Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2009, History

Twelve years after the founding of the Synod of the Western Reserve in northeastern Ohio, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America voted in 1837 to remove that Synod together with three other synods in Western New York, their members, churches, and presbyteries bodily from the denomination, treating the synods and their constituents as if they had never existed. In a time of rapid growth, enthusiastic change and optimism about the nature of the federal union, this church body turned its back on its own union and growth, choosing a path that ultimately caused it to be reduced by nearly half its former membership, and a new denomination to be formed of the exscinded portions together with like-minded others. This new denomination had the same name as the body that rejected it, but was popularly known as the New School of the Presbyterian Church.Many who wrote about this incident, both contemporaneously and subsequently, attributed the schismatical decision to differences in doctrine, theology, or governance. Relatively few noted the overarching societal concern about chattel slavery, the role of the church in sustaining or removing slavery from the country, and the way in which agitation over slavery and anti-slavery affected both individual church members and the institutional church. In the early 21st century, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), together with other Protestant denominations, faces schism over the ordination of active homosexuals. Parallels between the two eras are used to shed light on the earlier split, with analyses of the nature of believers who are Presbyterian, insights from earlier Presbyterian church history, a close reading of the General Assembly actions from 1834 through 1837, and a review of anti-slavery agitation found in contemporary religious newspapers. The conclusion reached is that considerations surrounding slavery became key for conservatives in their successful strategy to take over the church (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: David Hammack PhD (Committee Chair); Timothy Beal PhD (Committee Member); John Grabowski PhD (Committee Member); Kenneth Ledford PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Religious History

DMA, University of Cincinnati, 2022, College-Conservatory of Music: Organ

Covenant-First Presbyterian Church (Cincinnati, Ohio) is the successor congregation to eight historic, downtown Presbyterian churches. These churches all used organs for worship and an exploration of the purchase, upkeep, and function of these instruments provides a case study into historic American organ building in Presbyterian circles in the Midwest. In addition, several of these organs were unique among Cincinnati organs. All, save one, have since been destroyed and these records provide the only known information about the instruments. In 1837, Second Presbyterian purchased what was likely the first multi-manual organ in Cincinnati from the Cambridge, Massachusetts firm of Stevens & Gayetty. This instrument is one of only two organs that were shipped to Cincinnati from the east coast in the early nineteenth century and was an early use of the organ in Presbyterian worship in the Midwest, revealing the progressive musical tastes of the congregation. After completing a new building in 1875, Second Presbyterian installed what was likely one of the largest (possibly the largest) instrument built by the Cincinnati firm Koehnken & Co., an important and undervalued builder working in a German Romantic tradition and not in the British tradition of most contemporary east coast builders. Church of the Covenant, the successor congregation to Second Presbyterian, replaced the Koehnken in 1915 with the then largest Austin Organ (Hartford, Connecticut) in the area. Church of the Covenant was one of the largest and most prominent Presbyterian churches in the country during the early twentieth century. The Austin was renovated in the 1970s by Charles Hildreth, a member of the congregation. In addition, five other downtown congregations eventually merged into the church known today at Covenant-First. First Presbyterian, the mother church of Second, was an Old School Presbyterian church and had more conservative musical views. Despite concerns about the propriety (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Michael Unger D.M.A. (Committee Member); Stephen Meyer Ph.D. (Committee Member); Michael Chertock M.M. (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

BS, Kent State University, 2008, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of History

During the uneasy years predating the American Civil War, self-proclaimed prophets and messengers of God traveled the frontier proclaiming their interpretations of truth as revealed through Protestant Christianity. As they attempted to convert the nation, they conceived American utopias which, constructed within a sacred history of Christianity, played an important role in redefining the religion in North America. As part of the process of establishing these utopias, individuals interested in the conversion of society utilized and revised the “New Haven” theology of Yale College, from which would emerge a reconstructed concept of “sanctification” in Oberlin, Ohio. These individuals would use this theology to form the basis for their attempts to reform society, applying religious meaning to social action. In Lorain County, Ohio, we can observe these changes in religious thought and practice as numerous “religious virtuosi” carried out social action which they considered to be bound to a sacred history. In tandem with social action would come ecclesiastical conflict, tearing the New England Plan of Union asunder. This thesis is interested in how reformers' attempts to create heaven on earth would result in conflict highlighted by a series of events which would ultimately change the religious landscape of the county as it contributed to and reflected the changing face of religion in America.

Committee: David Odell-Scott PhD (Advisor); Guy E. Wells PhD (Advisor); Leonne Hudson PhD (Committee Member); Leslie Heaphy PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: American History; History; Religious History

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1972, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1969, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Sociology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1964, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Sociology

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2016, Leadership and Change

Negative attitudes toward racial minorities and consequent maltreatment of non-Whites continue to be a crisis in America. The crisis of racism is still realized in phenomena such as residential segregation (Bonilla-Silva, 2014), health disparities (Chae, Nuru-Jeter, & Adler, 2012; Chae, Nuru-Jeter, Francis, & Lincoln, 2011), and in the not-so-uncommon unjust arrests and imprisonment of persons of color (Alexander, 2012). Improvement in race relations through the development of meaningful cross racial relationships in racially integrated settings is one avenue that may lead to reduction of racism (E. Anderson, 2010; Fischer, 2011; Massey & Denton, 1993). Christian congregations are common settings in America, and Christian teachings are primary sources of Western ethics and moral values. Historically, Christian practices have affected American attitudes such as with regard to elder care, have influenced legislation such as child labor laws, and have even swayed the contents of the United States constitution. Yet, racial segregation has been the norm in Christian congregations from the end of American slavery until today. Since there may be a relationship between the persistence of segregation in Christian congregations and the persistence of racism in America, racial integration in Christian congregations may impact racial attitudes and relationships. Using Participatory Action Research, this study explored ways to improve racial integration and race relations in Christian congregations. This study utilized volunteers in a 30-day exploration of racial integration in a congregation, a small church in one of the two Cumberland Presbyterian denominations. Data from observations, interviews, racially integrated events, reflection sessions, and participant journaling were collected and analyzed. Intentionality in racial integration in one congregation resulted in cumulative positive change, at times difficult and incremental. Findings revealed that adaptive, proactive lea (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Laura Morgan Roberts Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Jon Wergin Ph.D. (Committee Member); Daniel J. Earheart-Brown Ph.D. (Committee Member); Craig Keener Ph.D. (Other) Subjects: African American Studies; African Americans; American History; American Studies; Behavioral Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Bible; Biblical Studies; Black History; Black Studies; Clergy; Divinity; Ethics; Ethnic Studies; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Religion; Religious Congregations; Religious Education; Religious History; Social Research; Sociology; Spirituality; Theology

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2009, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Architecture (Master of)

How do humans mediate themselves with the natural world? This is the unexplainable phenomenon which architecture seeks to answer. Humans appeal to both myth and logic in a built discourse, architecture. There are objects that challenge this discourse as monsters, the tree house being one. These are creatures undermining normal expectations by suggesting new myth and new logic. Determining a method for analyzing myth will be developed from the mythologists, Claude Levi-Strauss and Roland Barthes. The creation of monstrous collages will be explored from the perspective of the Surrealist artists, the self-proclaimed “myth makers.” Finally, a site will become a subject of this discourse in an experiment. The myth I would hope to create would be an evolving building, constantly changing, and overlapping. The logic would be that if people are engaged in the form of their environment, that that environment would have social value and hence permanence.

Committee: George Bible (Committee Chair); Rebecca Williamson PH.D. (Committee Chair) Subjects: Architecture

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1933, History

Committee: Carl Wittke (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2008, English: Composition and Rhetoric

The first half of the nineteenth century was a unique period for women's rhetorical education and work. Chapter I establishes the rhetorical and physical space of the study. Congregationalist and Presbyterian denominations in New England and Ohio, affected by the Great Awakening revivals, founded schools for women out of a desire for literate female congregants and missionaries. Chapter II argues that advocates of women's education justified the value of women's evangelical speaking and writing by explaining how it fit within conservative religious and social goals: women needed to be educated to teach and convert their children and students, and to start schools for women abroad to advance the evangelical cause. Chapter III argues that because the schools for women adopted the classical, religiously-infused curriculum as well as the purpose of many schools for men, to produce ministers, women also were trained as evangelists, though for different audiences. By the last few decades of the period, the schools for women provided an institutional support for their graduates' public speaking and writing that was denied to other women rhetors of the century. Chapter IV argues that because the classical curriculum used in these schools for women had a religious focus, and because most of the textbooks were written by ministers, and had to justify their purpose in terms of their applicability to Christianity, women who used these texts had the opportunity not only for formal rhetoric and logic training, but also to see and model constant examples of arguments for Christianity in other subject matter texts. Chapter V argues that there were important extracurricular opportunities for women to practice their rhetorical skills at women's schools that were analogous to the traditional literary and debating clubs at schools for men. Chapter VI explains why this unique school environment for women did not last. Around mid-century, the religiously based classical curriculum faded (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Paul Anderson PhD (Committee Chair); Katharine Ronald PhD (Committee Member); Morris Young PhD (Committee Member); Peter Williams PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Composition; Curricula; Education History; Higher Education; Religion; Religious Congregations; Religious Education; Religious History; Rhetoric; Teaching; Womens Studies