Fred Eastman, a playwright and professor at Chicago Theological Seminary, conducted a survey of Protestant churches in the United States to determine the strength of the "Christian drama movement." What he found was staggering. Over one thousand congregations reported active dramatic groups presenting full-length plays in their churches or rented facilities. In Chicago alone, 56 of the 65 leading churces produced a total of over 200 religious plays during the year of the survey.
Before getting too excited about this explosion of arts in the church, keep in mind that the year of the survey was 1929. The movement, which started after World War One, continued to surge during the thirties, diminished during World War Two, and mostly disappeared in the fifties. ("TV killed the church drama star?")
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