By: Kyle Chalko on February 16, 2018
William Cavanaugh in his book Being Consumed: Economics and the Christian Desire lays out a framework for how western Christians should respond to the economic system they live in. Should Christians be for or against (insert political/economic controversial issue here) is part of the premise of Cavanaugh’s book. However, instead of trying to give direct…
By: Chip Stapleton on February 16, 2018
‘People come to faith not just because they decide that the propositions are true but because they experience God directly . They feel God’s presence . They hear God’s voice . Their hearts flood with an incandescent joy.’ (Luhrmann, 223) The sentiment above, is one that has rung true in my experience. Simply put, there is more…
By: Greg on February 16, 2018
The breakfast tables were lined with row after row of everything that I would want (and more). It was ready and available for the choosing. I love when someone else cooks and does the dishes. This morning when I went to the breakfast buffet at the hotel I am staying at, I was a little…
By: Kristin Hamilton on February 15, 2018
“Do you get what you’re hoping for? When you look behind you there’s no open door. What are you hoping for? Do you know?” – Theme from Mahogany “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you just might find you get what you need.” – The Rolling Stones In…
By: Katy Drage Lines on February 15, 2018
Training I’m training my puppy how to jingle The tinkle bells to go outside. And I also strain to hear The voice of God Speaking to me, I wonder if perhaps, I’m losing my hearing. Or maybe God isn’t even jingling the bells. But sometimes it might be like The confusion I have When our…
By: Jason Turbeville on February 15, 2018
When I picked up Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire by William T. Cavanaugh two thoughts entered my mind. The first, thank God it is a short book, after the first few books this book seemed to be a breath of fresh air. Two, was this another book crushing the capitalists? On both counts I was pleasantly…
By: Trisha Welstad on February 15, 2018
We all consume. We all utilize commodities of the free market economy in which we live. There is a temptation to vilify or glorify the market and its outcomes based on consumer interaction with the created systems. Yet, to only dwell on the evil or good of the market is to miss a critical point…
By: Jean Ollis on February 15, 2018
“Furthermore, Paul says, the members of the body who seem weakest are the most indispensable. The poor and the needy are not just objects for individual charity; rather, they are indispensable because they are part of our very body. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice…
By: Stu Cocanougher on February 15, 2018
This week (February 13, 2018) the hosts of the ABC television show “The View” were discussing Vice President Mike Pence. Specifically, they were reacting to reports that Vice President Pence claims that Jesus speaks to him. Referring to Pence, co-host Joy Behar made the following statement: “It’s one thing to talk to Jesus. It’s…
By: Lynda Gittens on February 15, 2018
As a young child abused by a woman shouting in the spirit during one Sunday church service, if asked then, I would say there is no such thing as filled with the Spirit because God would not have allowed me to be hit in the head by a backhanded fist. My parents soon moved to…
By: Mark Petersen on February 15, 2018
Above the fold on the front page of today’s paper was an image many of you may also have seen. A woman, crumpling in grief, embracing a friend in the wake of yet another tragic school shooting, this one in Broward County, Florida. In our consumer economy based on an individual’s rights, the right to…
By: Dave Watermulder on February 15, 2018
One of my simple joys in life, after the kids are in bed and my wife is reading or watching one of “her” shows, is to go online and make travel plans. To research airfare and stopovers in foreign cities. To read about overland bus travel or the reliability of a railroad system. This is…
By: Chris Pritchett on February 15, 2018
According to William Cavanaugh, the world we live in doesn’t promote freedom but isolation. There’s nothing “free” about a market that promotes “autonomy” as it’s highest goal. Freedom is found in deep human connection, not in isolation. In his concise book, “Consuming Religion,” he makes four simple points: 1. In our free market society, we…
By: Mary Walker on February 15, 2018
You should not be surprised at my saying, “You must be born again.” The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it come from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:7-8). This is the problem of presence: that the…
By: Jennifer Williamson on February 15, 2018
William T. Cavanaugh’s book, Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire, offers a theological perspective on economics and challenges Christians to participate in the economy in ways that are congruent with their belief system. Boldly marrying the disciplines of economics and theology, the author makes a compelling case for Christian responsibility in the marketplace. In this…
By: Jim Sabella on February 15, 2018
It’s always been a natural thing for me to pray. I’ve done it my whole life or for at least as long as I can remember. There is a sense that God listens and responds when I pray. I listen for what I consider to be the voice of God guiding me…
By: Mike on February 15, 2018
William Cavanaugh’s Being Consumed provides some positive reflections on how to develop a God honoring, personalized, and theocentric space where the Christian can navigate life’s challenges near the periphery of economic life. This post will examine Cavanaugh’s Eucharist viewpoint and positive vision to determine if his ideas on curing globalism can help my research into…
By: Jennifer Dean-Hill on February 15, 2018
When I was 5, I remember asking Jesus into my heart with my Dad kneeling next to me leading me in the “Sinner’s Prayer”. When I was 8, my dad baptized me and prayed over me inviting the Holy Spirit to transform my life. When I was 16, I received a supernatural healing as my…
By: Jake Dean-Hill on February 14, 2018
Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire by William Cavanaugh presented an interesting perspective on our consumer culture and how Christians relate to it. The part that stood out to me was the chapter on attachment and detachment. In my work with clients in my counseling practice, I deal with the issue of attachment quite often.…
By: Jay Forseth on February 14, 2018
[1] There I was this week, standing in line at Cabela’s, feeling extremely guilty about my ridiculous American consumerism. Sure, I was participating in Cavanaugh’s “free market” system, “voluntarily” with no “interference” from others, and under no undue “pressure” to make this transaction. [2] I was contemplating my “sacred canopy” and my lack of self…
