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?
Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire deals with what Cavanaugh refers to as “the basic matters of economic life”, which is the free market, consumerism, globalization, and scarcity, as he aims to change the reader’s views on each of these topics. Cavanaugh also gives his argument both for and against each of these matters, which are often characterized by stories or comparisons which make his arguments and points a little easier to understand and a little clearer. Cavanaugh also answers few questions such as, are we for or against the free market? Should we not think of ourselves as a consumer? Are we for or againt globalization?
Moreover, they argue that sanctification changes people’s nature, and it changes the direction to live for God. The reformed theologians suggest three ways of sanctification: through the union with Christ, by means of the truth, and by faith. The reformed perspective on the pattern of sanctification is likeness to God (Christ-likeness), because people once had the image of God, before the Fall. The word “renewing” is important for reformed theologians, because their perspective on sanctification is to be renewed. Reformed theologians learned, from Romans 8:29, that Christ-likeness is the purpose of choosing people; and it is not merely one of the suggestions to be Christ likeness people, but it is command to become like one.
Weber considered himself as a social reformer, who sought to understand how change comes about, and specifically with the transitions to capitalism and modernity. His book is a study of the association between the ethics of ascetic Protestantism and the rise of the spirit of modern capitalism. Max Weber’s main argument is that the spirit of capitalism was born from the spirit of Calvinism. For Weber, religion helped in constructing modern capitalism, and in his book, he is seeking to show the influence of certain religious ideas on the development of an economic spirit. Weber named the capitalist way of life as the “spirit of capitalism”.
The origins of capitalism for him, comes from three imporant parts of Protestantism that capitalism came out of. Luther and the calling, Calvinism, and the lack of self-indulgent are all imporant keys to the formation of capitalism. Luther and the calling is a very imporant role in creating capitalism. Before this calling, people would go to the church and pray there. Luther created the idea that everything can be the calling, so even peoples work can be their calling.
Edmund Burke once said “Hypocrisy can afford to be magnificent in its promises, for never intending to go beyond promise, it costs nothing”. In John Winthrop’s “A Model of Christian Charity” he explains charity as something that will always happen if your a good believing christian. The charity in America hasn't been the same as in John Winthrop's “A Model of Christian Charity”, because of the Hippocratic ideas that have developed in the later years of America. Charity in America can't be what it supposed to be because of hypocrisy, corruption ,and ideas that do not work. As stated in “A Model of Christian Charity” “There will always be poor and rich people but the wealth will trickle down as a form of help from god”.
In the later, he weakens the importance of reason in Platonism, however, he is able to rectify a seemingly antagonistic relationship between faith and reason. Augustine successfully brought Platonism into Christianity; he reconciled issues such as the existence of a spiritual world and the problem of accounting for evil. Platonism’s ontology allowed Augustine to conceptualize the existence of a spiritual world and claim God, like the forms, is the ultimate source for the existence of all things and ideas within the physical world. Augustine’s application of Platonist doctrines not only helps explain and rationalize Christian faith, it also resolves issues within Christianity, such as, God’s omnipotence and omni-benevolence, and the problem of
So, He warned us to be courageous and faithful in Him when we go through such circumstances. He says: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Thus, persecution is not a sin, but it is a strong formidable “tool” for evangelism. The Advantage of Persecution My careful study of the Bible showed that the Lord wants the New Testament generation to be active on the ‘field for harvest’ (church evangelism). And, He did not promote the passive mode of the Old Testament ‘synagogue’ (church building).
When encountered early in the book, the implication of this religious imagery is not fully apparent. However, once viewed in the context of the later Christian allusions found in A Clockwork Orange, it becomes clear that this is the proclamation of Burgess’ intent in this novel. Burgess views humanity as an organic thing, full of great potential to please God, and he sees the implication of conditioning, specifically, or more generally anything that would sap the essential ability of humans to choose, as a detriment to God’s
Only then, will we avoid the pitfalls of ethnocentrism and the monocultural methodologies of the ugly American. We must be sensitive to cultural differences for receiving and processing information”. Conclusion “If we do not accept as good, God’s shaping of our person and life in our own culture, we will never be able to accept his work in the lives of others who are culturally different from us”. “Intercultural communication is just one tool from the multifaceted field of intercultural studies. With the use of these tools from the cultural anthropology toolbox, Christian communicators discover more effective ways to share the gospel.