ipl-logo

Being Consumed: Economics And Christian Desire By William T. Cavanaugh

1612 Words7 Pages

In Being Consumed – Economics and Christian Desire, William T. Cavanaugh sets out to provide an analysis of one of the biggest present-day issues that many Christians grapple with from time to time, namely, . That is the issue of remaining in keeping towith Christian principles in a globalized free market economy. How does a Christian know whether the economic choices one makes are in keeping with Christian principles? Should this even be an issue? Isn’t the matter of economics completely separate from one’s Christian beliefs? In providing his analysis of these issues, Cavanaugh engages with different views and looks to different sources for the answers he provides. However, a common thread that is consistent throughout Being Consumed – Economics and Christian Desire is that of the author’s use of scripture as an interpretative tool that unlocks the answers to these questions. The first chapter is titled “Freedom and Unfreedom”. Here, the author describes the characteristics of a “free market economy”. In (2008: 2) Cavanaugh provides Friedman’s the conventional understanding of a free market economy ais that of a market that is free from state intervention …show more content…

However, that would only be an environmental shift and the principles that apply would remain the same. The books concepts would have been much richer if the author attempted to explore the impact of money; greed and status in developing countries as advertisements of new product have the same effect of inducing demand of products that are introduced to the buyer to have qualities to bring happiness and fulfilment in their lives. The concepts of third world consumers having to choose from product that they need from the product that they want would have been a thoughtful concept to

Show More
Related

  • C. S. Lewis Mere Christianity

    295 Words  | 2 Pages

    Overall, in the book, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, there are some very strong and applicable points that I believe, should be shared as much as possible. For instance, in the entire book one, Lewis rambles on about the moral law of society, and the outcome of peoples over complicated ways of thinking. He mentions the so called standard of behavior, which it upheld by the thinker to believe that whatever way he sees the situation should be the right way, and however the situation is presented in his mind is how it should be played out. Lewis gives many diverse examples of this action such as, sharing a “bit of orange,” since I “gave you some of mine.”  the greed involved with the way of thinking is what Lewis called the law of nature.

    Read More

  • Sallie Mcfague's 'Judaism And Economic Reform'

    682 Words  | 3 Pages

    We herd many scholars mention the distribution; however, about the economic system they are usually political and philosophical perspectives; however, fails to evaluate the religion aspects of the economy. This essay will assess Sallie McFague’s

    Read More

  • Richard Pearcey's Repairing Total Truth

    457 Words  | 2 Pages

    Pearcey talks about how Christians should be able to freely serve God. To serve freely people have to live the way God wants them to and that includes serving him through every fiber of their life which includes their daily jobs. Religion hasn’t always been pushed aside and many countries around the world view religion as one of the major factors of how people

    Read More

  • James Twitchell's Branded Nation

    613 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the book Branded Nation: The Marketing of MegaChurch, College Inc., and Museumworld, author James Twitchell suggests that modern Christianity falls into a “merchandising system” (Twitchell), in which the brands (churches) become aware of the demands of the consumers (church-goers) (Hanson). As the Christian religion evolves, churches have become aware that denominations are no longer a vital selling point to consumers site. In return, churches have become nondenominational, which has given churches a new way to brand themselves without having to fall into the requirements that their denominations defined as necessary (Hanson). With modern marketing and branding of churches, faith values of churches are highlighted and then connected to the needs and values of the consumers and churchgoers (Hanson).

    Read More

  • Being Consumed Economics And Christian Desire By William T. Cavanaugh

    1601 Words  | 7 Pages

    In the book “Being Consumed Economics and Christian Desire” William T. Cavanaugh covers a couple of important topics in the economic world some which are sometimes suppressed and not talked about freely and some which are sometimes misunderstood and he evaluates these rather well. He explains his idea of thought on them. The major topics of the book are Consumerism, Globalisation and a major topic is “freedom” in the market place and how that is portrayed through countries and companies. It feels like William is trying to portray through his writings that the free trade world that we know of is actually more complicated than just the top that we see. It goes a bit deeper and has more meaning to it really.

    Read More

  • Summary Of William T Cavanaugh's Being Consumed

    1404 Words  | 6 Pages

    William T Cavanaugh (2008), wrote Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire which is a philosophical book, which focus on four (4) economic life matters that addresses the consumer culture within society. These four economic life matters are free market, consumerism, globalization and economic scarcity. In order for this topic to be discussed on a theological point of view, the author draws the reader’s attention to human life, the ends of life in God. The key question in every process is whether or not the transaction contributes to the flourishing of each person involved. In order to address these questions the author points to concrete examples of alternative economic practices in which Christians participate-: business, co-operatives, credit union, practices of consumption which marks the vision for Christian economic life.

    Read More

  • Calvinism And Religion

    1356 Words  | 6 Pages

    Their chief religious doctrine was that, “good works are not a way of attaining salvation, since man is already predestined, but they are an indispensable proof that salvation has been attained.” 6 This logically led to the belief that prosperity and wealth are signs of God’s blessing, and that they are an assurance of eternal salvation. Thus emerged the “economic virtues” (avarice, thrift, intense competition, and the accumulation of wealth) which soon, with the later progression of puritanical rationalization, became confounded with the traditional moral virtues of thrift and industriousness, and finally helped capitalism enormously in displacing these virtues altogether from daily business practices. Today the vice of greed engulfs both Wall Street and our

    Read More

  • Conflict Of Autonomy And Authority

    152 Words  | 1 Pages

    In “The Conflict of Autonomy and Authority” Robert Paul Wolff argues that the state will always be in conflict with the autonomous man, and that the only political doctrine which grants man true autonomy, is anarchism. His argument is based on two main premises. First, he asserts that man has an obligation to achieve autonomy; be responsible for his actions, and make his own decisions. Second, he posits that government-imposed commands can never be more than mere suggestions for the autonomous man; they may be complied with voluntarily, but never perceived as legitimately binding. The state is viewed as illegitimate because it issues laws (commands), which it expects man to follow, which rob man of his autonomy.

    Read More

  • Gospel Of Luke Essay

    1918 Words  | 8 Pages

    Introduction: Our pastors today love to preach about money. They love to explain how people can accept that the kingdom of God is coming and explain to people how praying certain prayers can see one become “blessed by God” (filthy rich). Any understanding of Jesus' political contribution to economics is far removed from his actions in the actual biblical text. In the Gospel of Luke, we are introduced to a Jesus who has significant authority in the businesses of others, even when he would not be considered an expert on the subject (Luke 5:1-5).

    Read More

  • Adam Smith's View Of Shared Knowledge

    1698 Words  | 7 Pages

    Adam Smith, the father of Economics published papers that had changed the way Economists think. In his paper, he mentioned the “invisible hand”. The “invisible hand” refers to individual’s interests which generates a demand for goods and services that allow others to supply those goods and services. He suggests that a market work best under free market, without government intervention. There will be better allocation of resources as demand and supply will automatically adjust to equilibrium based on individual’s interest and utility.

    Read More

  • Faith Integration Case Study

    288 Words  | 2 Pages

    In today’s society, a business must rely on effective marketing skills to remain competitive against one’s rivals. Yet, specifically centering their marketing strategy on a religious affiliation, such as Christianity, is wrong. However, integrating one’s faith into the business is not wrong. Faith integration is the method of combining the Christian faith with other aspects of life including a business (Cafferky, 2012, p. 5). In this case, the owner may decide to be closed of Sunday’s, a day of Sabbath rest (Exodus 35:2) or refusing to offer certain medical insurance coverage, such as the morning after pill, due to their pro-life beliefs (Psalms 139:16).

    Read More

  • Spiritual Sabbatical Formation

    1515 Words  | 7 Pages

    Back then, the Church was a home to the homeless and help to the helpless. The Church in the days of our ancestors was a storehouse for rainy days. In those days, the community depended on the Church. Now the Church appears to depend heavily on the community. If the Church is to become a relevant catalyst for Spiritual Sabbath Formation in the twenty-first century, it must reform itself into being the economic engine of the past.

    Read More

  • Capitalism A Love Story Analysis

    1414 Words  | 6 Pages

    This movie by Moore talks about Capitalism and its effect on the economy as well as to American society. Moore features the recent economic crisis, interviews with several Catholic priests about their insights on capitalism and also includes corporate- owned life insurance, poverty- level wages of many workers, Wall Street’s

    Read More

  • Free Market Themes

    1033 Words  | 5 Pages

    Name: Course Number: Title: Free Markets and Biblical Themes Date: Definitions Free Market is a type of market that allows the buyer and the seller to decide what products should be produced, how they should be priced and without any regulation from the government. The cost of commodities in a free market is determined by the demand among consumers. For example, if consumers have a high demand for a fast moving product like soft drinks, the selling price will remain low.

    Read More

  • Mark Shaw Global Awakening Summary

    1085 Words  | 5 Pages

    1 Shaw, Mark. Global Awakening: How 20th Century Revivals Triggered a Christian Revolution. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2010, 221 pages.

    Read More

More about Being Consumed: Economics And Christian Desire By William T. Cavanaugh

Open Document