Czech-American Protestants: a Minority Within a Minority

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For membership information, see: http://nebraskahistory.org/admin/members/index.htm Article Title: Czech-American Protestants: A Minority within a Minority Full Citation: Bruce M Garver, “Czech-American Protestants: A Minority within a Minority,” Nebraska History 74 (1993): 150-167 URL of article: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/publish/publicat/history/full-text/NH1993CAProtestants.pdf Date: 3/23/2015 Article Summary: There were few Czech-American Protestants, but they received the assistance of mainline American Protestant denominations in establishing congregations and building meeting houses. They perpetuated the use of the Czech language and did important charitable work. Cataloging Information: Names: František Kún, Jan Pípal, E A Adams, David S Schaff, Will Monroe, Gustav Alexy, Albert Schauffler, Vincenc Písek, A W Clark, Jaroslav Dobiáš, František B Zdrůbek, Bohdan A Filipi, Tomáš G Masaryk, J L Hromádka Place Names: Bohemia; Moravia; Saunders and Colfax Counties, Nebraska; Ely, Iowa Nebraska Czech Churches: Bohemian Brethren Presbyterian Church, Omaha; Czech Presbyterian Church, Prague; Czech Presbyterian Church, Wahoo; Zion Czech Presbyterian Church, Colfax County (later New Zion Church); Bethlehem Presbyterian Church, South Omaha; John Hus Church, Thurston; Weston Church, Saunders County Czech-American Protestant Publications: Jednota, Besídka, Křesťanské listy, Český svĕt, Svornost, Husův lid Keywords: Moravian Church, Evangelical Unity of the Czech Moravian Brethren, freethinkers, Union Theological Seminary, Oberlin Theological Seminary, Jan Pípal; Evangelical Union of Czech Presbyterian and Reformed Ministers, Jaroslav Dobiáš, František B Zdrůbek, Bohdan A Filipi, Unitarianism, Siman Act (1918), J L Hromádka Photographs / Images: fig 32: communion table from the Bethlehem Presbyterian Church, South Omaha; fig 33: František Totušek marker in the Zion Czech Presbyterian Cemetery, Clarkson; fig 34: Protestant Postilla, a book of scripture and theological discourse, published in Czech in 1542 and brought to Pawnee County in 1893 by Josef Štĕpán; fig 35: family burial plot in the Czech Presbyterian Cemetery, Wahoo; fig 36: the Rev. Jan Pípal; fig 37: Bohemian crystal communion service and embroidered altar cloth brought to Colfax County for the Zion congregation by the Rev. František Kún; fig 38: Evangelical Bohemian-Moravian Brethren Congregation’s church (later the Zion Presbyterian Church) and cemetery, Clarkson; fig 39: Czech Presbyterian Church, Prague, built in 1898; fig 40: second New Zion Czech Presbyterian Church building, Clarkson, dedicated in 1923; fig 41: the Rev. Bohdan A Filipi 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

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