On Consumer Culture Identity the Church and the Rhetorics of Delight

The Reading Augustine series presents short engaging books offering personal readings of St. Augustine of Hippo's contributions to western philosophical literary and religious life. <br/><br/>Mark Clavier's <i>On Consumer Culture Identity The Church and the Rhetorics of Delight</i> draws on Augustine of Hippo to provide a theological explanation for the success of marketing and consumer culture. Augustine's thought rooted in rhetorical theory presents a brilliant understanding of the experiences of damnation and salvation that takes seriously the often hidden psychology of human motivation. Clavier examines how Augustine's keen insight into the power of delight over personal notions of freedom and self-identity can be used to shed light on how the constant lure of promised happiness shapes our identities as consumers. From Augustine's perspective it is only by addressing the sources of delight within consumerism and by rediscovering the wellsprings of God's delight that we can effectively challenge consumer culture. To an age awash with commercial rhetoric the fifth-century Bishop of Hippo offers a theological rhetoric that is surprisingly contemporary and insightful.