Friday, October 21, 2022

*** This is a rough transcript of today’s show ***

It is the 21st of October, 2022. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

I have a confession to make: I am a little bit obsessed with World’s Fairs, aka Universal Expos. Maybe I’m a sucker for the kum-ba-yah aspect of every country coming together to show off its arts and sciences. Perhaps it’s my love of “Meet Me In St. Louis” or Erik Larson’s work of historical fiction “The Devil in the White City.”

And, of course, they can serve as spectacles and one-stop-shops for historians to get a sense of what was happening in the world at the time. And so today, on the anniversary of the dedication of the World’s Columbian Exhibition on this day in 1892, I’d like to examine the most famous of world fairs behind the famed White City built in Jackson Park on the banks of Lake Michigan.

A few things to note: this Expo was supposed to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Columbus business of 1492. The size and scope of the fair were so big that it didn’t open until 1893.

The battle was between New York and Chicago, with Chicago getting the nod for several reasons, including a relentless blitz on the press (some say the Windy City is called such on account of all the “wind being blown” by pro-Chicago papers). The “White City” constructed for the event and torn down afterward was a modern miracle designed with help from Frederick Olmstead, the man behind New York’s Central Park. The Chicago World’s Fair introduced us to everything from the Cracker Jack, neon lights, chili con carne, and the Ferris Wheel. And how do you think Pabst got its famous Blue Ribbon? That’s right, from competition at this fair.

But for me, what the Expo tried to project about America and its division interests me the most. Despite the financial panic of 1893, these were still heady times for America as a country recovering from Civil War and Chicago from her great fire. And lest you think this show isn’t getting to the part that involves church history- there were two significant issues and events at the fair that would gauge the influence of the church in society and her future: the Parliament of Religions and the Sunday question.

The Parliament of Religions was held in conjunction with the great fair at the Permanent Memorial Art Palace- today called the Art Institute of Chicago. And just as the fair and Midway would see the exotic people and wares from around the world, the Parliament would bring together representatives of the world's religions for the first time. But as you might imagine, there was concern that the parliament would downplay religious distinctions and promote a kind of universalism. The head of the committee was John Henry Barrows, a minister in the Presbyterian Church United States of America but the PCUSA passed a resolution condemning the Parliament. The Archbishop of Canterbury and D.L. Moody were similarly against the Parliament. In contrast, members of the Southern Baptist Convention welcomed the ecumenical discussion as a time to learn about others from their mouths.

But as the churches were deciding to what extent they might welcome interfaith dialogue, the country as a whole was trying to determine to what extent a particular Christian morality still governed civic affairs. This came in the “Sunday Question”: should the fair open on Sunday? The U.S. Government, which gave a good amount of funding to the event, passed legislation to keep the fair closed on Sundays while the directors of the Expo challenged them in district court with a lawsuit.

More than the Parliament of Religions, this question struck many Protestants as some saw Sabbatarianism as the last bastion of Protestant America and her Puritan roots. The Sabbatarians were joined by many workers' unions who supported the restriction on Sunday work as pro-workers.

The fair's directors made a clever argument that won the day- with so many people visiting the city for the fair; if it were closed on Sundays, the visitors would visit bars and brothels- the fair was thus the wholesome option! The fair would open on Sundays, and thus the fair brought us not only electric lights, an elevated train, and Otis Hale’s new elevator for buildings but the end of federally backed Sabbatarianism.

I’m telling you- nothing is more fun than the World’s Fair- and the Columbian Exposition, officially dedicated on this day in 1892.

The Last Word for today comes from the lectionary for today from 2 Timothy- and final admonitions to Timothy:

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which can make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 21st of October 2022, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who once made the Windy City his home (this being one of the actual true facts I’ve said about him). He is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who reminds you that the Washington Nationals used to be the Expos, named after the Montreal Expo of 1967. I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.