Christianity Incorporated: How Big Business is Buying the Church [Hardcover]

Michael L. Budde (Author), Robert W. Brimlow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2002

Critically explores the growing popularity of spirituality in business circles and how it can be distorted by the drive for profit.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When bereaved believers are left in the "care" of huge funeral conglomerates rather than a local congregation; when, with the church's blessing, the pope's image is used to sell French fries in Mexico ("Las Papas del Papa"); when Jesus Christ is seen as a model business CEO then something is seriously amiss in the interplay between the church and the market. So argue Budde and Brimlow in this cogent book; the two professors (of political science and philosophy, respectively) suggest that the church is becoming "chaplain to capitalism." Swallowed up by market forces, its "own practices and beliefs become shaped by the corporate form and spirit." It is left with an impaired ability to critique culture or form disciples who witness the Kingdom of God. While a few of the chapters (e.g., critiques of the papal encyclical Centesimus Annus and some Protestant declarations about economics) are a bit more of a philosophical slog than others, the book on the whole is insightful and easy to read, peppered with alarming anecdotes and biting humor. Best of all, after so much critique of the way things are, the last chapter on the Sermon on the Mount offers a substantial, if preliminary, picture of what an "economics of discipleship" might look like, both in its broad contours and in specific suggestions for congregational activity. This is another winner from Brazos Press.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Coeditors of The Church as Counterculture, Budde (political science, DePaul Univ.) and Brimlow (philosophy, St. John Fisher Coll.) here provide an analysis of how Christianity and capitalism are practicing complementary institutional cross-dressing. They agree that Jesus can be seen as a great marketing machine in just three years, he trained 12 people to go out and change the world; however, they remind readers that, more importantly, Christianity and corporate culture are diametrically opposed and use the Sermon on the Mount as proof. With such historical testimony, the authors issue a keen alert about how corporations are using the facade of Christianity to create an employee-friendly environment. But companies are not alone in looking at capitalism Christianity has also internalized the practices of for-profit firms in pursuit of corporate advantage in such activities as advertising, papal visits, and corporatized funeral services. Religious and nonreligious structures have always borrowed from each other, so this book says nothing new, but it is a timely wake-up call for Christians who may not realize that their faith is being degraded. For scholarly religious and economic collections. L. Kriz, West Des Moines P.L., IA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Brazos Press (February 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587430266
• ISBN-13: 978-1587430268
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,607,213 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, March 27, 2004

By 

"coolwho" (Charlottesville, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Christianity Incorporated: How Big Business is Buying the Church (Hardcover)

A scathing critique of today's Christian church, in which the authors (a pair of Catholic academics) persuasively demonstrate how the church is rapidly transforming itself from its intended role as a "light of the world" into serving as a scaled-back chaplaincy, operating within the strategic designs and whims of corporate America. While the church advocates helping the poor and serving the common good, these ideals are not specifically defined nor reflected in how the church operates on a daily basis - instead, the church seems to be advocating modern capitalism as defined by Smith, Locke, et al, and makes no concerned effort to change the status quo of inequity and poverty in society. This book proved to be an astute commentary on the laxity of the spirit prevalent in Christian circles today.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Warning Shot Across the Ark, September 25, 2005

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Martin P. McCarthy (North Chili, New York) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Christianity Incorporated: How Big Business is Buying the Church (Hardcover)

"Christianity Incorporated" is a remarkable book for at least two reasons: (1) its scathing critique of the unholy marriage between capitalism and the Church, and (2) the brevity in which that scathing critique is completed.

Budde and Brimlow detail just how pervasive the capitalist influence is on the Church, how the Church seeks now to serve as the "chaplain" to capitalism, and how the Church sometimes acts like a capitalist institution itself. The result is religion that retains form but is quickly becoming devoid of content and a church that strives for enrollment but can care little for discipleship.