ABSTRACT
The aesthetic dimension of the worship service includes several diverse elements. Some worship services are held in rented space or in public areas, there is ample opportunity for stylistic expression through means other than architecture and decor. From the other end of the spectrum, lower-class church members often characterized the worship services of the higher status churches as being “‘stiff’ and “cold.” The religious segregation of mill workers was not due to the desire off ashionable uptown churches or conservative rural churches to exclude them. With the ethical force of an Old Testament prophet, H. Richard. Niebuhr denounced Protestant denominations in America as “representing the moral failure of Christianity” by their conformity in reproducing the social order of classes and castes. Originally intended as a survey of religious life in a “typical” American community, the Lynds took an explicitly anthropological approach to religion by situating it within its broader social context.
