SFG75
Well-Known Member
This work was begun after a minister had approached Sinclair Lewis over his depiction of a minister in his work Babbitt. The minister viewed the portrayal as unfair and offered Lewis the opportunity to see how ministers operate first hand. After taking many notes on the profession and after conversing with many ministers of different faiths, Lewis penned Elmer Gantry.
Allegedly, the Gantry character was based on popular minister Billy Sunday who was known to whip crowds into a frenzy with his preaching. The story centers around Elmer Gantry, a football playing tough who swears, drinks, and is known to be especially friendly to the girls. Jim Lefferts is his atheist roommate who keeps Gantry grounded through his barbed wit and musings about the private college's professors and ministers. After being "born again" through an experience that was more peer pressure than spiritual, Elmer decides upon the ministry as an occupation. That way, he can read, and have his mother beam up at him proudly.
Gantry takes a job as a baptist minister in one community, but that one quickly ends sourly as his flirting with a deacon's daughter gets him engaged to a girl that although attractive, is not his life's mate. What does he do? He plays her off of her ex-boyfriend and has the deacon catch them embracing after Elmer has hurt her feelings and she is seen being consoled by a simple farm boy who was always in love with her. After getting the boot from the baptists, Elmer's preaching career is saved by an itinerant female evangelist who takes him on at the expense of another minister. They twist arms to get more money for their revivals to bring more souls to the regular church preachers. They demand high prices, using fake orphanages and payrolls as key reasons. After this stint, Elmer becomes a methodist preacher.
While with the methodists, Elmer becomes a crusader against vice, leading raids against speakeasies and having prostitutes and their clients arrested. After a good number of arrests, Elmer lets them be and he gets his world-wide acclaim.
The book is filled with religous conflict as well. Many of the ministers have a hard time coming to grips with the teachings of evolution, as well as literalism. Some can reconcile it through belief and faith. Others are curious about literalism, wondering loudly if these fables aren't equally as wonderful and joyous as fables and rituals that people need to study in a more in-depth manner. Of course, the reasoning of the Gantry type people wins out and many of the "liberals"( as described in the book) are forced to remain silent if they desire to keep a check.
This book is fascinating in regards to theological debates of the era. Being a history teacher, I'm knowledgeable of a good deal of them and Lewis covered them with great ease. I was also highly impressed with his humor as well. The personalities of the rival preachers and their respective sects had me laughing out of my chair at times. Made me wonder what my methodist grandfather and baptist great-grandfather would have said had they read the same lines as myself. The book isn't an atheist tract by any means, just one that puts forward the problems of a corrupt preacher and others who wrestle with the pressing social and spiritual issues of the day. Interestingly enough, Lewis was invited to many "parties" where he most defintitely would've been beten or killed by crowds who were very upset about the writing of Elmer Gantry.
In 1960, MGM released Elmer Gantry starring Burt Lancaster and Jean Simmons. The composer of the film was Andre Previn interestingly enough.
Anyone else read this one? I recommend it, definitely a good one.
Allegedly, the Gantry character was based on popular minister Billy Sunday who was known to whip crowds into a frenzy with his preaching. The story centers around Elmer Gantry, a football playing tough who swears, drinks, and is known to be especially friendly to the girls. Jim Lefferts is his atheist roommate who keeps Gantry grounded through his barbed wit and musings about the private college's professors and ministers. After being "born again" through an experience that was more peer pressure than spiritual, Elmer decides upon the ministry as an occupation. That way, he can read, and have his mother beam up at him proudly.
Gantry takes a job as a baptist minister in one community, but that one quickly ends sourly as his flirting with a deacon's daughter gets him engaged to a girl that although attractive, is not his life's mate. What does he do? He plays her off of her ex-boyfriend and has the deacon catch them embracing after Elmer has hurt her feelings and she is seen being consoled by a simple farm boy who was always in love with her. After getting the boot from the baptists, Elmer's preaching career is saved by an itinerant female evangelist who takes him on at the expense of another minister. They twist arms to get more money for their revivals to bring more souls to the regular church preachers. They demand high prices, using fake orphanages and payrolls as key reasons. After this stint, Elmer becomes a methodist preacher.
While with the methodists, Elmer becomes a crusader against vice, leading raids against speakeasies and having prostitutes and their clients arrested. After a good number of arrests, Elmer lets them be and he gets his world-wide acclaim.
The book is filled with religous conflict as well. Many of the ministers have a hard time coming to grips with the teachings of evolution, as well as literalism. Some can reconcile it through belief and faith. Others are curious about literalism, wondering loudly if these fables aren't equally as wonderful and joyous as fables and rituals that people need to study in a more in-depth manner. Of course, the reasoning of the Gantry type people wins out and many of the "liberals"( as described in the book) are forced to remain silent if they desire to keep a check.
This book is fascinating in regards to theological debates of the era. Being a history teacher, I'm knowledgeable of a good deal of them and Lewis covered them with great ease. I was also highly impressed with his humor as well. The personalities of the rival preachers and their respective sects had me laughing out of my chair at times. Made me wonder what my methodist grandfather and baptist great-grandfather would have said had they read the same lines as myself. The book isn't an atheist tract by any means, just one that puts forward the problems of a corrupt preacher and others who wrestle with the pressing social and spiritual issues of the day. Interestingly enough, Lewis was invited to many "parties" where he most defintitely would've been beten or killed by crowds who were very upset about the writing of Elmer Gantry.
In 1960, MGM released Elmer Gantry starring Burt Lancaster and Jean Simmons. The composer of the film was Andre Previn interestingly enough.
Anyone else read this one? I recommend it, definitely a good one.
