Business of the heart
Book Description
In the aftermath of America's 1857 financial collapse, something unexpected emerged among white, middle-class Protestant communities: a spiritual awakening that would reshape how an entire generation understood the relationship between faith and emotion. John Corrigan takes readers into the heart of this fascinating period, using Boston's religious landscape as a window into a broader cultural transformation.
Drawing from an impressive collection of personal diaries, private correspondence, and public records, Corrigan reveals how these 19th-century believers developed a remarkably transactional view of spiritual life. For them, emotions weren't simply feelings to be experienced, but valuable commodities to be exchanged. They approached their relationship with the divine as they would any business arrangement, complete with contracts, negotiations, and carefully calculated exchanges.
This unique perspective transformed prayer into a form of spiritual currency and turned religious devotion into what they called the "business of the heart." Through meticulous historical research, Corrigan uncovers how this commercialized approach to faith influenced everything from family dynamics and gender expectations to education and public entertainment.
For modern readers exploring the intersection of spirituality and daily life, this scholarly work offers profound insights into how cultural circumstances shape religious expression. It demonstrates how economic upheaval can catalyze spiritual innovation, revealing the complex ways people have historically negotiated between material concerns and sacred aspirations.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~11 hours)
📄 Length: 389 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Religious life
- ✓ Explore Emotions
- ✓ Explore Christianity
- ✓ Explore Protestantismus
- ✓ Explore Church history
- ✓ Explore Businesspeople
- ✓ Explore History
- ✓ Explore History of doctrines
