This volume investigates the historical interdependence between American religious institutions and the mechanisms of the marketplace. The editors, John Corrigan, Darren E. Grem, and Amanda Porterfield, curate a collection of essays that examine how religious organizations have historically utilized business practices to sustain their operations. The contributors argue that the development of American religious life is inseparable from the economic strategies, financing, and marketing techniques employed by these institutions.

Scholars in the field of American religious history identify this collection as a significant contribution to the study of institutional development. Readers frequently note the academic rigor of the essays and the clarity with which the authors connect economic history to religious practice.