China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Maldives and South Korea each find themselves among the 10 fastest growing economies in the world. America does not currently make the list. But skyscrapers tell us about more than the material realities we're facing. Spiritually, they tell us about America's changing religious landscape. City skylines were once filled with more than tall buildings. In America's early years, churches broke the rhythm of banks and businesses. As Harvard Professor Edward Glasser has pointed out, early city planners in the West took note of the Bible's "Tower of Babel" narrative, and as a result, the tallest buildings in city centers were almost always churches.
They sprang up in skylines like the hand of a school child that knows the answer to the teacher's question. Like that school child, churches were once able to give salient answers to the questions of culture. Today, however, most Americans are looking to science, psychology or entertainers rather than the Christian church for the answers to their deepest questions. According to Gallup, the number of Americans who said religion was "very important" in their lives fell from 61 percent in to 54 percent in In the same time span, Christian affiliation of every kind declined, and Americans who say religion is "losing its influence" swelled from 56 percent to 70 percent.
Harvard Professor Edward Glasser in his book, Triumph of the City , suggests perhaps that moment "should be seen as the true start of the irreligious 20th century. A massive choir, concert-style orchestra and renowned pastor combined for the best Sunday show in town. The church sat in downtown on 17 acres of land and 13 buildings. The sanctuary was affixed with a white steeple that felt like a "We're 1" foam finger for area Christians.
But in , the church sold its property in the city and moved to the suburbs. The new location? It's a renovated warehouse, tucked away in an older town that rarely makes the news. What a powerful metaphor for Christianity in the late modern West. Chesterton was right that skyscrapers are symbols. They stand for and speak about something else. Whether a statement of America's current materialistic obsessions or about her place in the new global economy or the shrinking role religion is playing in her wider culture, skyscrapers are speaking.
They're telling us about us. News U. Politics Joe Biden Congress Extremism. Special Projects Highline. HuffPost Personal Video Horoscopes. Follow Us. Terms Privacy Policy. Some research into his life is likely to provide insight to his painting. Questions about the artist's life, where he lived, and the era in which he lived will clarify the contextual conditions that influence his perceptions.
Have the students write a model for analyzing the paintings with a critical eye. Students should be guided to consider questions that address the works themselves, such as common themes, images, and formal elements. At the same time, students should consider other questions that address the historical context of the s. Have the class discuss to what extent Stella accurately portrays the city in the s. History Resources. Overview The roaring s was an era of dramatic change.
Objectives Students will examine images from the s in order to analyze the influence of technology on America in the first decades of the twentieth century. Students will examine the rise of the city in the s. Students will be able to compare and contrast new values with traditional values as exemplified by images of the era. Activity One: Photographs of the City Divide the class into small groups.
As the groups look at the photographs, they should consider the following: What economic changes prompted the need for New York City to look upward in building construction? In what ways do the skyscrapers symbolize both New York City and the United States in the first decades of the twentieth century? Do these photographs help us to understand the changes of this era?
Be specific.
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