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Here* is the companion tract to Elmer Gantry. Organized religion in the U. S., lately bombed from behind with Sinclair Lewisite, is now fearlessly confronted and challenged by Harold Bell Wrighteousness.
This time there will be no escape for organized religion, which easily evaded the Lewis onslaught by decrying Mr. Lewis as a malicious infidel. Harold Bell Wright is the exact opposite of an infidel. He is the Sunday School prizeman of U. S. literature. While Sinclair Lewis sways the masses who think they think, Harold Bell Wright inspires the infinitely more powerful masses who never think of thinking. He is a Moses for morons, and where Infidel Lewis gained attention by being sexy, the tablet that Moses Wright has now handed down is graven large with symbols even more potent than Sex among Americans. Mr. Wright presents the Statistics.
The Hero whom Mr. Wright has summoned for this most ambitious of all his labors is Big Dan Matthews, stern, strong, sad he-man out of The Shepherd of the Hills and The Calling of Dan Matthews, the two epics which, with That Printer of Udell's, transformed Mr. Wright from an obscure preacher in the Ozarks into a wealthy national phenomenon. Dan Matthews, as all Wright-minded people will remember, was driven from the ministry for preaching Christianity too simply. He went into mining, made millions and in this book is ready to complete a new ministry of Business. The story sets forth why and how Big Dan Matthews proceeds in this ministry. The "why" constitutes the Wrighteous onslaught; the "how" a Wrighteous triumph. By coincidence, Big Dan's base of operations is Kansas City, Mo., where material for some of the more violent chapters of Elmer Gantry was collected.
The Onslaught. ". . . In this so-called Christian country there is no organization in existence through which one can spend a dollar for a purely religious purpose." Thus says Big Dan Matthews, in italics, to his faithful henchman, John Saxton, in Chapter II. It is the climax to a series of shocking facts unearthed by Big Dan's survey of political, economic and social conditions in the U. S.—"facts and figures submitted by ... unprejudiced observers [which] would convince any sane person that the United States of America is moving toward utter ruin."
And yet, with ruin at hand, U. S. Christianity is found to be divided into 183 denominations. Four of every five dollars contributed to any denomination have been spent maintaining the features which distinguish that denomination from the other 182. As for the preachers: "The modern, down-to-date clergyman, under the ruthless competition of this denominational system, has little time or strength or thought left for the Christian religion. He is 10% social visitor, tea drinker and diner-out; 5% handy man and speaker for all kinds of boosting clubs; 5% political henchman; 20% denominational advocate; 5% protector and comforter of that portion of his membership who, because their deeds will not bear the light, must live under the cloak of the Church; and 50% public entertainer. The remaining 5% of him is teacher of the truths of Jesus, which, alone, constitute 100% of Christianity."
"Religiously," says Big Dan, "we are a race of spiritual grocery-men."
The Triumph. To the town of Westover (pop. 40,698) goes Big Dan's honest emissary. In this "most