Spiritual Cleanliness & American Culture

with Chad Seales, Associate Professor of Religious Studies

This lecture will show how the phrase "cleanliness is next to godliness," popularized by John Wesley, has been lived out in American culture, using examples from soap advertisements, banking, apparel, and agriculture.

About Chad Seales

Chad Seales is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Holder Designate of the Brian F. Bolton Distinguished Professorship in Secular Studies. He taught at New College of Florida in Sarasota and George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia before arriving at The University of Texas at Austin. He earned a B.A from the University of Florida, an M.T.S. from Candler School of Theology at Emory University, and a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

His research addresses the cultural relationship between religion and secularism in American life. He is editor of the Routledge Handbook of Religion and American Culture (Routledge Press, 2025), and the author of Religion Around Bono: Evangelical Enchantment and Neoliberal Capitalism (Penn State University Press, 2019), and The Secular Spectacle: Performing Religion in a Southern Town (Oxford University Press, 2013), and has published articles and book chapters on religious comparison, religion and food, industrial religion, corporate chaplaincy, religion and film, and secularism and secularization in the United States. He currently serves as co-editor of the Iconologies book series with The University of Chicago Press.

About UUMC Masterclass

What happens when some of the finest teachers in our congregation bring their compelling lectures beyond the classroom?

UUMC MasterClass invites professors from our church to share their knowledge, passions, and best ideas with the broader public. Every Tuesday, a different lecturer will introduce us to a subject through an engaging and accessible presentation. No academic background is required. This is for anyone who enjoys learning and asking questions. Attend in person or on Zoom for a single lecture or return each week for a new topic and teacher! For a Zoom link, or with any questions, please email Pastor Earl: pastorearl@uumc.org