Faith can be a powerful force for good. But somewhere along the line, a lotta folks got sold a version of the gospel where God always votes corporate—and poverty’s just a sign you ain’t prayin’ hard enough.
In this episode, we dig into how religious language and market ideology got braided together to bless deregulation, bust unions, and make the working poor feel like they were just spiritually underperforming. We talk about the rise of “Christian free enterprise,” the political sermons bankrolled by business lobbies, and how the phrase “God’s property” started meanin’ a little more about land deeds than redemption. It’s the story of how holiness got hijacked by ownership.
Further Reading :
Kruse, Kevin M. One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America. Basic Books, 2015.
The foundational text for understanding the alliance between postwar capitalism and religious messaging.
Dochuk, Darren. Anointed with Oil: How Christianity and Crude Made Modern America. Basic Books, 2019.
Explores how resource wealth, evangelicalism, and economic policy became intertwined.
Balmer, Randall. Bad Faith: Race and the Rise of the Religious Right. Eerdmans, 2021.
A powerful rebuttal to the myth that the religious right emerged over abortion—it was about property, control, and desegregation.
Martin, William. With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America. Broadway Books, 2005.
Provides detailed history of how political actors used religion to gain public loyalty and dismantle New Deal-era ideas.
Pierard, Richard V. and Linder, Robert D. Civil Religion and the Presidency. Zondervan, 1988.
Discusses how American presidents have used religious language to justify policy—including Reagan’s alignment with Christian economic ideals.
Texas Public Policy Foundation – Archive on Religious Liberty and Economic Freedom
https://www.texaspolicy.com
A current-day example of think tanks advocating for deregulation under faith-based rhetoric.
