Czech-American Protestants

Czech-American Protestants: During the years 1870 to 1920, into four parts. The first briefly de Czech-American Protestants differenti AMINOKlrlY scribes five distinct types of Czech ated themselves from Czech-American Protestantism in the United States. The freethinkers and Catholics and thought second discusses characteristics com of themselves as a minority not only WITHIN mon to Czech-American Protestants within the Czech ethnic minority but during the era of mass immigration within the American Protestant major from 1865 to 1914. The third examines ity.2 In 1910 freethinkers, including AMINORITY the organization, programs, and de socialists, constituted slightly over half nominational affiliation of Czech of the Czech-speaking American popu l American Protestant churches during lation of 531,193, Catholics at least By Bruce M. Garver the same period, with some emphasis forty percent, and Protestants no more upon those in Nebraska. The fourth than five percent.3 The variety of cause their numbers were so small and part treats developments, including Czech-American opinions on religion because most archival and published rapid acculturation, from 1920 to the and politics continues to fascinate information about them is written in present. scholars, but complicates their efforts Czech.6 The best general histories of At least five distinct groups of Czech to make generalizations that apply to Czechs in the United States briefly Protestant churches have developed in all Czech-Americans.4 discuss some Czech Protestant institu the United States. First is the Moravian Given the few Czech-American tions and leaders.7 More explicit infor church, the direct institutional and Protestants in 1920 in proportion to all mation on the same subjects may be doctrinal successor to the Unity of Czech-Americans (at least 23,000 or found in memoirs by Czech-American Brethren (lednota bratrska) established 3.7 percent of 623,000) or to all Ameri Protestants and freethinkers.s Histories in the fifteenth century in the Czech can Protestants (no more than one in of Czech Catholic parishes or religious lands by Petr Chelcicky and his follow 2,000), their history has received little orders in the United States seldom ers. During and after the Thirty Years attention. That history is nonetheless discuss Czech-American Protestants, War, these Brethren were forced into interesting, in part because the study of probably because so little fraternization exile by the Counter-Reformation, and any "minority within a minority" will or conflict occurred between adherents most settled in Protestant German shed some light on the larger minority, of the two faiths (fig. 33).9 The few principalities. Therefore the Moravian as in the case of the Czech Hussite and histories of Czech-speaking Protestants Brethren·were fairly well Germanized Czech Protestant traditions ' having in the United States have emphasized by the eighteenth century when many conditioned the development of Czech the development of individual congre of them settled in Pennsylvania and freethought and Czech Catholicism gations, like the pamphlet on Czech North Carolina. By the time mass (fig. 1).5 Moreover, the experience of Protestant churches in Nebraska by Dr. Czech emigration began to the United Czech-American Protestants differs laroslav Mrazek, pastor of Omaha's States after the Civil War, the Mora enough from that of most Protestant Bohemian Brethren Presbyterian vian church was a well-established and immigrants that it is worth examining Church from 1965 to 1969.10 The same closely-knit American sect. Though for its exceptional features. Besides is true of published studies on Czech aware of its Czech heritage, it had long the Slovaks, the Czechs were the only Americans in particular cities or ceased to be Czech in language or Slavic immigrants among whom were states. II Most discussion of Czech culture, and given its sectarian outlook Protestants. And, Czechs were the only American Protestantism in the above and limited resources, had neither the European Protestant immigrants who publications is to some degree based desire nor the means to seek recruits organized a majority of their churches upon the pioneering tum of the century among Czech or German immigrants. 13 and obtained most of their ministers work, Pamatnik ceskjch evanjelickjch The second group comprised the with extensive help from mainline cirkvi ve Spojenych statech (A Memo twenty-four independent congregations American Protestant denominations. rial Account of Czech Protestant established between 1864 and 1916 by Few scholarly surveys of American Churches in the United States), by Protestant Czech immigrants in the religious or immigration history men Vilem Siller, Vaclav Prucha, and R. M. state of Texas. These congregations tion Czech Protestants, probably be- DeCastello. 12 formed an "Independence Unity" in This article will discuss the develop 1903 and sixteen years later organized Dr. Bruce M. Garver is professor of history ment of Czech-American Protestantism themselves in a congregational polity at the University ofNebraska at Omaha. from 1865 to the present and is divided as the wholly independent Evangelical 150 Garver - Czech-American Protestants Unity of the Czech Moravian Brethren. Methodists, 325 Disciples of Christ, and Nebraska second in 1900 and again Why did the Unity's 1,523 adult 150 members of the Reformed church, in 1917. 18 In those states with more members choose to do this? First, only and 796 members of the four congrega than one hundred members of Czech in Texas were Czech-speaking Protes tions without denominational ties. IS speaking congregations in 1900, Texas tants numerous and concentrated These Czech Protestants often worked ranked first and was followed by Illi enough to consider going it alone: they together to produce Czech-language nois, Nebraska, Iowa, New York, numbered at least one-sixth of all publications and to promote mission Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Mary Czech-American Protestants and con work. They lived primarily on farms or land, South Dakota, and Kansas. 19 In stituted over seven percent of the in small towns in Nebraska, Iowa, the proportion of these church members Czech-speaking population of Texas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, to all Czech-speaking inhabitants from by far the highest proportion in any and Kansas, and in eight cities: Chi 1910 through 1916, Texas was ahead of state. Second, most had come from cago, New York, Cleveland, Omaha, Maryland, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Moravia with such a strong sense of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Cedar Rapids, South Dakota, and New York.2o regional identity that they continued to and Baltimore. 16 Within each state, Czech-speaking distinguish themselves from Bohemian A fourth-and today the largest Protestants tended to be concentrated in Czechs. Finally, and most important, group of American Protestants of particular areas, like southeast central the Brethren were more sectarian and Czech ancestry are those who belong to Texas, central eastern Iowa, southeast doctrinally conservative than most mainline or evangelical American ern Minnesota, and southern Wiscon Czech-American Protestants and were denominations whose congregations sin. By 1900 in Nebraska, roughly more inclined to employ lay leaders in have no association with any Czech two-thirds lived in Saunders County or lieu of college-educated clergymen. tradition. These Protestants are more northern Colfax County. About one Relations between the Unity and the likely to be descended from former sixth lived in Omaha and an equal few Texas Czech Presbyterians were freethinkers or Catholics than from the number elsewhere in the state, mostly characterized more often by coopera original members of Czech-speaking in Thurston, Fillmore, Richardson, and tion than by conflict. Not until 1945 Protestant churches. They are the most Pawnee counties.21 did the Unity join the Federal Council difficult Czech-Americar. Protestants to Czech Protestant immigrants from of Churches; and it chose to affiliate identify, past or present, because they 1865 to 1914 had much in common. with the National Council of Churches are well acculturated and have indi All had been conscious in Austria only from 1956 to 1964. In 1959 the vidually joined established denomina Hungary of having belonged to an Evangelical Unity changed its name to tions for many reasons. Very frequently, often despised minority within a minor "the Unity of the Brethren in Texas," marriage with Americans of other than ity. Few were converts from Roman thus reflecting a typical 1950s Ameri Czech background determined Czech Catholicism or freethought, most hav can desire to downplay ethnicity. As Americans' religious preference. ing come from underground congrega late as 1965 the Unity, despite its The fifth and smallest group of tions resurrected after Joseph II's Edict distant historical ties to the Moravian Czech-American Protestants are those of Toleration in 1781. All knew about church, emphatically rejected a pro members of the two American congre the proscription of Protestantism during posal for merger. 14 gations affiliated with the Czecho the "period of darkness" (Doha temna) The third group of Czech-speaking slovak church. This church is episcopal from 1621 to 1781 and about the civil Protestant congregations were those in organization, unitarian in theology, disabilities suffered by Protestants until established with denominational ties and similar to Serbian Orthodoxy

Load more