Brands of Faith: Marketing Religion in a Commercial Age

This book really helped me to understand why red strings were so in vogue these past few years and why Christian music and books have invaded B & N. It also gave me insight into why our political system is being overrun by religion. Einstein is a professor of media studies and a former MTV Networks exec. so she really knows her stuff in terms of marketing and how it infiltrates our consciousness. She does a great job in explaining how the lines between religion and popular culture have become blurred. While the book provides a great analysis of the growth in Christian media, the real payoff is in the chapter that compares Joel Osteen to Oprah Winfrey. Also, don't let the picture on the cover confuse you. It's not just about Christianity. All faiths are affected by the marketing of religion and the chapter on Kabbalah (with a great explanation of the Madonna influence) is truly entertaining.