Selling the old-time religion
Subtitle: American fundamentalists and mass culture, 1920-1940
By: Douglas Carl Abrams.
Publisher: University of Georgia Press
Published: 2001
Place of publication: Athens
Language: eng
Number of pages: 168
Subjects: Religious fundamentalism -- United States -- History.
Description: "The relationship between Protestant fundamentalists and mass culture is often considered complex and ambiguous. Selling the Old-Time Religion examines this relationship and shows how the first generation of fundamentalists embraced the modern business and entertainment techniques of marketing, advertising, drama, film, radio, and publishing to spread the gospel. Selectively, and with more sophistication than has been accorded to them, fundamentalists adapted to the consumer society and popular culture with the accompanying values of materialism and immediate gratification, despite the seeming conflict between these values and certain tenets of their religious beliefs." "Abrams draws extensively on sermons, popular journals, and educational archives to reveal the attitudes and actions of the fundamental leadership and the laity. Abrams discusses how fundamentalists' outlook toward contemporary trends and events shifted from aloofness to engagement as they moved inward from the margins of American culture and began to weigh in on the day's issues - from jazz to "flappers"--In large numbers."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [153]-162) and index.