Sacred Consumption

How does consumerism function as a quasi-religion in America, and how does the Christian faith interact with the consumerist pseudo-faith? Answering these questions is the focus of Sacred Consumption: The Religions of Christianity and Consumerism in America. Peter Mundey draws on both quantitative and qualitative data to explore how habitually consuming nonessentials is sacred in American culture and how the Christian sacred interacts with such consumption. Mundey unpacks the history of American consumerism and the creeds of consumerism. Christian creeds related to both consuming and financial giving are also discussed, illuminating the ways that Christianity can fuel, resist, and passively ignore consumerism. Mundey’s emphasis throughout is to enumerate the underlying cultural ideology derived from both Christianity and consumerism that partially makes and shapes American consumers.