Description
SUBTITLE: A Survey of six points of entry
FORMAT: Electronic book in PDF format
PAGES: 136
SUMMARY:
A survey of six points of entry explores the question to determine whether and to what extent the ideology of consumerism has influenced the church in a lower middle class context in South Africa. This publication emerged from a postgraduate course that was offered at the University of the Western Cape in the first semester of 2007.
CONTENTS:
- Consumerism: The need for conceptual clarity
- “The consumer society is not sustainable” – An ecological critique
- “Consumerism exacerbates economic injustices” – The economic critique
- “The affluent have become the victims of their own desires” – Consumerism and social and psychological health
- “Consumerism undermines virtue and breeds vices” – Consumerism and virtue ethics
- “The consumer society encourages commercialised cultural and religious practices” – A hermeneutical critique
- “Consumerism amounts to idolatry” – A theological critique
- “Without a theological vision, a critique of consumerism will perish” – Some concluding comments
AUTHOR:
Professor Ernst Conradie teaches systematic theology and ethics in the Department of Religion and Theology at the University of the Western Cape (since 1993). His scholarly monographs include the following:
- Hope for the earth – Vistas on a new century (Wipf & Stock, 2000/2005)
- An ecological Christian anthropology: At home on earth? (Ashgate, 2005)
- Christianity and ecological theology: Resources for research (SUN Press, 2006)
His book Waar op dees aarde vind mens God? Op soek na ‘n aardse spiritualiteit (Lux Verbi.BM, 2006) was awarded the Andrew Murray prize in 2007 for theological publications in Afrikaans. He is convener of the steering committee for an international research project entitled “Christian Faith and the Earth” which commenced in January 2007. He is the current conference secretary of the Theological Society of South Africa, serves as Secretary of the Network of Earthkeeping Christian Communities in South Africa and is on the steering committee of the South African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute.
