David R Bains
Samford University, Religion, Faculty Member
- David Bains is a historian of religion in the United States. He is professor of religion at Samford University, Birmi... moreDavid Bains is a historian of religion in the United States. He is professor of religion at Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama. He studied physics and religious studies at the University of Virginia and received his Ph. D. from Harvard University.
A leader in the study of sacred space and worship, he serves as co-chair of the Space, Place, and Religion Group of the American Academy of Religion. He is co-editor of _The Development of the Church: “The Principle of Protestantism” and Other Historical Writings of Philip Schaff_ (2017), and author of the chapter on _Christianity in Understanding the Religions of the World_ (2015). His essays on worship, architecture, and religious thought have appeared in the _Wiley-Blackwell Companion to World Christianity_, the _Encyclopedia of Religion in America_, and the journals _Theology Today_ and _Church History_. He leads tours of religious sites at the annual meetings of the American Academy of Religion and the American Society of Church History.edit
Philip Schaff, the founder of church history in America, was widely celebrated in his later career. Soon after his arrival from Germany, however, his Principle of Protestantism (1845) was stiffly denounced for its favorable attitude... more
Philip Schaff, the founder of church history in America, was widely celebrated in his later career. Soon after his arrival from Germany, however, his Principle of Protestantism (1845) was stiffly denounced for its favorable attitude toward Roman Catholicism, harsh critique of denominationalism, and theory of historical progress leading to a church that would be both Evangelical and Catholic. Charles Hodge's review of the book provided the most cogent analysis of its implications for American Christianity. Schaff further clarified his understanding of progress in What Is Church History? (1846) and "German Theology and the Church Question" (1853). Together, these early writings of the Mercersburg theology set forth the parameters of what later generations would call the ecumenical movement. This edition carefully preserves these texts while providing extensive introductions, annotations, bibliography, and a glossary of key names to orient the reader and facilitate further scholarship.
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Beginning with the Renaissance, the architecture of churches in the West was shaped by new cultural and liturgical demands that reshaped the spaces of Christian worship. Renaissance Christians found models of urban monumentality and... more
Beginning with the Renaissance, the architecture of churches in the West was shaped by new cultural and liturgical demands that reshaped the spaces of Christian worship. Renaissance Christians found models of urban monumentality and geometric harmony in the architecture of classical Rome that they deemed lacking in their existing Gothic forms. At the same time, both Catholics and Protestants placed new emphasis on preaching and on the ability of worshipers to see the liturgy. These factors decisively reshaped church architecture. The rational austerity of the Renaissance, however, soon gave way to the more exuberant decoration of the baroque and, in time, to a revival of the Gothic. Beginning in the late 18th century, it became valued for its association with mystery, organic development, and the endurance of faith amid the rise of scientific rationalism. By the mid-19th century, an eclecticism in architecture had developed where many church builders used varied styles to actualize buildings of many plans in order to bring the desired historical and emotional associations to the structure, or simply to distinguish it from its neighbors. Yet, architectural principles—often associated with the Gothic—that emphasized the integral relation of form, structure, and function led many church builders to embrace architectural modernism. They rejected applied ornament, especially that which hid the structure of the building. Concrete, steel, and glued laminated wood beams made possible new designs often with a minimalist aesthetic and innovative ground plans.
As in the 16th, so in the 20th century this architectural shift was associated with new values and liturgical demands. For many there was a fundamental concern with the architectural expression of the immanence of God. Historical styles and dim light seemed wrongly to suggest that God was not part of the contemporary world. Along with this, liturgical ressourcement fostered throughout the 20th century by the Liturgical Movement and endorsed by the Second Vatican Council championed the idea that liturgy was “the work of the people,” a corporate activity in which all participated. This led to the development of the “modern communal church” as a liturgical form. Many historic buildings were significantly altered. Within thirty years, a sizable revolution was insisting on more traditional, often classical, architectural forms ensuring that future church building would be shaped by a dialogue between tradition and the modern.
As in the 16th, so in the 20th century this architectural shift was associated with new values and liturgical demands. For many there was a fundamental concern with the architectural expression of the immanence of God. Historical styles and dim light seemed wrongly to suggest that God was not part of the contemporary world. Along with this, liturgical ressourcement fostered throughout the 20th century by the Liturgical Movement and endorsed by the Second Vatican Council championed the idea that liturgy was “the work of the people,” a corporate activity in which all participated. This led to the development of the “modern communal church” as a liturgical form. Many historic buildings were significantly altered. Within thirty years, a sizable revolution was insisting on more traditional, often classical, architectural forms ensuring that future church building would be shaped by a dialogue between tradition and the modern.
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North American Protestants have employed a variety of religious spaces. Buildings designed for worship are the most distinctive, but they have also appropriated homes, schools, businesses, cities, suburbs, camps, parks, museums, theme... more
North American Protestants have employed a variety of religious spaces. Buildings designed for worship are the most distinctive, but they have also appropriated homes, schools, businesses, cities, suburbs, camps, parks, museums, theme parks, and wildernesses. The many roles of space in orienting Protestants to God and God’s kingdom can be understood by considering how space functions in four fundamental activities: encountering God, enacting Christian community, forming Christians, and redeeming the world. Understanding Protestants’ spatial practices thus entails examining, not only church architecture, but also how other spaces are incorporated into Protestant ritual. With their focus on faith and scripture, Protestants have often been resistant to locative approaches that identify certain places as sacred, preferring instead utopian approaches that affirm God is not bound to space but can be accessed in most places. They have sought to unite the religious and secular by investing all spaces with religious meaning.
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Secularization, or the decline in the authority of religious institutions, became a pronounced feature of Western culture in the 20th century, especially in its latter half. Secularization has affected the history of Western sacred space... more
Secularization, or the decline in the authority of religious institutions, became a pronounced feature of Western culture in the 20th century, especially in its latter half. Secularization has affected the history of Western sacred space in four ways: (a) It has helped to shape the concept of “sacred space” so that it designates a space that helps generate a personal religious experience independent of religious rituals and teachings. (b) It has caused many houses of worship to use architectural forms not previously associated with religion in order to link their religious communities to the respected realms of business, science, and entertainment. And it has motivated religious communities to craft spaces that encourage worshipers to recognize God at work in the secular world and to demonstrate to others the continued relevance of religion. (c) Many former houses of worship have been destroyed or converted to other uses. Sometimes this occurred not because of declining membership but in order to relocate to a more favorable building or location. Nonetheless, these changes have created a more secular cityscape. Other times destruction and conversion have been the product of state-sponsored regimes of secularization or a decline in the number of clergy or church supporters. The reuse of these former houses of worship often results in the association of religious symbols with commercial or personal endeavors. It also raises challenges for maintaining public space in dense urban environments and for preserving artistic and cultural heritage. Given the increasing closure of churches, in 2018 the Pontifical Council of Culture issued guidelines to guide Roman Catholics in determining best uses for buildings no longer needed for worship. (d) Spaces which are not linked to religious communities, especially museums and monuments, came to be frequently designed in ways similar to historic sacred spaces. For this reason and others, they are esteemed by many people as places to encounter the sacred in a secularized world.
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Arriving from Germany in 1844, Philip Schaff used his inaugural lecture as professor at the theological seminary in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, to set forth his understanding of church history with particular reference to the role of... more
Arriving from Germany in 1844, Philip Schaff used his inaugural lecture as professor at the theological seminary in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, to set forth his understanding of church history with particular reference to the role of Protestantism in the church’s ongoing development. A comprehensive, albeit fairly standard account from the point of view of German learning, Schaff’s address engendered surprise, admiration in some quarters, and cries of “heresy” in others. This essay expounds Schaff’s The Principle of Protestantism as the basis upon which he established himself as both a church historian and a progenitor of the Mercersburg movement. Drawing on responses to the address, it identifies the distance between Schaff’s conceptions and those of leading American Reformed theologians. It also makes preliminary suggestions concerning the enduring relevance of Schaff’s work for contemporary theology and theories of religion.
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An introduction to understanding spaces for Christian worship produced for Animate 2017, a summer workshop for teenagers produced by anima: Center for Worship and the Arts at Samford University.
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How do you tell the story of religion in urban North America? Some studies have focused on key events, institutions, or people. Others have delved thickly into the life of a limited number of congregations. Roberto Perin chose a different... more
How do you tell the story of religion in urban North America? Some studies have focused on key events, institutions, or people. Others have delved thickly into the life of a limited number of congregations. Roberto Perin chose a different path. He offers a unified narrative involving practically all houses of worship that operated in a seventeen square-mile section of Toronto over a 160-year period. This book is stunning in its detail and scope.
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Tour given at the American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting, November 2018. Sites include Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, St. John's Cathedral, Assumption of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Augustana Lutheran... more
Tour given at the American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting, November 2018. Sites include Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, St. John's Cathedral, Assumption of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Augustana Lutheran Church
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Guide to a tour of churches in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood for the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion 2017, features First Church of Christ Scientist, Trinity Church, First Lutheran Church, and Emmanuel Church.
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Tour of Churches in Washington, D.C. for the 2014 annual meeting of the American Society of Church History
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Tour of selected houses of worship in Atlanta for the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion. Sites include Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Al-Farooq Masjid, The Temple, and Buckhead Church.
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North American Protestants have employed a variety of religious spaces. Buildings designed for worship are the most distinctive, but they have also appropriated homes, schools, businesses, cities, suburbs, camps, parks, museums, theme... more
North American Protestants have employed a variety of religious spaces. Buildings designed for worship are the most distinctive, but they have also appropriated homes, schools, businesses, cities, suburbs, camps, parks, museums, theme parks, and wildernesses. The many roles of space in orienting Protestants to God and God’s kingdom can be understood by considering how space functions in four fundamental activities: encountering God, enacting Christian community, forming Christians, and redeeming the world. Understanding Protestants’ spatial practices thus entails examining, not only church architecture, but also how other spaces are incorporated into Protestant ritual. With their focus on faith and scripture, Protestants have often been resistant to locative approaches that identify certain places as sacred, preferring instead utopian approaches that affirm God is not bound to space but can be accessed in most places. They have sought to unite the religious and secular by investing ...
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Secularization, or the decline in the authority of religious institutions, became a pronounced feature of Western culture in the 20th century, especially in its latter half. Secularization has affected the history of Western sacred space... more
Secularization, or the decline in the authority of religious institutions, became a pronounced feature of Western culture in the 20th century, especially in its latter half. Secularization has affected the history of Western sacred space in four ways: (a) It has helped to shape the concept of “sacred space” so that it designates a space that helps generate a personal religious experience independent of religious rituals and teachings. (b) It has caused many houses of worship to use architectural forms not previously associated with religion in order to link their religious communities to the respected realms of business, science, and entertainment. And it has motivated religious communities to craft spaces that encourage worshipers to recognize God at work in the secular world and to demonstrate to others the continued relevance of religion. (c) Many former houses of worship have been destroyed or converted to other uses. Sometimes this occurred not because of declining membership b...
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Arriving from Germany in 1844, Philip Schaff used his inaugural lecture as professor at the theological seminary in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, to set forth his understanding of church history with particular reference to the role of... more
Arriving from Germany in 1844, Philip Schaff used his inaugural lecture as professor at the theological seminary in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, to set forth his understanding of church history with particular reference to the role of Protestantism in the church’s ongoing development. A comprehensive, albeit fairly standard account from the point of view of German learning, Schaff’s address engendered surprise, admiration in some quarters, and cries of “heresy” in others. This essay expounds Schaff’s The Principle of Protestantism as the basis upon which he established himself as both a church historian and a progenitor of the Mercersburg movement. Drawing on responses to the address, it identifies the distance between Schaff’s conceptions and those of leading American Reformed theologians. It also makes preliminary suggestions concerning the enduring relevance of Schaff’s work for contemporary theology and theories of religion.
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The mid twentieth century was an important period of theological and liturgical change for mainline Protestants. Theologically, the optimistic liberalism of the turn of the century came under sharp critique from a variety of theologians... more
The mid twentieth century was an important period of theological and liturgical change for mainline Protestants. Theologically, the optimistic liberalism of the turn of the century came under sharp critique from a variety of theologians who sought to give greater attention tc the historic Christian doctrines. Liturgically, the practices of evangelicalism were compared to historic models of Christian worship and found wanting. No American was more prominent in the theological critique than Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971). After rising to national prominence as a preacher and essayist while serving as a pastor ir Detroit, Michigan, he joined the faculty of Union Theological Seminary in New York City in 1928 and gained an international reputation as a social ethicist, preacher, and advocate of a theological perspective known variously as “Christian realism” or “neo-orthodoxy.” It is less well known that as part of his theological program Niebuhr advocated liturgical reform. From his days ...