"Christianity and the New Spirit of Capitalism" by Kathryn Tanner

Christianity and the New Spirit of Capitalism Kathryn Tanner

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Format:: Paperback
Publication date:: 27 Jul 2021
ISBN:: 9780300258493
Imprint:: Yale University Press
Dimensions:: 256 pages: 210 x 140 x 22mm
Sales territories:: World

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One of the world’s most celebrated theologians argues for a Protestant anti-work ethic

In his classic The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Max Weber famously showed how Christian beliefs and practices could shape persons in line with capitalism. In this significant reimagining of Weber’s work, Kathryn Tanner provocatively reverses this thesis, arguing that Christianity can offer a direct challenge to the largely uncontested growth of capitalism.

Exploring the cultural forms typical of the current finance‑dominated system of capitalism, Tanner shows how they can be countered by Christian beliefs and practices with a comparable person‑shaping capacity. Addressing head‑on the issues of economic inequality, structural under- and unemployment, and capitalism’s unstable boom/bust cycles, she draws deeply on the theological resources within Christianity to imagine anew a world of human flourishing. This book promises to be one of the most important theological books in recent years.

Kathryn Tanner is Frederick Marquand Professor of Systematic Theology at Yale Divinity School. She is the author of Christ the Key and Economy of Grace, among other books.