For Oprah, for Country, and for Yale?

Kathryn Lofton, a professor in American Studies and Religious Studies, has written a new book that compares Oprah Winfrey’s media empire to a modern religion. In her book, Lofton looks into the ways that Oprah formats her products in ways resonant to religious history.

“Oprah is a movement, an empire, a corporation,” Lofton told the News, adding that Oprah’s products invite people to imagine their lives as potentially transforming, much like many religions.

Lofton notes that Gospel means “good news.” According to the Gospel of Oprah, “You are your good news.”

According to the New York Post, to write her book, Lofton reviewed over 1,560 show transcripts, 105 issues of O magazine, 17 issues of O at Home, 68 Book Club selections and 52 Spirit Newsletters.

By comparison, the average King James Bible is roughly 1200 pages.

Correction: April 24, 2011

An earlier version of this article mistakenly referred to Lofton as a Divinity School professor.