One and Half Centuries of Church Architecture in Ibadan,Nigeria

By the end of the 19th century,the missionaries had successfully planted Christianity in Ibadan,Nigeria with its distinguishable architecture.The history of church architecture in Ibadan is synonymous with the beginning of Christianity in Yoruba Country.Based on historical data obtained from the archives and field investigations,the paper traces the development of the church buildings of the missionary churches in Ibadan from the late 19th century to early 21st century.With shifts in the thinking about ideological and liturgical issues in church architecture globally,three distinct phases of development of church buildings in Ibadan are suggested beginning with the mission stations and ending with the modernist church buildings.The paper concludes that attempts to introduce modern architectural expressions in church buildings in Ibadan were increasingly common and strong but traditionalist and historicist approaches to architectural planning of church buildings remained predominant into the 21st century.

The Black American Church: A Reactionary and Ideological Apparatus of Slavery

This work argues that Denmark Vesey,Nat Turner,Gabriel Prosser,David Walker,Henry Highland Garnet,amongst a few others were the reactionary(dialectical)exceptions to the black church,not the norm,an(ideological)institution established to interpellate and indoctrinate blacks to accept their conditions in slavery.In other words,the aforementioned were the enslaved who used Christian dogma to(negative dialectically)respond to the barbarity of slavery by violently convicting white Christian society for not living up to its values,ideas,and ideals given the treatment of African people by so-called Christians.In the latter sense it was reactionary;in the former,it was an ideological apparatus of domination and control for the institution of slavery.The contemporary attempt to racially vindicate the black church as a sui generis revolutionary institution overflowing with Africanisms is ahistorical and ideological reaped in pseudoscientific propositions stemming from postmodern and post-structural theories.

Attendance or Tradition:Who Is Interested in Church Music Today

Religious practices in general,but primarily Christian ones,are undergoing major changes in the modern world,which is rapidly changing day by day.One of the most revealing manifestations of these changes is liturgical music,which has always been considered“traditional”,whereas the boundaries of the tradition have been subject to sharp disputes between those responsible for the church ritual and its accessories.The palette of the musical environment of modern church in terms of attendance and congregational acceptability in its sustainable development is addressed in the article based on recent research,in particular,several related studies by A.Rosenblatt,who over the past two decades has explored different aspects of church music heard in the field and presented in various hymnal books.Summary of this review allows us to consider a tangle of reasons to the preference for this or that musical style,which often completely excludes purely musical tastes and preferences.

Tree-based ecosystem services supply and multifunctionality of church forests and their agricultural matrix near Lake Tana,Ethiopia

Ecosystem services(ES)are the connection between nature and society,and are essential for the well-being of local communities that depend on them.In Ethiopia,church forests and the surrounding agricultural matrix supply numerous ES.However,the ES delivered by both land use types have not yet been assessed simultaneously.Here we surveyed both church forests and their agricultural matrices,aiming to quantify,compare and unravel the drivers underlying tree-based ES supply,density and multifunctionality.We found that almost all church forests and half of the agricultural matrices provided high ES densities.ES multifunctionality was higher in the agricultural matrices,suggesting that people deliberately conserve or plant multifunctional tree species.Furthermore,the supply of all categories of ES was positively correlated with church forest age(p-value<0.001)in the agricultural matrix,while the extent of church forest was positively correlated with the density of all categories ecosystem services score in the church forests(p-value<0.001).Our results can be used to prioritize conservation efforts at sites that provide high levels of ES supply,ES density and ES multifunctionality,and to prioritize restoration efforts at sites with low levels thereof.

The Effect of Global Insecurities on the Church in the Post-Corona World:A Study Case of the Church in Africa

This paper is on“The Effect of Global Insecurities on the Church in the Post-Corona World:A Study Case of the Church in Africa”.Wuhan,China was where the pandemic started in December 2019.The pandemic spread to all the nations of the world contextually;it has caused human deaths,disrupted health security and social life,hindered African cultural security,caused economic down tone,and plagued religious congregational meetings leading to a decline in the Church’s income,etc.,in Africa.Obviously,the world has not overcome the negative psychological and economic shock caused by this deadly disease.Yet,an increase in the global insecurities from other agents of insecurity in the post-corona world has been recorded.The world,contextually,the church in Africa is plagued by the rise of insecurities that have made development unattainable.Today,Africa is faced with many challenges which have great negative effects on the church and holistic growth.Terrorism,conflict,border closures,health challenges,economic crises,political uproar,and so on have great negative influence on the church in Africa and other sectors of the nations of the world.The paper investigates into the pre-security challenges era of the church in Africa.Moreover,the paper investigates how the church in Africa has deviated from fundamental Christian cultural originality as a consequence of the post-corona effects and negative influence of the other agents of insecurity on the church in Africa.The concomitant effect of the aforementioned agents of insecurity on the church and the general societies in Africa are examined.Furthermore,this paper hopes to give some suggestive panaceas to ameliorate effects of the agents of insecurity on the church in Africa.The research methods utilized in this paper consist of the socio-historical,internet explorations,interviews,and analytical approaches.

Church Music and Atheistic Ideology in the Last Decade of the USSR

Authoritarian societies that follow certain rules in the religious,cultural,and political realms tend to be little tolerant of other views and practices.There is a very revealing research niche for the study of“otherness”in the regulated fields of human activity.Yet,a niche within a niche is a study of historical or,in any case,former practices that come back to life after a gap of many decades.This is the case with church music of the last decade of Soviet history that has returned to artistic practice after a sixty-year ban.The article examines the socio-cultural circumstances that accompanied the creation of a number of works in various church genres written by professional Soviet composers,supported by a brief description of these works.Information about atheistic ideology,cultural doctrine,music management,and church life in the USSR completes the range of topics discussed.

History of Church Design in Olszyna Lubanska

The history of the design of St. Joseph the Betrothed church in Olszyna Lubaflska is presented in the paper. The first design of the church was drawn up by a local master builder in 1889 but was given such a poor evaluation by a firm of architects in Berlin that a new project had to be commissioned. The technical opinion on the design is analysed in the paper： both projects are discussed and some of the drawings from the projects are presented. The text of the expert evaluation and the draft of the church have never been published yet.

The Restoration of Kidane Mehret Church in Sen＇afe

The Church of Kidane Mehret stands at 2,450 m above sea level, close to the village of Sen＇afe, on the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Probably built in the fifteenth or sixteenth century, the church gradually became a ruin in the middle of the last century. Following the intervention of the monks of this church, a restoration program was set up in 2006. With the agreement of the National Museum in Asmara and the World Monuments Fund, funding was collected together by the German Embassy, the French Embassy, and the Alliance Fran^aise of Asmara, which made it possible to restore the church, between 2006 and 2008. Teams of workmen and women were created to this end. Only traditional techniques were employed for the masonry of the walls, the wooden roofing the plastering, and the interior paintwork. This project, which conforms to the Charter of Venice, could serve as an example for similar restorations in the region and as a model for professional training. Finally, a trilingual article （English, German, and Tigrinya） was published in the Collection ＂Cultures et Patrimoines d＇ErythrGe＂, 2009.

Church-Rosser系统表现——么半群中正则问题的可判定性

设(T,A)是字母表A上的Church-Rosser Thue系统,M_T是它表现的么半群.M_T中元素u称为正则的,如果存在x,使得xux=u.本文证明了:M_T 中是否有一非平凡正则元是多项式时间可判定的;而对于一个任给的元素 u,u 是否是正则元却是不可判定的.

Church Monoid的集合表示

Stone Representation Theorem之于 Boolean Algebra就象 Cayley Theorem之于 Abstract GroupTheory一样重要 .本文推广 Stone Representation Theorem中所用的方法给出了 Church Monoid的集合表示 .而且根据此表示定理 ,给出了定理 1的一个新证明 .在证明的过程中 ,得到了一些抽象代数与关系代数的对应关系 .

菲利浦拉金诗歌Church Going标题的评论和新解

菲利浦·拉金诗歌Church Going标题翻译均为《去教堂》,然而就诗歌写作背景与内容而言,Church Going显然不仅仅是"去教堂"的含义,而是具有双关的含义。一方面诗中的"我"作为一个普通的路人,偶然经过乡间废弃的教堂,走了进去,这是去教堂。另一方面,诗歌所描绘的教堂的寂静冷清,暗含了人们宗教信仰的日渐缺失的意味。"去教堂"的翻译仅仅反映了诗歌的表面意思,暗含其中的深刻含义并没有体现出来,抓不住诗歌的灵魂。本文从拉金写Church Going的背景和内容上对标题提出新的翻译观点。

The Early Basilica Church, El-Ashmonein Archaeological Site, Minia, Egypt: Geo-Environmental Analysis and Engineering Characterization of the Building Materials

El-Ashmonein is a significant archaeological site with different buildings from various eras. Between the villages of El-Idara and El-Ashmonein are there mains of Hermopolis, one of the ancient Egyptian metropolis capitals of the fifteenth century of Upper Egypt, called the hare. The buildings in this archaeological site are exposed to many causes of destruction and damage. The remaining structures and granite free standing columns in this area are suffered from plenty of geo-environmental and geotechnical problems. The main objectives of this study are 1) to assess the current state of preservation of this important archaeological site, especially the basilica church with its free standing huge columns, 2) to analyze the different actions which cause the destruction of the archaeological site, in particular the old flash floods and earthquakes, and 3) to identify the geochemical and engineering properties of the construction materials of the granitic columns and other limestone structures of the basilica church by using different kind of sophisticated analytical and diagnostic tools and methods. The multi-criteria analysis allowed the integration of several elements for mapping the vulnerable zones. Results revealed that about 80% of the study area was exposed to high and medium old floods vulnerability because of the vicinity to the Nile River. The structural and non-structural measures recommended in this research will help the decision makers and planners to effectively develop strategies for future site management, intervention retrofitting and rehabilitation of this unique archaeological site.

Woody plant species diversity and composition in and around Debre Libanos church forests of North Shoa Zone of Oromiya,Ethiopia

Dry afromontane forests are among the most poorly managed and endangered ecosystems.Therefore,we assessed the composition,diversity,and conservation status of woody plant species of the Debre Libanos church forests and surrounding forest lands in Oromiya Regional National State,central Ethiopia in 62 nested circular sample plots spaced 200 m apart along two transect lines.Large circular plots 314 m^(2)were used to sample trees with DBH of at least 10 cm,and subplots of 28.26 m^(2)were laid in each main plot were used to assess saplings and shrubs;a small subplot of 3.14 m2 was used to assess seedlings.In total,70 woody plant species belonging to 62 genera and 43 families were recorded.Of these,59,28 and 32 were in the church,government and private forest types,respectively.The most dominant families were Fabaceae and Verbenaceae,each represented by five species.In the forests considered,trees accounted for 61%,and shrubs with diameter at breast height(DBH)of 1-10 cm accounted for ca.33%.Among growth forms of woody species,shrubs and seedlings,followed by trees constituted much of the density of woody species in all the three ownership types of forests.The church forest had the most species(59)and highest Shannon(3.12)and Simpson(0.92)species diversity indices,and the government and private forests had a nearly similar total number of species and Shannon and Simpson species diversity indices.Most of the species with higher importance value indices(IVI)were indigenous in origin within the church forest(Juniperus procera=82),government forest(J.procera=66)and private forest(Acacia abyssinica=84).The composition,diversity,and population structure of woody species in the church forest were significantly higher than in the other forest lands.However,interventions of the government and private sectors to conserve forest systems in the areas,particularly the government-owned forest and specific species such as Olea europaea need active enrichment plantings due to their limited natural regeneration.Without improved management interventions,livelihood income diversification and ecosystem services obtained from the forest will not be sustainable.

Contribution to the Knowledge of Biodeteriogenic Flora on Three Historical Calabrian (Southern Italy) Churches

The effect of biodeteriogenic living organisms on historical and archeological sites is a well-known problem affecting the world’s cultural heritage. Indeed, the growth inside the bricks of shrubs and herbs roots can cause breakage, collapse and, detachment of materials. The knowledge of the spontaneous vascular flora present on monuments is essential for protection and safeguarding of cultural heritage. In this paper, we identify and describe biodeteriogenic vascular flora of three historical Calabrian (Southern Italy) churches, showing the relationship between plant biodiversity and exposure and building material of churches. The species present on the wall and in perimeter for each church were sampled noting substrate type, surface inclination (vertical or horizontal) and exposure. The total number of plant species recorded was 27. Hemicryptophytes (41%) prevail over the other biological forms and the most represented families are that of the Asteraceae. Parietaria judaica is the only species present in all three sites. Substrate type, climatic condition and surface inclination affect the floristic composition. Sixteen out of 27 species grow on vertical surfaces, all Geophythes and Chamaephytes grow on horizontal surfaces, while Therophytes were rather on vertical surfaces. A significant difference was found in the Hazard Index values in the three churches. Only one site, presents a high average value of Hazard Index, due to the simultaneous presence of Ailanthus altissima, Ficus carica, Rubus ulmifolius and Sambucus nigra. The data collected indicate that the flora growing on wall of three Calabrian churches partially reflects the floristic context in which they are located. The diversity of the vegetational spectrum is remarkable, most of the plants are ruderal herbaceous, many weeds and invasive, and for the most part typical of the Mediterranean environment. The data collected contribute to the knowledge of the spontaneous vascular flora present on three historical Calabrian churches and their biodiversity, also in terms of conservation interest, considering its biodeteriogenic potential in the evaluation of the impact of the vegetation on each monument.

Influence of Chinese and Western Culture on Modern Church Architecture in Yan’an Area

Based on the historical records and field investigation, this paper aims at elaborating the architectural styles, interior space design and architectural landscape of modern church architecture in Yan’an, analyzing the influence of Chinese and western culture on modern church architecture in Yan’an and expounding the historical and cultural value as church architecture, which will play a great role in the protection, inheritance and utilization of modern architecture in Yan’an area.

Partial Frequencies and Chladni’s Law in Church Bells

The rim partials of a church bell (those with an antinode at the soundbow) generate the strike pitch or perceived note of the bell. The spacing in frequency of the higher rim partials has an important effect on the tonal quality of the bell. Investigations into the partial frequencies of 2752 bells, both bronze and steel, of a wide variety of dates, founders and sizes, show a simple and unexpected relationship between the frequencies of the rim partials. This relationship explains why attempts to tune the higher rim partials independently have failed. A modified version of Chladni’s law provides insight into the musical relationship of the partials, and predicts the partials of individual bells well, but fails to give a simple model of the spacing between the partials seen in bells with different profiles.

Virtual Pitch and Pitch Shifts in Church Bells

It is well established that musical sounds comprising multiple partials with frequencies approximately in the ratio of small integers give rise to a strong sensation of pitch even if the lowest or fundamental partial is missing—the so-called virtual pitch effect. Experiments on thirty test subjects demonstrate that this virtual pitch is shifted significantly by changes in the spacing of the constituent partials. The experiments measured pitch by comparison of sounds of similar timbre and were automated so that they could be performed remotely across the Internet. Analysis of the test sounds used shows that the pitch shifts are not predicted by Terhardt’s classic model of virtual pitch. The test sounds used were modelled on the sounds of church bells, but a further experiment on seventeen test subjects showed that changes in partial amplitude only had a minor effect on the pitch shifts observed, and that a pitch shift was still observed when two of the lowest frequency partials were removed, so that the effects reported are of general interest.

Political Violence in Nigeria:The Role of the Church

In Nigeria today,it seems that politics is synonymous to violence.Though there are many political parties with different ideologies in the country,some of them are found to engage in actions or words intended to hurt people.In fact,they go to the extent of using dangerous weapons to inflict injuries on perceived political opponents.In this respect,this paper establishes the fact that there is political violence in Nigeria and also examined some of the factors responsible for violence in Nigeria politics such as political environment,ethnicity or tribal politics,intolerance,the insincerity of our political leaders,and electoral fraud.In the same vein,critical criticism as a result of deep hatred for a party or person may also engender political violence in the form of words or utterances.The consequences of such political violence are enormous in every aspect of our national life,which would need the intervention of the church as a voice to save Nigeria and the world from the state of violence and the insurmountable problems attached.Though the church in this country has been playing significant roles,more has to be done to make a positive impact especially among the youths who are the leaders of tomorrow and unfortunately the instruments being used for this political violence.This paper adopted a qualitative research method,while data were collected through secondary sources and internet materials.

YUNDI Had Special Performance at Wangfujing Church

To mark the eleventh year of its sponsorship of the Beijing Music Festival,UBS sponsored a special concert by world-renowned Chinese pianist,YUNDI LI,at the Wangfujing Church in October.YUNDI’s performance at the annual Church Concert,which has been a feature of the Beijing Music Festival since its inception in 2006,marks his return to the Festival after a four-year absence.Taking place on

The Pact of the Catacombs: An Early Harbinger of Pope Francis’ Vision of the Church

Fifty-four years ago, the Pact of the Catacombs was signed by a small group of churchmen, determined to make a difference. It was the time of the Second Vatican Council. It was the closing phase of that momentous experience in the Church’s life―a transforming event about which many still talk about, half a century later. A handful of bishops―40 out of an impressive 2,000-plus contingent meeting in St Peter’s Basilica―decided to assemble at the dead of night in the Catacombs of Domitilla, outside Rome. During that eventful night of 16 November 1965, they dreamt of a poor servant church. In that holy place, beneath the earth’s surface, where many generations of early Christians met to pray and to bury their loved ones, those 40 modern-day bishops met in heartfelt prayer to celebrate the Eucharist. They also signed the Pact of the Catacombs as they committed themselves to the ideals of Vatican II. The group of like-minded courageous shepherds was led by Archbishop Helder Camara of Recife, Brazil, the revered champion of the downtrodden poor and marginalized. Those gathered made a common pledge to live according to the daily manner of ordinary people, with regard to housing, food, means of transport, and such routine needs. In the Pact, they renounced the appearance and trappings of wealth, especially the use of gaudy vestments, resembling those of earthly monarchs, and symbols of precious metals, insisting that such signs should rather be according to the spirit of the Gospel. They promised to divest themselves of earthly riches and properties, and if they had to possess anything they placed it in the name of the diocese or some charitable foundation. In the humble consoling light of flickering candles, the group renounced all those aspects which appeared to be associated with privilege, prominence, and the wealthy echelons of society. In line with this, they expressed their desire not to be addressed verbally or in writing with titles expressing power, but rather with the more scriptural and homely title of “Father”. Their evangelical intention was focused on avoiding any sort of vanity. The signatories that night at the Domitilla Catacombs affirmed that “we will give whatever is needed in terms of our time, our reflection, our heart, our means, etc., to the apostolic and pastoral service of workers and labour groups and to those who are economically weak and disadvantaged, without allowing that to detract from the welfare of other persons or groups of the diocese. We will support lay people, religious, deacons and priests whom the Lord calls to evangelize the poor and the workers, by sharing their lives and their labours”. This paper shows how the Pact of the Catacombs was to be an early harbinger of Pope Francis’ vision of the church.