The Market as God

Front Cover
Harvard University Press, Sep 12, 2016 - Religion - 304 pages

“Essential and thoroughly engaging...Harvey Cox’s ingenious sense of how market theology has developed a scripture, a liturgy, and sophisticated apologetics allow us to see old challenges in a remarkably fresh light.”
—E. J. Dionne, Jr.

We have fallen in thrall to the theology of supply and demand. According to its acolytes, the Market is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. It can raise nations and ruin households, and comes complete with its own doctrines, prophets, and evangelical zeal. Harvey Cox brings this theology out of the shadows, demonstrating that the way the world economy operates is shaped by a global system of values that can be best understood as a religion.

Drawing on biblical sources and the work of social scientists, Cox points to many parallels between the development of Christianity and the Market economy. It is only by understanding how the Market reached its “divine” status that can we hope to restore it to its proper place as servant of humanity.

“Cox argues that...we are now imprisoned by the dictates of a false god that we ourselves have created. We need to break free and reclaim our humanity.”
—Forbes

“Cox clears the space for a new generation of Christians to begin to develop a more public and egalitarian politics.”
—The Nation

 

Contents

The Market as
Sciences Regal and Divine
How The Market Became Divine
How The Market Creates People
Biblical Sources of Conflict over Usury and Phishing
Biblical Sources of Conflict over Redistribution
TopHeavy Short Circuits
Big Big Banks and Big Big Churches
Theologian and Prophet?
Banker Philosopher Trickster Writer
The Breath of God and The Market Geist
Go Ye into All the World
The Liturgical Year of The Market
All Desires Known
The Market and the End of the World
Notes

Augustine and Pelagius
Founder and Patron Saint?
Copyright

Other editions - View all

The Market as God
Harvey Cox
No preview available - 2016
The Market as God
Harvey Cox
No preview available - 2019
The Market as God
Harvey Cox
No preview available - 2017

Common terms and phrases

Adam Smith American ancient Anna Jarvis appeared Augustine banks became become began Bible biblical bishop Black Friday called capitalism Catholic centuries chapter Chauvet Cave Christ Christian Christmas church claim classical continued corporate person created creation culture divine doctrine earth economic economists eventually example faith Genesis global God’s Gospel ha-adam happen Harvard Hebrew holiday Holy human idea indulgences institutions Jerry Mander Jesus Jewish John Jubilee king later live Market means megachurches Melville million moral Mother Mother's Day myth nature once P. T. Barnum papacy Paul Pelagius Pentecost philosopher Phishing pixel poor Pope Francis priests prophets Protestant question recent Reinhold Niebuhr religion religious role Rome Sabbath Saint Saint Paul scholars seems Simon Conway Morris social sometimes spirit story suggests teaching television theologians theology things traditional trickster University usury Vatican Vatican Bank Wall Street wealth word York

About the author (2016)

Harvey Cox is Hollis Research Professor of Divinity at Harvard University.

Bibliographic information

TitleThe Market as God
AuthorHarvey Cox
PublisherHarvard University Press, 2016
ISBN0674973151, 9780674973152
Length304 pages
Subjects ›  › 

Business & Economics / Economics / General
Philosophy / Religious
Religion / General
Religion / Theology
  
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