Customer Reviews

Consuming Faith: Integrating Who We Are with What We Buy

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Tom Beaudoin's Consuming Faith names multiple challenges of living Christian faith in a market-driven society. He pays particular attention to the anonymity of product production, linking global injustices to the clothing and footware found in North American stores. He offers a fine reflection on the use and abuse of unknown human bodies around the world to create products that clothe North American bodies. Beaudoin's investigation of this question began with his own concern about his favorite articles of clothing, and his efforts to track down their sources and the conditions under which they were made. His pursuit was challenged at every turn, and frequently turned up in dead ends.
The book is highly readable and accessible to a general audience. It falls short in two ways. One is that he fails to substantiate some claims. I'm not so concerned that it is poor scholarship, since it is written for a popular audience. But doesn't he think that some of his readers would also like to get their hands on the information he found so enlightening? The second shortfall is that he offers no direction. How are we to proceed? Considering that this started with his personal search, he might have at least offered for consideration the actions he finally chose for himself (besides writing a book). Beaudoin's is a good and thought provoking book, but it could have been a much better book had he given it more.

Beaudoin's presentation of his theology of consumption and spirituality is very accessible to people new to the concepts. His non-moralizing approach is inspirational rather than guilt-inducing. His humor is delightful. Although I personally do not come from a Christian tradition, I find this book applicable to my own life. I recommend this book to anyone who is curious about global economics.