How big business made America Christian

Mary Bruno

Mary Bruno Jul 7, 2025

Feb 6, 2018

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                <h1>How big business made America Christian</h1>
                <h2><p>America's "... founding fathers didn’t create the ceremonies and slogans that come to mind when we consider whether this is a Christian nation," writes Princeton University history prof Kevin M. Kruse in Sunday's New York Times. "Our grandfathers did."

Kruse argues that</p></h2>
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               <p>By <a href="/author/mary-bruno-crosscut-com/">Mary Bruno</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Feb 6, 2018</time></p>
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            <p>America's "... founding fathers didn’t create the ceremonies and slogans that come to mind when we consider whether this is a Christian nation," writes Princeton University history prof Kevin M. Kruse in Sunday's<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/15/opinion/sunday/a-christian-nation-since-when.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0"> New York Times</a>. "Our grandfathers did."</p><p>Kruse argues that back in the 1930s, desperate to restore their credibility after the stock market crash, U.S. business leaders hit upon "an inspired public relations offensive that cast capitalism as the handmaiden of Christianity" — and conscripted clergymen to broadcast the message.</p>
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America's "... founding fathers didn’t create the ceremonies and slogans that come to mind when we consider whether this is a Christian nation," writes Princeton University history prof Kevin M. Kruse in Sunday's New York Times. "Our grandfathers did."

Kruse argues that back in the 1930s, desperate to restore their credibility after the stock market crash, U.S. business leaders hit upon "an inspired public relations offensive that cast capitalism as the handmaiden of Christianity" — and conscripted clergymen to broadcast the message.

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By Mary Bruno

Mary was Crosscut's Editor-in-Chief and Interim Publisher. In more than 25 years as a journalist, she has worked as a writer, editor and editorial director for a variety of print and web publications,