Discussed in this essay:
Self-Help Messiah: Dale Carnegie and Success in Modern America, by Steven Watts. 592 pages. $29.95. Other Press.
Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel, by Kate Bowler. 352 pages. $34.95. Oxford University Press.
The Holy Spirit, Your Financial Adviser: God’s Plan for Debt-Free Money Management, by Creflo Dollar. 342 pages. $22. FaithWords.
Dale Carnegie called his self-help book, written at the nadir of the Great Depression, How to Win Friends and Influence People, as if it were a relationship manual. But it’s no accident that at the outset he introduces Charles…