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Christianity Incorporated: How Big Business is Buying the Church

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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.

"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.