WALMART = EVANGELICALS ?

While reading this piece in Business Week - IS WAL-MART TOO POWERFUL ? - I was struck the lessons learned from its ascendency & evangelicalism's rise. Then CT has this great article - Walking the Old, Old Talk - Christianity Today Magazine. They connect the dots that were in my head:

Evangelicals have been celebrating their growth in American society. Wolfe notes the way many features of evangelical religion (extempore prayer, small group Bible study, religion of the heart) have become common in both mainline Protestant and Catholic circles. In a sense, Wolfe argues, American religion has become largely evangelical, even where the label doesn't apply. But success reduces religion to the lowest common denominator. And the pursuit of success often involves a Faustian bargain. Reading friendly critics like Wolfe will raise our consciousness. As Wolfe points out, "At least Faust knew the consequences of the pact he signed."