No Rising Tide - by Joerg Rieger (Paperback)

About the Book

Economics has always had a moral dimension; even free-market mascot Adam Smith was a Christian minister. Yet recent events have renewed and recast theological reflection on the economy as the gospel of prosperity succumbs to large-scale economic crisis. In that light Joerg Rieger explores the many dimensions of todays economic crisis. What are the fundamental shifts taking place in the global economy today, and how are they affecting provision for basic human needs, economic equity, and peoples prospects?

Book Synopsis

Even though economic downturns are still followed by upturns, fewer people benefit from them. As a result, economic crisis is an everyday reality that permanently affects all levels of our lives. The logic of downturn, developed in this book, helps make sense of what is going on, as the economy shapes us more deeply than we had ever realized, not only our finances and our work, but also our relationships, our thinking, and even our hopes and desires. Religion is one arena shaped by economics and thus part of the problem but, as Joerg Rieger shows, it might also hold one of the keys for providing alternatives, since it points to energies for transformation and justice. Rieger's hopeful perspective unfolds in stark contrast to an economy and a religion that thrive on mounting inequality and differences of class.

Review Quotes

"Joerg Rieger uses the occasion of the present financial crisis to remind us once again that the religion that controls most human history at present is devoted to the market rather than to the father of Jesus Christ. He shows how far we who call ourselves Christians have been sucked into the orbit of worship of this God. May his call to repentance be widely heard." -- John B Cobb Jr "Professor Emeritus of Theology, Claremont School of Theology"

"This is an important and welcome addition to the growing body of literature which recognizes that global economics is a theological as well as an ethical and political issue of great urgency." -- Theodore Jennings "Professor of Biblical and Constructive Theology, Chicago Theological Seminary"