Desire, Market and Religion

"Jung Mo Sung is one of the most insightful Latin American liberation theologians to emerge in the last two decades. For Sung, the relationship between economics and theology is central to liberation theology. In critically exploring this relationship, Sung not only sheds new light on the mechanisms of the global economic order but also rethinks liberation theology in light of the challenge posed by globalization. With his work theologians are better prepared to deal with social exclusion in this new century. This book is a magnificent example of the new outlook Sung has developed." Franz Hinkelammert, Professor of Economics, Ecumenical Department of Investigations, Costa Rica 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 and 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 reign supreme, and theology's role in the struggle against social exclusion and the giving of hope for plenty, when the reality is scarcity. Jung Mo Sung, a Korean by birth, is Associate Professor of Theology at Pontificia Universidade Catolica de Sao Paulo, Brazil, and is a Brazilian citizen. He is the author of The Idolatry of Capitalism and the Death of the Poor, and Theology and Economics.