โConfronts readers with the implications of a popular tourist destination founded on the values and sentiments of American evangelical Protestantism.โ โThomas S. Bremer, Journal of the American Academy of Religion
Over the past century, Branson, Missouri, has attracted tens of millions of tourists. Nestled in the heart of the Ozark Mountains, it offers a rare and refreshing combination of natural beauty and family-friendly recreationโfrom scenic lakes and rolling hills to theme parks and variety shows. It has boasted of big-name celebrities, like Wayne Newton, Andy Williams, and Petula Clark, as well as family entertainers like Mickey Gilley, the Shanghai Magic Troupe, Jim Stafford, and Yakov Smirnoff.
But there is more to Bransonโs fame than just recreation. As Aaron K. Ketchell discovers, a popular variant of Christianity underscores all Bransonโs tourist attractions and fortifies every consumer success. In this lively and engaging study, Ketchell explores Bransonโs unique blend of religion and recreation. He explains how the city became a mecca of conservative Christianityโa place for a โspiritual vacationโโand how, through conscious effort, its residents and businesses continuously reinforce its inextricable connection with the divine.
Ketchell combines the study of lived religion, popular culture, evangelicalism, and contemporary American history to present an accurate and honest account of a distinctly American phenomenon.
โAs Ketchell brilliantly argues, Branson entrepreneurs wove Christian sentiment โinto a fabric of nostalgia, premodern longing, and whitewashed rusticity.โโ โMatthew Avery Sutton, The Christian Century
โAt a time when Jim Wallis and other observers have forecast the end of the prominence of right-wing-religion on the U.S. political stage, this book will cause many readers to question that prediction.โ โDavid Stricklin, The Journal of Southern History