergy and pastors by mainstream protestant denominations such as the Methodist church and once women were allowed into church leadership positions, it has never been possible to reverse the situation as some ultra-conservatives are hoping.

Economic changes caused a dilemma for the churches as they had to retain the faithful congregation while at the same time maintain the status quo. When the workers started to strike and industrial riots increased tremendously, the church reactions was to condemn the striking workers. Some church leaders such as Cardinal Gibbons decided to promote social justice. Also, during these times of economic difficulties, the Salvation Army was able to recruit many converts due to its humane and philanthropic policy that enabled it to provide jobs for the poor; they also operated various homes for the homeless and orphanages. Some pastors and clergymen began preaching the gospel of wealth which would eventually lead to the commercialization of the gospel.

                                                Works Cited.

Corrigan John, and Hudson Winthrop. S. Religion in America: An historical account of the

            development of American religious life. New York: Prentice Hall, 2009. Print