Being Consumed: Economics And Christian Desire By William T. Cavanaugh

1412 Words6 Pages
The following book review takes a look at William T. Cavanaugh’s Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire (William T. Cavanaugh. 2008. Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.). Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire deals with what Cavanaugh refers to as “the basic matters of economic life”, which is the free market, consumerism, globalization, and scarcity, as he aims to change the reader’s views on each of these topics. Cavanaugh also gives his argument both for and against each of these matters, which are often characterized by stories or comparisons which make his arguments and points a little easier to understand and a little clearer. Cavanaugh also answers few questions such as, are we for or against the free market? Should we not think of ourselves as a consumer? Are we for or againt…show more content…
He describes globalization “as a kind of aesthetics, a way of looking at the world that produces and is produced by a certain kind of desire.” (Loc.52) Globalization is consumed with diversification. Some might say globalization is ignorant to the needs and desires of the local. The concluding chapter, titled “scarcity and abundance,” deals with hunger and the market as well as hunger and the Eucharist. Hunger and the market speaks of the economic side. Economics is the allocation of resources under scarce conditions (Loc.927) and this is the very basis of the market. Scarcity exists when the desires and needs of all people cannot be met and that is when “hunger” is put into the equation under which econimics operates. As long as people continue to want, there will always be scarcity in the market. Hunger and the Eucharist tells of another story. It tells of the story of Jesus Christ who is the abundant bread of life. Jonh 6 gives referrence to us having satisfaction and abundance in Christ. “Whoever comes to me will never be hungry.” (John
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  • Analysis Of William T. Cavanaugh's Being Consumed

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    William T. Cavanaugh’s book, Being Consumed: Economic and Christian Desire. Introduces us to topics such as free market economy, consumerism, globalisation, economic abundance, and hunger not because he wants to point out what is wrong with our economy in nowadays, but to point out informed Christian routes which we can follow in our troubled economy. As I have been reading, from my own understanding of the book in all the four chapters Cavanaugh has achieved the purpose of what this book is about

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