Transforming Enterprise?: American Evangelicalism Capitalism and the Challenge of Practical Theology

How does Christian faith integrate with capitalism? This question has been at the heart of Christian ethics for more than three hundred years but rarely as complex and important as now. The polarizing influence of consumer capitalism has extended into virtually every domain of human life. On the one hand capitalism has contributed to increases in standards of living and life expectancy especially among those in extreme poverty. On the other it has exacerbated income inequality environmental damages and social displacement. For contemporary American evangelical theology this is problematic. It has long been on a quest to show that Christian faith harmonizes with capitalistic enterprise. But can faith harness the transformational power of consumer capitalism without being affected by its excesses? For many the election of Donald Trump as president has revealed a great divide within American evangelicalism about the links between Christianity economic power and moral character. Working from the field of academic practical theology in interdisciplinary dialogue with business management ethics Transforming Enterprise? shows why and how a reframing of the relationship between Christian faith and capitalistic enterprise is needed in the contemporary postsecular milieu.