Faith, Media, and Persuasion: How Evangelicals Win in a Religious Free Market

(Hardback)

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Faith, Media, and Persuasion explores how non-denominational evangelical organizations orchestrate commercial-grade entertainment media to amplify religious rhetoric. Providing an in-depth look at the unique socio-technical situation facing evangelicals, this book analyzes the unique methods of persuasion that independent churches rely on to maintain their congregant base and recruit new members in a crowded religious marketplace. Scholars of media ecology, media studies, rhetoric, and sociology of religion will find this book of particular interest.

Reviews

Combining the skills of an ethnographer with the insights of a rhetorician, Bajan in his timely and engaging book clearly and carefully investigates the techniques of what he calls the evangelical template of persuasion so common in contemporary evangelical churches. His conclusion, that this template effectively channels Christian teachings into a highly specialized form of propaganda, functions simultaneously as a guide for aspiring churches and a cautionary tale about what happens to Christian faith and practice in our rapidly developing technological society. * Nathan Crick, Texas A&M University, USA *
Adam Bajan excavates the extraordinary world of American evangelical Christian persuasion and propaganda, offering up a masterful analysis of their use of spectacle and rhetoric. And he does so with wit and verve not often seen in academic books. * Stephen Bales, Texas A&M University, USA *
In Faith, Media, and Persuasion: How Evangelicals Win in a Religious Free Market, Adam Bajan describes what he calls the evangelical template of persuasion. This is a ministerial pattern of rhetorical practices that Bajan shows is central to the way that evangelical churches in America seek to attract new members. Based on the systematic study of four evangelical churches located in Texas, Bajan grounds his analysis in a series of observations and extensive interviews to uncover the promotional strategies that have helped evangelical churches thrive even as many so-called mainline churches have experienced declines in regular attendance. A must read for anyone interested in the rhetoric of religion. * Gary McCarron, Simon Fraser University, Canada *
In Faith, Media, and Persuasion Adam Bajan provides an insightful and critical window into how and why Christians attend church and participate in church life as a matter of belief and faith in their particular faith-based institution. He introduces the concept of mass religious individualsi.e., interchangeable groups of people that are prime targets for proselytization by evangelicals due to their susceptibility to propaganda. Using original research and drawing on classic sources from communication studies, he traces how mass individuals are drawn to evangelical membership through their social disenchantment, widespread withdrawal from civic groups, inevitable disappointment in technology, and an inability to climb the social ladder that is so often said to be the marker of success in a free-market system. This book is a valuable resource for scholars and students alike. * Terry S. Neiman, Douglas College, Canada *

Author Bio

Adam Bajan is lecturer at Texas A&M University, USA.