Religion between the World Wars

American Religious History

Mainline Protestantism Adrift

¡ Ecumenical movement: Federal Council of Churches, 1908 (National Council of Churches, 1950)

¡ Denominational Unity on Prohibition

¡ Women’s Christian Temperance Union, 1874

¡ Frances Willard, 1879–1898

¡ Triumph! Eighteenth Amendment, 1919

¡ Drinking declines, but law often ignored

¡ Rise of organized crime

¡ Churches lose: Prohibition repealed, 1933

¡ Loss of prestige, loss of purpose

¡ Mainstream churches adrift, 1930s

Pentecostalism Spreads

¡ Pentecostals secede, 1920s

¡ Aimee Semple McPherson

¡ Four Square Gospel,
Los Angeles, 1923

Catholicism and America

¡ Thriving church adapts to American religious freedom

¡ Roman hierarchy hostile to American ideals

¡ Pius IX, “Syllabus of Errors,” 1864

¡ Vatican I, 1869-70: Pope is infallible

¡ Pius X condemns modernism, 1907

¡ Leo XIII condemns “Americanism,” 1899

¡ Condemns individual conscience: follow Church’s teachings

¡ No ecumenicism; Protestants could not be learned from (heretics)

¡ Freedom & individualism threatened monasticism & priesthood

¡ Rejects full freedom of the press

Catholicism 1900–1960:  The “Brick & Mortar” Era

¡ Conservative impact of Americanism controversy

¡ Parallel society

¡ Schools

¡ Universities

¡ Hospitals

¡ Orphanages

¡ Charities

¡ Political conservatism

Black Churches & the Great Migration

¡ The “Great Migration”

¡ Challenge to Northern churches

¡ Development of social programs

¡ Congregation grow; worship & music change

¡ Thomas A. Dorsey, Mahalia Jackson, and gospel music

¡ “Storefront” churches

¡ Rise of Pentecostalism

¡ C.H. Mason: Church of God in Christ

¡ Black Islam and Black Jewish (Black Hebrew or Black Israelite) movements