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Image – The Gospel According to “St. John”
The Gospel According to “St. John” Page 584
Chapter 17
The Gospel According to “St. John”
The rise of the “new industrial order” in the Gilded Age was led by immensely wealthy capitalists like John D. Rockefeller. Rockefeller ascribed to the idea of “progress”. It was duty—and the duty of other privileged white male Protestants—to enlighten the masses through charitable works. This 1905 cartoon critically assesses John D. Rockefeller’s philanthropy to foreign Christian missions and his fortune gained through Standard Oil’s exploitive methods.
Questions for Analysis
1. How are the “little people” who are receiving the “Gospel” portrayed? How is Rockefeller portrayed? What type of Christian values would Rockefeller expect the receivers of his gospel to exhibit?
2. How does the cartoon draw a connection between Rockefeller’s fortune and the people who presumably will be civilized by his Gospel?