In the aftermath of WWI, America was in a state of rapid change. New technologies (radio foremost among them) brought new opportunities, and new challenges. The post-war economy underwent a mini-boom, but was burdened by loads of refugees from war and revolution-torn Europe. One of the most powerful and appealing messages in an era of expanding prosperity was that faith would not only guarantee the believer a place in heaven, but also help him earn a fortune on earth. The association of virtue with financial success was as old as American Puritanism (and had indeed been a tenet of Mormonism since nearly its inception, financial success being very likely Joseph Smith's reason for coming up with the book of Mormon in the first place), but the unabashed marketing of religion as a product that might guarantee success was, if not altogether new, so grossly expanded in the early 1920's as to constitute a difference in kind rather than merely in degree.

The most famous religious orators of the 19th century, whether they spoke for conservative or liberal faiths, offered an image of man's relationship with god that was, if anything, a brake on American consumerism. Keep the sabbath holy -- do no business one day a week. Don't gather up for yourselves riches on earth. Emulate the poor, wandering, generous Jesus.

In the 20th century, however, Jesus needed a new image -- one to match American Capitalism. And one was forthcoming. This new philosophy -- business embraced by religion, and religion as a business -- was most fully articulated by Bruce Barton, one of the creators of the advertising business dubbed "Madison Avenue," in "The Man Nobody Knows" (1924).

This nonfiction best seller offered a portrait of Jesus as the greatest salesman, advertising copyrighter, and executive of all time. Barton's presentation of Jesus merits examination because it bears a strong resemblance to the image of the aggressive Messiah championed by American Fundamentalists today.

The main premise of "The Man Nobody Knows" was that Jesus had been burdened with an overly meek image that needed to be remedied to appeal to red-blooded Americans in the Roaring Twenties. Young Bruce was not captivated by a Jesus he learned as a child, one who was called the "lamb of god." "The little boy did not know what that meant," Barton recalled, "but it sounded like Mary's little lamb. Something for girls -- sissified. Jesus was also 'meek and lowly,' a 'man of sorrows and acquainted with grief'." In other words, little Bruce saw JJesus as a wimp. But when he grew up to found his own advertising agency, he realized that the Sunday Schoo teachers must have all been wrong about Jesus, because only "strong, magnetic men inspire great enthusiams and build great organizations."

Barton saw a Jesus who had "picked up twelve men from the bottom ranks of business, and forged them into an organization that conquered the world." The book went on to applaus Jesus' capacities as an executive (molding the disparate apostles into a well-oiled staff, with the exception of Judas), a great outdoorsman (fishing on the Sea of Galilee, and climbing all those hills), a garrulous socializer ("the most popular dinner guest in Jerusalem"), and, of course, the greatest success at advertising the world has ever known. Jesus' parables were his personal advertisements, and -- most important -- he specialized in attention-grabbing miracles and declarations of his powers.

Finally, Barton pointed out, Jesus' entire ministry exemplified the secret of business success in any era: service. Whether a man was the owner of a small car-repair business or an executive at General Motors (whose name Barton had coined), he coud learn how to better serve his customers by following the example of the businessman from Nazareth. "Great progress will be made in the world when we rid ourselves of the idea that there is a difference between work and religious work," Baron argued. "The race must be fed and clothed and housed and transported, as well as preached to, and taught and healed. The ALL business is religious business."

And of course, Jesus was a capitalist. How could he not be? Weren't the "reds" (Lenin et al) in the new communist countries godless atheists? Clearly, god had given up on the communist Europeans (as they had given up on him), and chosen capitalist America as his new "promised land" (another theme Barton shared with Joseph Smith!). To pursue god and mammon with equal vigor, and to trumpet one's commitment and devotion, had become an American virtue. To do it in the name of Jesus, an American goal.

Barton's New American Jesus not only magnified and militarized the old American Protestant work ethic, it also provided an area of common ground between American Protestants and a largely despised (but growing) minority -- American Catholics. Flooding into the US as refugees from "red revolutions," Eastern European Catholics were viewed with fear and suspicion, with their "old" religion and their allegiance to Rome. However, these refugees -- and the small existing American Catholic community that welcomed them -- were virulently anti-communist; Barton's capitalist Jesus, and declarations of America as the promised land, was something they all could agree on. Indeed, the first Catholics to take to the radio airwaves for "ministry," specifically Bishop Fulton Sheen, were vocally anti-communist -- and picked up many of Barton's "new American Jesus" themes in their rants against communism, and their efforts to get regular Americans to accept Catholic immigrants.

Barton's book sold out numerous printings. It was considered required reading for any businessman for many years. It laid the foundation of associating Jesus with business success, with anti-communism, and with "prosperity" that went right through the McCarthy era to the fundamentalist "prosperity" ministers of today. It gave America its own Jesus far more than Smith's fumbling attempts to claim Jesus had once visited the new promised land -- it gave us Jesus the businessman, Jesus the ad-man, Jesus the capitalist, Jesus the American.

Hallelujah and pass the profits.


references:
Susan Jacoby, "Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Fairchild_Barton

Bruce Barton, "The Man Nobody Knows"

Lyrics by They Might Be Giants from 1988:

I built a little empire out of some crazy garbage
Called the blood of the exploited working class
But they've overcome their shyness
Now they're calling me Your Highness
And a world screams, "Kiss me, Son of God"

Populism, which was born of that era has been attributed muchly to WJ Bryant who of course had no chance of ascending to power whatsoever, with his religious fanaticism included.

However.

The above mentioned philosophy as a political statement has now reared its hoary head in the political arena with the advent of a certain senator from Vermont.....the very birthplace of he whom we all know as Horny Joseph, ironic as it may seem.

Stay tuned.

Well yeah but USA Jesus really meant to say to free the slaves doncha know?

He just forgot to tell the FF to include that in the constitution.

He had much bigger fish to fry at the time.

don't forget that american jesus had a confederate flag embroidered on his robe.

Mormon Jesus is clothed in the Red, White and Jew. No Blacks or Gentiles for him.

That was educational in a delightful way. Thanks for sharing.