Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture - Softcover

Vincent J. Miller

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0826417493 ISBN 13: 9780826417497

Publisher: Continuum, 2007

Synopsis

Contemporary theology, argues Miller, is silent on what is unquestionably one of the most important cultural issues it faces: consumerism or ""consumer culture."" While there is no shortage of expressions of concern about the corrosive effects of consumerism from the standpoint of economic justice or environmental ethics, there is a surprising paucity of theoretically sophisticated works on the topic, for consumerism, argues Miller, is not just about behavioral ""excesses""; rather, it is a pervasive worldview that affects our construction as persons-what motivates us, how we relate to others, to culture, and to religion. Consuming Religion surveys almost a century of scholarly literature on consumerism and the commodification of culture and charts the ways in which religious belief and practice have been transformed by the dominant consumer culture of the West. It demonstrates the significance of this seismic cultural shift for theological method, doctrine, belief, community, and theological anthropology. Like more popular texts, the book takes a critical stand against the deleterious effects of consumerism. However, its analytical complexity provides the basis for developing more sophisticated tactics for addressing these problems.

About this title

Review:

Even though I am not a person of faith, I read Miller's book with a sense of relief. He presents a clear and direct critique of what is wrong with consumer culture, from a humane and consistent point of view....Anyone interested in how theology can be used to address problems of sustainability, inequality, or the extremes of wealth and over-consumption in our society should read this book."" --Richard Wilk, professor, Gender Studies and Anthropology, Indiana University

About the Author:

Vincent J. Miller is Gudorf Chair in Catholic Theology and Culture at the University of Dayton, USA. His work has appeared in Horizons, U.S. Catholic Historian, and Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium. In 1996 he received the Outstanding Graduate Student Essay Award of the College Theology Society.

About this edition

• Publisher: Continuum
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0826417493
• ISBN 13: 9780826417497
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 262