Rhetorical enterprise in the ministry of “reverend Ike”

Abstract

Current evangelical efforts at synthesizing spiritual and secular problem‐solving represent religious manifestations of “rhetorical enterprise"—a shrewd combination of content and delivery which fosters a symbiotic relationship between source and receiver (ministry and follower). This essay suggests a critical methodology for assessing the goals, methods, and precedents of rhetorical enterprise. A case study of the Reverend Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter II (“Reverend Ike”) and his Science of Living ministry illustrates the dynamics of a prominent religious enterprise.