Research Catalog

One nation under God : how corporate America invented Christian America

Title
One nation under God : how corporate America invented Christian America / Kevin M. Kruse.
Author
Kruse, Kevin Michael, 1972-
Publication
New York : Basic Books, 2015.
Supplementary Content
Book review (H-Net)

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Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schwarzman Building to submit a request in person.

TextUse in library JFE 16-7781Schwarzman Building - Main Reading Room 315

Details

Description
xvi, 352 pages : illustrations; 25 cm
Summary
  • "We're often told that the United States is, was, and always has been a Christian nation. But in One Nation Under God, historian Kevin M. Kruse reveals that the idea of 'Christian America' is an invention--and a relatively recent one at that. As Kruse argues, the belief that America is fundamentally and formally a Christian nation originated in the 1930s when businessmen enlisted religious activists in their fight against FDR's New Deal. Corporations from General Motors to Hilton Hotels bankrolled conservative clergymen, encouraging them to attack the New Deal as a program of 'pagan statism' that perverted the central principle of Christianity: the sanctity and salvation of the individual. Their campaign for 'freedom under God' culminated in the election of their close ally Dwight Eisenhower in 1952. But this apparent triumph had an ironic twist. In Eisenhower's hands, a religious movement born in opposition to the government was transformed into one that fused faith and the federal government as never before. During the 1950s, Eisenhower revolutionized the role of religion in American political culture, inventing new traditions from inaugural prayers to the National Prayer Breakfast. Meanwhile, Congress added the phrase 'under God' to the Pledge of Allegiance and made 'In God We Trust' the country's first official motto. With private groups joining in, church membership soared to an all-time high of 69%. For the first time, Americans began to think of their country as an officially Christian nation. During this moment, virtually all Americans--across the religious and political spectrum--believed that their country was 'one nation under God.' But as Americans moved from broad generalities to the details of issues such as school prayer, cracks began to appear. Religious leaders rejected this 'lowest common denomination' public religion, leaving conservative political activists to champion it alone. In Richard Nixon's hands, a politics that conflated piety and patriotism became sole property of the right. Provocative and authoritative, One Nation Under God reveals how the unholy alliance of money, religion, and politics created a false origin story that continues to define and divide American politics to this day"--
  • "In One Nation Under God, award-winning historian Kevin M. Kruse argues that the story of Christian America begins with the Great Depression, when a coalition of businessmen and religious leaders united in opposition to the New Deal. As Kruse shows, corporations from General Motors and Kraft Foods to J.C. Penney and Hilton Hotels, poured money into the coffers of conservative religious leaders, who in turn used those funds to attack FDR's New Deal administration as a program of "pagan statism" that perverted the central tenet of Christianity: the salvation of the individual"--
Subjects
Note
  • Includes index.
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (pages 299-337) and index.
Contents
pt. I. Creation : "Freedom under God" ; The great crusades -- pt. II. Consecration : "Government under God" ; Pledging allegiance ; Pitchmen for piety -- pt. III. Conflict : "Whose religious tradition?" -- "Our so-called religious leaders" ; "Which side are you on?" -- Epilogue.
Call Number
JFE 16-7781
ISBN
  • 9780465049493 (hardback : alkaline paper)
  • 0465049494 (hardback : alkaline paper)
  • 9780465097418
  • 0465097413
LCCN
  • 2014035883
  • 99963049870
OCLC
888557074
Author
Kruse, Kevin Michael, 1972-
Title
One nation under God : how corporate America invented Christian America / Kevin M. Kruse.
Publisher
New York : Basic Books, 2015.
Type of Content
text
Type of Medium
unmediated
Type of Carrier
volume
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 299-337) and index.
Connect to:
Book review (H-Net)
Other Standard Identifier
99963049870
Research Call Number
JFE 16-7781
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