Desire, Market and Religion (Reclaiming Liberation Theology) (Reclaiming Liberation Theology)
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Manufacturer: SCM Press
EAN (European Article Number): 9780334041412
Number of Items: 1
Binding: Paperback
Author: Jung Mo Sung
Publisher: SCM Press
Dewey Decimal Number: 230
Publication Date: 2007-10-30
Reading Level: 160
Description: Jung Mo Sung has pioneered a theological analysis of economics in his previous publications, developing a penetrating ethico-religious critique of the international capitalist systems, whose institutions he likens to altars. Where ancient idolatry had visible altars, the modern altar of the global market god , is invisible, but still demands human sacrifices in the name of objective desires. Here Sung recovers theology s relevance for a world where the most dangerous idols those that sacrifice millions of people upon the altar of wealth have for too long been ignored by theology. In Desire, Market, Religion, Sung investigates themes such as the struggle against social exclusion, the relationship between economics and religion in the 21st century, where global brands and global economies reigns supreme, and theology s role in the struggle against social exclusion and the giving of hope for plenty, when the reality is scarcity.
Customer Reviews
Review Summary: Excellent update on Liberation Theology and its new directions
Date: 2008-05-20
Details: Sung's book is excellent for those familiar with Latin American Liberation Theology (LALT) or new to it. For those unfamiliar, Sung's work shows how important Liberation Theology is for contemporary discussions about theology and economy. We live in a world that shows a strange disconnect between economic needs and economic logic. Increasing numbers of people are systematically made invisible or excluded from the privileges and benefits of "freedom" and the "free market." Without simply demonizing free-market capitalism, Sung shows how Liberation Theology is still a relevant and important source for theologians, activists, and everyday folk who are asking the God-question in light of the world's poor and suffering. Sung demonstrates how Liberation theologians, informed by its intellectual traditions (i.e. Marx, etc), continue to think.
On the technical side, Sung's book is helpful for scholars of Liberation Theology. Sung continues the work of figures such as Franz Hinkelammert, Hugo Assmann, and others of the Ecumenical Department of Investigations (DEI) in Costa Rica. Chapters 5 & 6, in particular, discuss the "crisis of paradigms" in LALT - ones that parallel the crisis of paradigms for Marxist traditions of thought. Sung demonstrates the capacity for internal critique in these traditions. True to tradition, praxis and existential questions remain critical grounding points for contextual theology. In that sense, Liberation Theology is far from either extreme - neither dead or nor fulfilled - but continually radical in the way it continues to think.
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