Spirit and Capital in an Age of Inequality brings together a diverse group of scholars, activists and public intellectuals to consider one of the most pressing issues of our time: increasing inequalities of income and wealth that grate against justice and erode the bonds that hold society together. The contributors think through different religious traditions to understand and address inequality. They make practical proposals in relation to concrete situations like mass incarceration and sweatshops. They also explore the inner experience of life in a society marked by inequality, tracing the contours of stress, hopelessness and a restless lack of contentment. This book honors the work of Jon P. Gunnemann, who has been a leading scholar at the intersections of religion and economics.
Spirit and Capital in an Age of Inequality will be of interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students and scholars of religion and economics. It will be useful to policy-makers and activists seeking a more thorough understanding of the role of religion and theology in public life.
This remarkable, timely, and forward-looking collection is much more than a theoretical analysis of why religious ethics should be opposed to great wealth disparities. It offers an astute, fact-based, and fast-paced diagnosis of the often misunderstood factors that drive inequality in the U.S, including the global financial system, race, class, and gender. Authors not only respond with creative theological proposals, they identify practical and effective types of resistance available to religious activists, faith traditions, and faith-based organizations. This is a scholarly book, a hopeful one, and a sure inspiration to anyone seeking a progressive religious politics that can actually get the job done.Lisa Cahill, Boston College, USA.
This volume is a true testament toJon Gunnemann as it makes clear that our theologies and faith claims are morally consequential. The thinkers make clear that there is no neutral ground: our theological and faith traditions are implicated in fostering economic injustice and inequality even when they may compel us to advocate for a more just society. When I picked up this book I expected an academic treatment of the relationship between economic theories and theological doctrines. Instead, from the opening page I was at once indicted and inspired by a moral conversation concerning the inextricable relationship between theology and economic injustice as well asthe absolute imperative for faith communities to do something about it. A book that I thought would be hard to read, was one I found hard to put down. Reverend Kelly Brown Douglas, Episcopal Divinity School at Union, USA.
