Mediating eternity: The Crystal Cathedral and God's place in a network world
by Robles, Erica Reyna, Ph.D., STANFORD UNIVERSITY, 2009, 237 pages; 3364448

Abstract:

Within the past twenty-five years the religious landscape has undergone remarkable transformation. The rise of a new style of worship, the "megachuch", blends electronic media and contemporary architectural forms to produce a spectacular rendition of a traditional cultural practice. Their use of technology curies a particularly symbolic meaning; by re-purposing secular technologies, megachurches make visible God's hand at work in the conditions of 20th and 21st century mediated social life. This dissertation focuses on the media-architectural practices of a pioneering and influential megachurch, the Crystal Cathedral. Home to a congregation of more than 10,000 members and broadcast internationally, the Crystal Cathedral is one of the most visible Protestant churches in the world. Their unique history highlights the role Modern architecture and design played in transferring traditional Christian practices into a new technological regime. I will trace the church through three distinct formations: drive-in church (1955-1962), walk-in/drive-in/television church (1962-1980), and monumental postmodern edifice (1980-present). Together, these renderings link suburbia and automobility to television, modernism, and networked spatial formations. Ultimately, the production of this megachurch has been as much a reformation of religious aesthetics as a legitimation of postmodern geographies and mediated social life.

 
AdviserFred Turner
SchoolSTANFORD UNIVERSITY
SourceDAI/A 70-07, p. , Sep 2009
Source TypeDissertation
SubjectsReligious history; American studies; Architecture
Publication Number3364448
Adobe PDF Access the complete dissertation:
 

» Find an electronic copy at your library.
  Use the link below to access a full citation record of this graduate work:
  http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl%3furl_ver=Z39.88-2004%26res_dat=xri:pqdiss%26rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation%26rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3364448
  If your library subscribes to the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) database, you may be entitled to a free electronic version of this graduate work. If not, you will have the option to purchase one, and access a 24 page preview for free (if available).

About ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
With over 2.3 million records, the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) database is the most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses in the world. It is the database of record for graduate research.

The database includes citations of graduate works ranging from the first U.S. dissertation, accepted in 1861, to those accepted as recently as last semester. Of the 2.3 million graduate works included in the database, ProQuest offers more than 1.9 million in full text formats. Of those, over 860,000 are available in PDF format. More than 60,000 dissertations and theses are added to the database each year.

If you have questions, please feel free to visit the ProQuest Web site - http://www.proquest.com - or call ProQuest Hotline Customer Support at 1-800-521-3042.