The Blessings of Business: How Corporations Shaped Conservative Christianity

305 Pages·2016·3.65 MB·English

by  Darren E. Grem

The Blessings of Business

The Blessings of Business
How Corporations Shaped
Conservative Christianity
DARREN E. GREM
1
1
Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers
the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education
by publishing worldwide. Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University
Press in the UK and certain other countries.
Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, United States of America.
© Oxford University Press 2016
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the
prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted
by law, by license, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reproduction
rights organization. Inquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the
above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the
address above.
You must not circulate this work in any other form
and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Grem, Darren E., author.
Title: The blessings of business: how corporations shaped conservative Christianity / Darren E. Grem.
Description: New York: Oxford University Press, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015044390 (print) | LCCN 2016007190 (ebook) |
ISBN 978–0–19–992797–5 (cloth: alk. paper) | ISBN 978–0–19–992798–2 (updf) |
ISBN 978–0–19–046700–5 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: United States—Church history—20th century. | Business—Religious aspects—
Christianity. | Conservatism—Religious aspects—Christianity. | Conservatism—United States—History—
20th century. | Evangelicalism—United States—History—20th century.
Classification: LCC BR517.G74 2016 (print) | LCC BR517 (ebook) | DDC 261.8/50973—dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015044390
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed by Sheridan, USA
For W. Ellie and Phyllis C. Grem

CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
Abbreviations xiii
Introduction 1
PART I HOW BIG BUSINESSMEN SHAPED
CONSERVATIVE EVANGELICALISM
1. Fundamentalist Fronts: Herbert J. Taylor, Businessmen,
and the “Revival” of Conservative Evangelicalism 13
2. Corporate Convictions: Billy Graham, Big Business,
and the New Evangelicalism 49
3. Corporate Crusades: Markets, Missions, and R. G. LeTourneau’s
Cold War 82
PART II HOW CONSERVATIVE EVANGELICALISM
BECAME BIG BUSINESS
4. Marketplace Missions: Chick- fil- A and the Evangelical
Business Sector 121
5. Culture Industries: Heritage USA and the Corporatization
of Evangelical Culture 162
vii
viii Contents
6. Free- Market Faith: Zig Ziglar and the Business of Evangelical
Culture War 192
Conclusion 226
Notes 239
Index 267
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My immediate family deserves the first round of thanks. W. Ellie and Phyllis
C. Grem always said that an education is the one of the few things in life that no
one can take from you. They stood by that belief and sacrificed more than they
should have to make sure I took their lesson to heart. They have been supportive
beyond words from preschool through graduate school, and they have shaped
my life in ways I am only beginning to realize. This book is for them. I also appre-
ciate the love and support of my siblings Marty and Joy, both of whom have
taught me that not every part of your education happens in a classroom. My
children, Will and Lily, have done much the same. They are already an inspira-
tion, convincing me each day that parenthood is a far richer challenge than any
academic or professional endeavor I will undertake.
At the University of Georgia, Jim Cobb offered wise counsel through several
dead ends and false starts, pushing me to be as ambitious as possible. He called
it like he saw it, and I would never want him to do otherwise. I hope all the
“hunkering down” was worth it. John Inscoe saw me through my first research
seminar and my first published article. He also asked some great questions at
various stages of the research and writing process, and I thank him for the advice
he offered over many a free lunch. Laura Mason likewise taught me how to think
about whose stories are untold in history and inspired me to think harder about
the nature of power and the broad ramifications of the seemingly mundane.
Bethany Moreton and I met one another just as the project was getting under-
way, but she offered help and encouragement when most needed. Similarly,
Theo Calderara at Oxford University Press saw promise in the project from the
start and let it take shape as it did. His editorial guidance took it from disserta-
tion to manuscript to book, and I appreciate his suggestions and patience.
Archivists at libraries and colleges from Delaware to North Carolina to
Illinois to Texas made the research go as smoothly as possible, but I reserve
special thanks for the folks at LeTourneau University and the Hagley Library
ix