Oprah Summary

Oprah is one of the most well known and revered celebrities worldwide. What make Oprah distinct from mainstream celebrities is the entwining of the person and the product of Oprah. In each chapter, of Oprah: The Gospel of an Icon, Lofton compares materials from Oprah's many productions and religious culture. Lofton specifically focuses on the prosperity gospel as practiced by many churches and preached by Oprah, who gives gifts and fills pages of her magazine with products intended for a better life. Lofton also discusses celebrity culture and contemporary evangelism and how the brand Oprah thrives on the inseparable nature of religion and American capitalism

In recent times Oprah has become shorthand for self-help: a spiritual guide, a confessor and a warm shoulder for her adoring American public. Throughout her revolutionary daytime talk show, Oprah’s pronouncements have become the Word to live by for a staggeringly diverse audience. In fact, one could argue she is a religious leader for an America increasingly skeptical about organized religion. According to Lofton, when Oprah ...