3 Review(s)

These days "getting religion" is generally considered a rather narrow-minded‹if not downright dangerous‹thing of the past. "Getting spirituality," on the other hand, is the hottest thing on the market. Everybody¹s getting it‹including hospitals, public schools, and the United States military. In fact, corporate-sponsored spiritual salve is becoming the most popular prescription for the overworked, soul-weary employee. But for many Christians, this antidote has become its own epidemic. How is this epidemic infecting the church? How should the church respond to the profit-driven appropriation of "spirituality"? According to authors Michael Budde and Robert Brimlow, the church must resist becoming the "chaplain to capitalism." In their new book, Christianity Incorporated, they remind us that Christ-centered discipleship is fundamentally at odds with consumer capitalist priorities. The church must have a mission and a voice in society that is distinct from, rather than in chorus with, civil religion, tribalistic family values, or watered-down corporate spirituality. The authors encourage a critical response to cultural money-makers, such as the profitable "death industry" (offering corporatized funeral services) and the best-selling business management tool, Jesus CEO. They also examine the papal encyclical Centesimus Annus, criticizing its implicit endorsement of a capitalist definition of human rights. Finally, they turn to the Sermon on the Mount as a reminder of the subversive political economics of Jesus. Christianity Incorporated is a wake-up call for all Christians, Catholic and Protestant alike. Courageous, current, and readable, this book will attract the attention of business people, political scientists, ethicists, and clergy. Anyone concerned with Christian formation in a consumer culture will find guidance and insight here.