Sacred Consumption: The Religions of Christianity and Consumerism in America

by Peter Mundey

Overview

How does consumerism function as a quasi-religion in America, and how does the Christian faith interact with the consumerist pseudo-faith? Answering these questions is the focus of Sacred Consumption: The Religions of Christianity and Consumerism in America. Peter Mundey draws on both quantitative and qualitative data to explore how habitually consuming nonessentials is sacred in American culture and how the Christian sacred interacts with such consumption. Mundey unpacks the history of American consumerism and the creeds of consumerism. Christian creeds related to both consuming and financial giving are also discussed, illuminating the ways that Christianity can fuel, resist, and passively ignore consumerism. Mundey’s emphasis throughout is to enumerate the underlying cultural ideology derived from both Christianity and consumerism that partially makes and shapes American consumers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781498591614
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	04/25/2023
Pages:	162
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Peter Mundey is assistant professor of sociology at Savannah State University.

Table of Contents

List of Tables

Acknowledgments

Introduction: “Something Else” is Sacred

Chapter One: A Brief History of American Consumerism: Late 1800s-2021

Chapter Two: The Disciples, Doctrines, and Detractors of American Consumerism

Chapter Three: Christian Economic Creeds and the Spirit of American Consumerism & Anti-Consumerism

Chapter Four: Sacrificial Financial Giving as a Means of Partially Resisting Consumerism

Conclusion: Shopping for Creeds: Why Ideological Shopping Carts Matter

Appendix

Bibliography

About the Author

Editorial Reviews

For scholars of religion interested in how the sacred plays out in everyday life and for religious leaders concerned about the threat of consumerism to their faith communities’ financial well-being, here is a book filled with arresting information drawn from a national survey and in-depth interviews. Sacred Consumption offers information that confirms - and disconfirms - popular assumptions about consumerism.

Robert Wuthnow

While the Bible reminds us that we cannot serve two masters, God and mammon, Mundey helps us see how everyday Americans actually make sense of both Christianity and consumerism. In avoiding simplistic answers and abstract theological debates, Mundey points us to the ways in which these questions affect our daily lives. Through rich descriptions and sharp analysis, Mundey is a trustworthy guide for both religious leaders and everyday individuals in helping us consider how we make sense of our economic lives.

David P. King