Visions and revisions: An exploratory investigation sketching the origins and growth of the evolving relationship between the church and recreation, 1872-1992
Wesner, Bradley Eugene
This item is only available for download by members of the University of Illinois community. Students, faculty, and staff at the U of I may log in with your NetID and password to view the item. If you are trying to access an Illinois-restricted dissertation or thesis, you can request a copy through your library's Inter-Library Loan office or purchase a copy directly from ProQuest.
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/19560
Description
Title
Visions and revisions: An exploratory investigation sketching the origins and growth of the evolving relationship between the church and recreation, 1872-1992
Author(s)
Wesner, Bradley Eugene
Issue Date
1995
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Bannon, Joseph
Department of Study
Recreation, Sport and Tourism
Discipline
Leisure studies
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Religion, History of
History, United States
Recreation
Language
eng
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to analyze how different religious groups perceived the historical development of the relationship between the Church and recreation from period 1872 to 1992.
The study focused upon five leading families of denominations in the United States--Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal, Catholic, and Jewish. To represent the families, a specific denomination was selected: United Methodists, Southern Baptists, Assemblies of God, Roman Catholics, and Conservative Jews, respectively. Data collection consisted interviewing practitioners and scholars, combing libraries, and searching archives. After data were obtained, they were organized, compared and contrasted. Conclusions were formed based upon the data.
The study was guided by six research questions: (1) How did religious groups' concept of recreation evolve in the United States between 1872 and 1992? (2) Which of H. Richard Niebuhr's five models of religion and culture best describes the current relationship between the Church and recreation? (3) What historical events do religious groups claim influenced church-recreation in the United States between 1872 and 1992? (4) From the viewpoint of religious organizations, how has the relationship of the Church related to other providers of recreation in U.S. society? (5) What major problems faced leaders of church-recreation in the United States between 1872 and 1992? and (6) How has church-recreation related to other forms of ministry in the United States between 1872 and 1992? The overall conclusion was made that Protestants, Catholics, and Jews differ slightly regarding how church-recreation evolved, but they agree that, although the Church has experienced peaks and troughs in the growth of church-recreation, on the whole, the twentieth century American Church has moved steadily deeper into the field of recreation.
Use this login method if you
don't
have an
@illinois.edu
email address.
(Oops, I do have one)
IDEALS migrated to a new platform on June 23, 2022. If you created
your account prior to this date, you will have to reset your password
using the forgot-password link below.
