BRANSON, Mo. (RNS) — A night at the Dolly Parton Stampede is a microcosm of life in these polarized United States.
For nearly two hours, on a hot August night, a capacity crowd divided by North and South, Red and Blue, tried to outshout the other side, egged on by leaders who referred to the other side by creative, G-rated terms of derision.
The tension ramped up as two teams of riders dressed as cowboys and pioneers of the Old West competed to show which side could ride fastest, dodging obstacles and the occasional ring of fire — then breaking into songs or corn-pone jokes, while the audience cheered and devoured Cornish hens, biscuits and corn on the cob by the truckload.
At the end of the night, out came the American flag for a parade with a Dolly Parton soundtrack, designed to remind everyone that no matter where they came from, they all bleed red, white and blue.
“There really is no North or South, no East or West — because we are the United States of America” said the show’s emcee, decked out in a star-spangled outfit. “United under one flag.”
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Then he asked the crowd, “Are you proud to be an American?” as Dolly Parton’s voice rose in “America the Beautiful.”
“America, America, God shed his grace on thee. And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.”
Welcome to Branson, Missouri, where the holy trinity of faith, flag and family reign supreme and where an inspirational, God-and-country style of Christian nationalism serves as comfort food for the American soul. For more than a century, weary pilgrims have sought spiritual renewal and rest from the troubles of modern life here in the heart of the Ozarks — hoping to find a nostalgic vision of a beautiful America.
St. Louis tourists were first drawn to Branson as a refuge where they could hunt and fish in its pristine wilderness. The area became filled with spiritual meaning after the 1917 publication of “The Shepherd of the Hills,” a bestselling novel by Disciples of Christ minister Harold Bell Wright, a tale of romance and redemption set in the hills of the Ozarks.
The popularity of “Shepherd of the Hills” eventually inspired an outdoor dinner-theater version of the story, which remains a popular tourist attraction in Branson, though the site of the show has been updated with zip lines and the mammoth Inspiration Tower, the highest point in the city.
Wright was a proponent of a conservative version of the social gospel, where a person’s loving actions on behalf of those in need matter more than their doctrine or prayers, said Aaron Ketchell, author of “Holy Hills of the Ozarks,” a history of religious tourism in Branson.
Wright’s dream of a nostalgic, nondenominational, inspirational holy space remains part of the soul of Branson, said Ketchell. While the message is Christian, he said, it’s not doctrinaire or evangelistic. Instead, the message is aspirational, focused on hope and love rather than conversion.
