DOCSLIB.ORG

Perceptions of Religious Music in a Southern U.S. Public Middle School

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Perceptions of Religious Music in a Southern U.S. Public Middle School Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 3-30-2018 Perceptions of Religious Music in a Southern U.S. Public Middle School: A Case Study Emily Marie Mercado Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Music Education Commons, and the Other Religion Commons Recommended Citation Mercado, Emily Marie, "Perceptions of Religious Music in a Southern U.S. Public Middle School: A Case Study" (2018). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 4526. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/4526 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. ! PERCEPTIONS OF RELIGIOUS MUSIC IN A SOUTHERN U.S. PUBLIC MIDDLE SCHOOL: A CASE STUDY! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! A Dissertation! Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The College of Music and Dramatic Arts ! by Emily Marie Mercado B.A., Oregon State University, 2005 M.A.T., Oregon State University, 2007 May 2018 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ! ! I would like to thank my advisor Dr. Ann Marie Stanley for guiding me through this rewarding process. Her expertise, calming presence, and “get it done” attitude kept me sane and on track to complete a successful dissertation. To the rest of my committee Dr. Daniel Isbell, Dr. Trey Davis, and Dr. Gundela Hachmann for encouraging me to consider multiple perspectives in my research. And to my parents and sister who always encouraged me to accomplish my goals and never stop learning. To my husband Mike and our two sons Trent and Drew, I offer my most sincere gratitude. I thank my sons for the patience, love, and joy they exude. To my husband, I thank him for taking on the majority of the meals, cleaning, and kids, all while working a full-time job. But mostly, for his genuine and unwavering encouragement. ! ! ! ! ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................ii ABSTRACT ..........................................................................................................................v CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................1 Personal Vignette ........................................................................................................1 Florey v. Sioux Falls (1980) .......................................................................................3 S.D. v. St. Johns Country School District, 2009 ........................................................6 Stratechuk v. Board of Education, 2009 ......................................................................7 Beyond Case Law ........................................................................................................9 CHAPTER 2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE .........................................................................11 History .........................................................................................................................11 Policy ...........................................................................................................................14 Perceptions ..................................................................................................................16 A Multicultural and Culturally Competent Music Classroom ....................................21 Intercultural Competence Literature ...........................................................................24 Main Themes from the Literature ...............................................................................29 Research Questions and Purpose Statement ................................................................32 CHAPTER 3. METHOD .......................................................................................................35 Design ..........................................................................................................................35 Data Collection ............................................................................................................50 Analysis of Data ..........................................................................................................60 CHAPTER 4. FINDINGS ......................................................................................................65 Research Question One ...............................................................................................65 Research Question Two ...............................................................................................69 Research Question Three .............................................................................................76 God and Politics: An Unexpected Day ........................................................................82 Conclusion of Findings ...............................................................................................84 CHAPTER 5. DISCUSSION .................................................................................................86 Research Problem ........................................................................................................86 Purpose statement ........................................................................................................86 Method .........................................................................................................................86 Summary of Major Findings .......................................................................................87 Limited Limitations: Unlimited Perspectives ..............................................................88 Organization of Discussion Section ............................................................................90 Considering Perspectives of Programming Through Related Research .....................90 Considering Perspectives Through Case Law .............................................................98 Considering Perspectives Through Intercultural Competence Theory .......................102 Unsettling and Informing Present Practice ..................................................................107 Future Research ...........................................................................................................127 iii CHAPTER 6. GOD AND POLITICS ...................................................................................130 An Unexpected Day ....................................................................................................130 Perceptions of Politics in Schools ...............................................................................131 Patriotic Music ............................................................................................................132 The National Anthem ..................................................................................................133 Considering Context ....................................................................................................135 Moving Forward ..........................................................................................................137 Final Thoughts .............................................................................................................138 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................141 APPENDIX A. LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY IRB APPROVAL FORM ...............152 APPENDIX B. PARENT/GUARDIAN PERMISSION FORM ...........................................153 APPENDIX C. CHILD ASSENT FORM .............................................................................155 APPENDIX D. ADMINISTRATOR CONSENT FORM .....................................................156 APPENDIX E. ADULT CONSENT FORM .........................................................................158 APPENDIX F. LETTER TO REQUEST PARENT INTERVIEW .......................................160 APPENDIX G. PERMISSION OF USE FORM ...................................................................161 VITA ....................................................................................................................................162 ! iv ABSTRACT ! ! Intercultural experiences can result in increased knowledge of and positive attitudes towards unfamiliar cultural groups (Neto, Pinto, & Mullet, 2016; Vuoskoski, Clarke, & DeNora, 2017). Deardorff’s (2006) intercultural competence process framework provides a method for exploring and categorizing elements of intercultural competence including attitudes, knowledge/skills, internal outcomes, and external outcomes. This narrative instrumental case study examined the perceptions of one middle school choir teacher, choir students, the student teacher, the parents, and the vice principal when implementing a researcher-designed unit titled: Religious Choral Music from the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Worlds. The choir teacher offered a unique perspective as an atheist amongst a large Christian majority. However, her training, solely in the Western classical
Load more

Recommended publications
  • IRS on Behalf of Nonbelief Relief Preferential Treatment Treatment of Churches Vis-À-Vis Other Tax-Exempt Nonprofits
    Graduate / ‘older’ Why do we The bible student essay portray atheists as taught me that contest winners broken believers? God is a jerk PAGE 12-17 PAGE 5 PAGE 6 Vol. 35 No. 9 Published by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. November 2018 FFRF sues IRS on behalf of Nonbelief Relief Preferential treatment treatment of churches vis-à-vis other tax-exempt nonprofits. Nonbelief given to churches over Relief’s tax exemption was revoked annual financial report on Aug. 20 for failure to file the Form 990 return for three consecutive years. FFRF is taking the Internal Revenue Nonbelief Relief “has and will suffer Associated Press Service to court over yet another reli- harm, detriment and disadvantage as President Trump shows off the “religious freedom” executive order he signed on gion-related tax privilege. a result of the revocation of its tax- May 4, 2017, in the Rose Garden, surrounded by members of the faith community The national state/church watch- exempt status, including tax liabilities and Vice President Pence. dog filed a federal lawsuit Oct. 10 in and loss of charitable donations D.C. district court to challenge the which are no longer tax-deductible by preferential exemption of churches donors.” New Treasury report vindicates and related organiza- Nonbelief Relief is tions from reporting asking the court to re- FFRF’s stance on politicking ban annual information instate its tax-exempt returns required of status, and to enjoin FFRF welcomes a new report high- openly flout the law and are not held all other tax-exempt the IRS from continu- lighting deficiencies in the IRS’ en- accountable.” groups.
    [Show full text]
  • Contemporary Christian Music & The
    PLAYING THE MARKET: CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC & THE THEORY OF RELIGIOUS ECONOMY by Jamie Carrick B.A., The University of Calgary, 2007 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in The Faculty of Graduate Studies (Religious Studies) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) October 2012 © Jamie Carrick, 2012 Abstract Contemporary Christian music (CCM) is a fascinating and understudied part of the religious vitality of modern American religion. In this dissertation the theory of religious economy is proposed as a valuable and highly serviceable methodological approach for the scholarly study of CCM. The theory of religious economy, or the marketplace approach, incorporates economic concepts and terminology in order to better explain American religion in its distinctly American context. In this study, I propose three ways in which this method can be applied. Firstly, I propose that CCM artists can be identified as religious firms operating on the “supply-side” of the religio-economic dynamic; it is their music, specifically the diverse brands of Christianity espoused there within, that can allow CCM artists to be interpreted in such a way. Secondly, the diversity within the public religious expressions of CCM artists can be recognized as being comparable to religious pluralism in a free marketplace of religion. Finally, it is suggested that the relationship between supply-side firms is determined, primarily, by the competitive reality of a free market religious economy. ii Table of Contents Abstract . ii Table of Contents . iii List of Figures . iv Acknowledgements . v 1 Introduction . 1 1.1 Introduction . 1 1.2 Religion & Popular Culture .
    [Show full text]
  • The Importance of Music in Different Religions
    The Importance of Music in Different Religions By Ruth Parrott July 2009 Silverdale Community Primary School, Newcastle-under-Lyme. Key Words Spirituality Greetings Calls to Worship Blessings Dance in Hindu Worship Celebrations 2 Contents Introduction p4 The Teaching of RE in Staffordshire Primary Schools p6 Music and Spirituality p7 Assembly – ‘Coping with Fear’ p11 Suggestions for Listening and Response p14 Responses to Music and Spirituality p16 Worksheet – ‘Listening to Music’ KS2 p18 Worksheet – ‘Listening to Music’ KS1 p19 Judaism p20 Christianity p24 Islam p26 Sikhism p30 Hinduism p34 Welcomes, Greetings and Calls to Prayer/Worship p36 Lesson Plan – ‘Bell Ringing’ p38 Judaism – ‘The Shofar p42 Islam – ‘The Adhan’ p44 Lesson Plan – ‘The Islamic Call to Prayer’ p45 Celebrations p47 Lesson Plan – Hindu Dance ‘Prahlad and the Demon’ p50 Lesson Plan – Hindu Dance ‘Rama and Sita’ (Diwali) p53 Song: ‘At Harvest Time’ p55 Song: ‘Lights of Christmas’ p57 Blessings p61 Blessings from different religions p65 Lesson Plan – ‘Blessings’ p71 Conclusion p74 Song: ‘The Silverdale Miners’ p75 Song: ‘The Window Song’ p78 Acknowledgements, Bibliography p80 Websites p81 3 Introduction I teach a Y3 class at Silverdale Community Primary School, and am also the RE, Music and Art Co-ordinator. The school is situated in the ex- mining village of Silverdale in the borough of Newcastle- under-Lyme on the outskirts of Stoke-on-Trent and is recognised as a deprived area. The school is a one class entry school with a Nursery, wrap-around care and a breakfast and after school club. There are approximately 200 children in the school: 95% of pupils are white and 5% are a variety of mixed ethnic minorities.
    [Show full text]
  • Gospel with a Groove
    Southeastern University FireScholars Selected Honors Theses Spring 4-28-2017 Gospel with a Groove: A Historical Perspective on the Marketing Strategies of Contemporary Christian Music in Relation to its Evangelistic Purpose with Recommendations for Future Outreach Autumn E. Gillen Southeastern University - Lakeland Follow this and additional works at: http://firescholars.seu.edu/honors Part of the Christianity Commons, Liturgy and Worship Commons, Marketing Commons, Music Commons, and the Practical Theology Commons Recommended Citation Gillen, Autumn E., "Gospel with a Groove: A Historical Perspective on the Marketing Strategies of Contemporary Christian Music in Relation to its Evangelistic Purpose with Recommendations for Future Outreach" (2017). Selected Honors Theses. 76. http://firescholars.seu.edu/honors/76 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by FireScholars. It has been accepted for inclusion in Selected Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of FireScholars. For more information, please contact [email protected]. GOSPEL WITH A GROOVE: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE MARKETING STRATEGIES OF CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC IN RELATION TO ITS EVANGELISTIC PURPOSE WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE OUTREACH by Autumn Elizabeth Gillen Submitted to the Honors Program Committee in partial fulfillment of the requirements for University Honors Scholars Southeastern University 2017 GOSPEL WITH A GROOVE 2 Copyright by Autumn Elizabeth Gillen 2017 GOSPEL WITH A GROOVE 3 Abstract Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) is an effective tool for the evangelism of Christianity. With its origins dating back to the late 1960s, CCM resembles musical styles of popular-secular culture while retaining fundamental Christian values in lyrical content. This historical perspective of CCM marketing strategies, CCM music television, CCM and secular music, arts worlds within CCM, and the science of storytelling in CCM aims to provide readers with the context and understanding of the significant role that CCM plays in modern-day evangelism.
    [Show full text]
  • The Production of Gospel Music: an Ethnographic Study of Studio-Recorded Music in Bellville, Cape Town
    The production of gospel music: An ethnographic study of studio-recorded music in Bellville, Cape Town A mini thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree of Master of Arts in Anthropology Robin L. Thompson Department of Anthropology and Sociology University of the Western Cape November 2015 Supervisor: Professor Heike Becker Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................ ......................................................... i Declaration ................................................................ ................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................................... iii CHAPTER 1: Introduction ...........................................................................................................................1 1.1 The prevalence of Pentecostalism and music in Christian households, churches and media in Cape Town .............................................................................................................................................................4 1.2 Rethinking the idea of genre through ‘Pentecospel’ music ....................................................................8 1.3 Going forth ............................................................................................................................................10 1.4 Chapter Outline
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Contemporary Chrstian Music: Transforming
    CONTEMPORARY CHRSTIAN MUSIC: TRANSFORMING CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE AND IDENTITY By BRITTANY E. CHASE A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF MUSIC UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2013 1 © 2013 Brittany E. Chase 2 I dedicate this thesis to my parents, who have been unconditionally loving and compassionate throughout my entire academic career. I could not have succeeded without your continuous prayers and encouragement, and I am truly blessed to have you in my life. 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The completion of this thesis would not have been possible without the help of many important people. To my academic advisor and committee chair, Larry Crook, I thank you for your patience, encouragement, and support of my research interests throughout this entire process. I am immensely grateful for your constant kindness and compassion since I arrived at the University of Florida, and I thank you for believing in my ability to succeed and expressing your pride in my work and in me. I could not have accomplished this without your help and guidance. To my committee member, Silvio dos Santos, I thank you for your time and mentoring, and I sincerely appreciate your investment in my future and academic career. I thank my other professors at the University of Florida, Jennifer Thomas, Margaret Butler, Michael Deall, and Rosana Resende, who have fostered my intellectual and musical growth. I have many informants to thank for their honest and open participation in the interviews for this project. I thank Anyerin Drury and Adam Vodicka for sharing the visions of their respective churches, as well as Erica Scarano, Brett McCollum, and Brian Biederman, for taking the time to share their experiences.
    [Show full text]
  • Elvis' Gospel Music
    Religions 2015, 6, 182–203; doi:10.3390/rel6010182 OPEN ACCESS religions ISSN 2077-1444 www.mdpi.com/journal/religions Article Elvis’ Gospel Music: Between the Secular and the Spiritual? Mark Duffett Media and Cultural Studies, University of Chester, Warrington WA2 0DB, UK; E-Mail: [email protected] Academic Editor: Edward Foley Received: 5 January 2015 / Accepted: 15 February 2015 / Published: 9 March 2015 Abstract: Do fans sanctify their heroes? In the past, I have argued that Elvis fandom is not a neo-religious practice but that attention to a modified version of Durkheim’s theory of religion can, nevertheless, help to explain it as a form of social interaction. I take that argument further here, first by revealing the ethical and analytical advantages of neo-Durkheimian theory, then by pitting this theory against three aspects of Elvis’ sincere engagement with gospel music. Elvis Presley won three Grammy awards for his gospel albums and was the musician who did most to bring the gospel quartet tradition to the mainstream. His eclectic personal ties to spirituality and religion have become a focus of debate within his fan culture. They offer a set of discursive resources through which to explain the emotional impact and social influence of his music. If star musicians are positioned as centres of attention, what happens when they use their privileged position in the spotlight to offer a “spiritual” message? Keywords: Elvis; gospel music; fandom; Durkheim; spirituality; totemism I can understand that people have spiritual leanings and want to find a way to God. But there is only one way to God.
    [Show full text]
  • An Examination of Contemporary Christian Music Success Within Mainstream Rock and Country Billboard Charts Megan Marie Carlan
    Pace University DigitalCommons@Pace Honors College Theses Pforzheimer Honors College 8-21-2019 An Examination of Contemporary Christian Music Success Within Mainstream Rock and Country Billboard Charts Megan Marie Carlan Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/honorscollege_theses Part of the Music Business Commons An Examination of Contemporary Christian Music Success Within Mainstream Rock and Country Billboard Charts By Megan Marie Carlan Arts and Entertainment Management Dr. Theresa Lant Lubin School of Business August 21, 2019 Abstract Ranging from inspirational songs void of theological language to worship music imbued with overt religious messages, Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) has a long history of being ill-defined. Due to the genre’s flexible nature, many Christian artists over the years have used vague imagery and secular lyrical content to find favor among mainstream outlets. This study examined the most recent ten-year period of CCM to determine its ability to cross over into the mainstream music scene, while also assessing the impact of its lyrical content and genre on the probability of reaching such mainstream success. For the years 2008-2018, Billboard data were collected for every Christian song on the Hot 100, Hot Rock Songs, or Hot Country Songs in order to detect any noticeable trend regarding the rise or fall of CCM; each song then was coded for theological language. No obvious trend emerged regarding the mainstream success of CCM as a whole, but the genre of Rock was found to possess the greatest degree of mainstream success. Rock also, however, was shown to have a very low tolerance for theological language, contrasted with the high tolerance of Country.
    [Show full text]
  • No Aid, No Agency
    NO AID, NO AGENCY Steven K. Green* ABSTRACT Over the past three decades, members of the Supreme Court have demonstrated increasing hostility to the Establishment Clause’s rule against funding religion, first enunciated in 1947. Over the years, the Court has not only narrowed the rule to allow for government aid to flow to religious schools and faith-based charities, it has more recently declared that to enforce that rule may amount to discrimination against reli- gion. This Article argues that a key reason for the decline in the no-aid principle rests on the weakness of the rationale underlying that rule: that funding of religion coerces the conscience of taxpayers. The taxpayer conscience rationale, though valid his- torically as basis for the clause’s prohibition on government funding of religion, no longer makes sense. And because the taxpayer conscience rationale is wanting, so too is the Flast v. Cohen rule permitting taxpayer standing to challenge government disbursements to religious entities. This Article then proposes an alternative basis for the no-aid principle, that being the concept that government has “no agency” over religious matters, a theory originally enunciated by James Madison. As explained, the no-agency theory is a structural or jurisdictional limitation on the power of gov- ernment to finance inherently religious activity. If adopted, the no-agency rationale would restore needed credibility to the no-aid principle. INTRODUCTION To state the obvious, the Supreme Court’s decisions prohibiting government financial aid to religious institutions have been controversial since the Court’s first holding in Everson v. Board of Education in 1947.1 There, a unanimous Court em- braced the “no-aid” theory underlying the Establishment Clause despite a bare majority upholding the aid in question: state reimbursements for transportation costs for stu- dents to travel safely to parochial schools.2 Speaking for the majority, Justice Hugo Black wrote: “The ‘establishment of religion’ clause of the First Amendment means at least this: .
    [Show full text]
  • A Study of the Place of Music in the Religious Service Ruth
    University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014 1937 A study of the place of music in the religious service Ruth. Pushee University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/theses Pushee, Ruth., "A study of the place of music in the religious service" (1937). Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014. 1890. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.umass.edu/theses/1890 This thesis is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MASSACHUSETTS STATE COLLEGE UNIV. OF MASSACHUSETTS/AMHERST LIBRARY LD 3234 M268 1937 P987 A Study of the Place of Music in the Religious Service by Ruth Pushee Department of Education Thesis Submitted for degree of Master of Science Massachusetts State College Amherst, Mass. 1937 Acknowledgements Acknowledgement Is hereby made to the Jones Library in Amherst, the Massachusetts State College Library ^Goodell Library) , and the Smith College Music Library. The amount of material found in these libraries has been invaluable in the compilation of this thesis. Acknowledgement is also made to Professor Welles of the Department of Education, Professor Coding of the Department of Languages, and Professor Chenoweth of the Department of Horticultural Manufactures for their interest and assistance in this thesis. Thesis Outline Problem : A Study of the Place of Music in the Religious Service. Introduction ; Through a survey of music in all of the established religious exercises, I hope to luake a fairly simplified history so that I can turn to these items of interest without consulting various volumes.
    [Show full text]
  • A Guide to Franz Schubert's Religious Songs
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by IUScholarWorks A GUIDE TO FRANZ SCHUBERT’S RELIGIOUS SONGS by Jason Jye-Sung Moon Submitted to the faculty of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Music in Voice December 2013 Accepted by the faculty of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Music in Voice. __________________________________ Mary Ann Hart, Chair & Research Director __________________________________ William Jon Gray __________________________________ Robert Harrison __________________________________ Brian Horne ii Copyright © 2013 by Jason Jye-Sung Moon All rights reserved iii Acknowledgements I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my committee chair and research director, Professor Mary Ann Hart, for the excellent guidance, caring, patience, and encouragement I needed to finish this long journey. I would also like to thank Dr. Brian Horne, who supported me with prayers and encouragement. He patiently corrected my writing even at the last moment. I would like to thank my good friend, Barbara Kirschner, who was with me throughout the writing process to help me by proofreading my entire document and constantly cheering me on. My family was always there for me. I thank my daughters, Christine and Joanne, my parents, and my mother-in-law for supporting me with their best wishes. My wife, Yoon Nam, deserves special thanks for standing by me with continuous prayers and care. I thank God for bring all these good people into my life.
    [Show full text]
  • "Believing and Singing: Translating Songs of Faith in the Czech
    BELIEVING AND SINGING: TRANSLATING SONGS OF FAITH IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC Lee Bidgood The Hotel Krystal rises 15 stories above neighboring buildings and trees in Prague’s 6th district, located on a small road named for Cuban writer and revolutionary José Martí, between the busy traffic of Evropská street and the woods that rise uphill from the Litovický creek towards the Hvězda summer palace and White Mountain (Bílá Hora). The hulking building has the architectural inelegance of a socialist-era apartment building, overlaid with a heavy touch of late Communist luxury. The neighborhood has changed since I first saw it, but the aula (conference room) in the hotel still seems the same on a visit in 2018, with rows of seats occupied with earnest worshipping Christians, which still surprises me, as a visitor to one of the most secular states in Europe. I first visited the hotel – and the church congregation that uses its aula on Sunday mornings – as a student, spending the Spring 2000 semester in Prague. Friends from my hometown in the U.S. state of North Carolina had referred me to an American family living in Prague, and this family in turn invited me to their church, a congregation of the (Evangelical) Brethren Church (Církev bratrská)1 denomination. By this time, I had seen quite a few Czech churches from the Renaissance, Gothic, and even Romanesque periods – and thus was a bit surprised to find myself searching through the dark wood paneling of the Hotel Krystal on a Sunday morning as the worship service started. On finding the aula and making my way into what looked to me like a university lecture hall (which, in fact, it has been for Charles University for decades), I noticed that the congregation 1.
    [Show full text]