Research Highlight

My research question is " How has Christianity played a role in the Dominican Republic's society and culture? ".  I was inspired to research this topic because my major is christian leadership. I plan on continuing my education to learn more about the Christian beliefs around the world. It has been interesting to learn the differences as well as similarities between Dominican Republic and American Churches. For example the infrastructure of the churches in both countries resemble one another. If someone where to visit America from the D.R and pass a church they would recognize the building as a place of worship and vise versa.

This is an American Church where service is held

This is a Dominican Republic Cathedral where church service is                           

Although in other ways they are different, such as the fact that many Christians identify as catholic with a small number being Protestant while in America many are Protestant with a couple identifying as Catholic. I was nervous about being able to find information on Christian life in the Dominican Republic but i have actually found many resources. The challenge with finding a lot of good resources, is the fact that many are bias on how Christianity actually affects the culture and society of the nation. It is however astonishing to see the level of value religion holds in the D.R compared to here in America. My next step in researching is to interview some people i know who have actually lived in the Dominican Republic for some time and hear their thoughts on the topic. I think it will help me better understand my answer to my research question. The hardest controlling idea I have is the corruption one. I am struggling to find information connecting corruption in the Church to corruption in the Dominican Republic Church. I will have to try using book resources or videos instead of just websites. That way i will not have to be limited on perspectives on the issue of corruption.