James W. Fifield Jr.

James William Fifield Jr. (June 5, 1899 – February 25, 1977) was an American Congregational minister who led the First Congregational Church in Los Angeles and was co-founder and president of the conservative free-market organization Spiritual Mobilization.

Fifield emerged as one of the leading Protestant opponents of the Social Gospel, arguing that Christianity was fundamentally aligned with individual liberty, free enterprise, and limited government. Nicknamed "The Apostle to Millionaires", he was instrumental in ushering in an alliance of corporate-funded Christianity and Christian identity politics in the United States.

Early life Born in Chicago, Fifield grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, where his father was a Congregational minister. After having served in the infantry during World War I, he received a Master of Arts degree from University of Chicago in 1921. In 1924, he obtained a Bachelor of Divinity degree from the Chicago Theological Seminary and was ordained a minister.

The First Congregational Church was at the time heavily indebted due to the costs of a cathedral-style building which had a 176 foot high tower, more than 100 rooms, auditoriums, and a gymnasium. The church had 1,500 members at Fifield's arrival, but after Fifield initiated a major increase in activities membership rose to over 4,500 in the beginning of the 1940s and the debt was paid off in 1942. According to Kevin Kruse, Fifield was politically conservative but doctrinally liberal, and crafted an interpretation of the Bible that catered to his congregation. Kruse argues that Fifield dismissed the many passages in the New Testament about wealth and poverty, and instead assured the elite that their worldly success was a sign of God's blessings. He became its president; its ideology has been described by Kevin M. Kruse and others as Christian libertarianism. "Freedom under God" was a much used phrase by Fifield and the organization. The message was mainly directed towards Congregational, Presbyterian and Episcopal ministers and laymen through radio and television programs and a monthly magazine Faith and Freedom with William Johnson as editor and James C. Ingebretsen as a major contributor.

In 1940, Fifield gave a speech to the National Association of Manufacturers at the Waldorf Astoria New York where he praised capitalism and business leaders, while denouncing Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal. The speech, which underlined that Christian leaders and religious arguments were crucial in the effort to promote a free-market agenda, was exceptionally well received.

In 1951, the Anti-Defamation League demanded an apology from Fifield after he falsely stated in a program that "it was a matter of historical record that Benjamin Franklin denounced the Jews at the Constitutional Convention in 1787." On other occasions, Fifield and his organization were also accused of racism and anti-semitism. He successfully campaigned to remove UNESCO material from use in schools in Los Angeles. and helped Welch expand the organization to California.

Awards Fifield received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Chicago Theological Seminary in 1934.