The Business of God: Theological and Ethical Reflections on the Church Industrial Complex - Hardcover

by Sheryl Johnson (Editor), Dannis Matteson (Editor)

The theoretical framework of the "Industrial Complex" explores how institutions established with a purpose external to themselves can become focused on their own self-perpetuation--pursuing power, growth, and profits--in ways that may well contradict and undermine that original purpose. Much theorizing has engaged issues such as the military, healthcare, and prison industrial complexes. This book explores the framework of the Industrial Complex in relation to churches. How do churches, intended to (in part) worship God, preach the gospel, nurture discipleship, and serve those in need become focused on factors such as profit accumulation, limitless growth, and expansion/consolidation of power? How do systems like colonialism, capitalism, white supremacy, and patriarchy play a contributing role to these phenomena? What are the impacts of the Church Industrial Complex on various facets of church life and parties involved and impacted? Finally, what can be done to resist these "temptations," and where are the corners of the church that have and continue to witness to an alternate approach? This accessible book is designed for anyone who is concerned about these questions--church leaders and members, theological students, and anyone who is curious about the dynamics at play in contemporary church life.

Author Biography

Sheryl Johnson and Dannis Matteson are theological ethicists who collaborate on scholarship regarding issues related to justice, politics, and Christianity. Sheryl Johnson serves as a faculty lecturer in ethics at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, California. Dannis Matteson is currently a visiting assistant professor of religious studies at Saint Mary's College, in Notre Dame, Indiana.