In the years after World War II, a new kind of gospel swept across America—one wrapped in stars, stripes, and suspicion. In this episode, we trace how conservative organizers and business-backed ministries fused anti-unionism with evangelical revivalism. From tent revivals to Sunday radio, we follow how scripture was reinterpreted to sanctify free enterprise and demonize collective bargaining. Labor was cast as a sinful rebellion against “God’s order,” and union men were painted not as brothers—but as threats to Christian liberty. It wasn’t just a culture war—it was a calculated one, and it changed the way millions of Americans saw faith, work, and power.
Further Reading:
Kruse, Kevin M. One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America. Basic Books, 2015.
A foundational work on the merger of corporate interests and religious nationalism in the mid-20th century.
Phillips-Fein, Kim. Invisible Hands: The Businessmen’s Crusade Against the New Deal. W. W. Norton, 2009.
Documents how conservative capitalists courted clergy and funded spiritual campaigns to dismantle labor protections.
Dochuk, Darren. From Bible Belt to Sunbelt: Plain-Folk Religion, Grassroots Politics, and the Rise of Evangelical Conservatism. W. W. Norton, 2011.
Tracks the migration of political power and religious conservatism from rural revivalism to suburban influence.
Balmer, Randall. Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts the Faith and Threatens America. Basic Books, 2006.
Offers context on the theological shifts that enabled political manipulation within American evangelicalism.
Gilmore, Glenda Elizabeth. Defying Dixie: The Radical Roots of Civil Rights, 1919–1950. W. W. Norton, 2008.
Touches on how leftist movements, including labor organizing, were often smeared through religious framing in the South.
Christian Economics (Magazine Archives), 1950s–1960s.
A corporate-funded publication used to distribute anti-labor theology to churches.
The National Association of Manufacturers – Public Relations Archive
Includes sermons, pamphlets, and suggested talking points distributed to clergy.
