Lunch and Learn: Religion in Early CT

$5 Members |  $10 General  This lecture series offers the opportunity for good food and a guaranteed conversation about local or art history. Participants may either order lunch from The Art of Yum Café or bring their own as they learn about exciting topics from our guest lecturers. Connecticut’s Congregationalists, in response to competing religious groups, abandoned their simplistic and modest meetinghouse architecture in favor of a more attractive and sophisticated neoclassical form topped with tall steeples. Examination of the…

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July 12, 2023 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

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$5 Members |  $10 General 
This lecture series offers the opportunity for good food and a guaranteed conversation about local or art history. Participants may either order lunch from The Art of Yum Café or bring their own as they learn about exciting topics from our guest lecturers.
Connecticut’s Congregationalists, in response to competing religious groups, abandoned their simplistic and modest meetinghouse architecture in favor of a more attractive and sophisticated neoclassical form topped with tall steeples. Examination of the style of these new temples offers a snapshot of the Standing Order (Early Connecticut Puritan Ruling class) as they struggled to adjust to their rapidly changing world. The study of church building, like that of the revival, demonstrates how the cultural forces of individualism and materialism, along with the pressures of new emerging market economy, significantly influenced the fall of the Standing Order.
Yet, the most intriguing aspect found in investigation of church building in Connecticut involves how these new and very expensive church building projects were financed. New and innovative means of financing were required, and fundraising methods employed included pew rentals, state-approved lotteries, subscriptions, and even bonding. Connecticut Protestants, especially the Congregationalists, were found selectively and creatively incorporating worldly goods as a way to justify and enrich their faith.
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