Occupy Theology: Hyperbolic Christianity and American Culture
Two competing and often contradictory hyperboles appear to exist in harmony. On the one hand is the extravagant call of Christianity to love the “other” in excess, to forgive without limit, and to offer as well as to accept exorbitant grace. On the other hand are societal and economic systems that a...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sage
2013
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| In: |
Review and expositor
Year: 2013, Volume: 110, Issue: 2, Pages: 211-238 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | Two competing and often contradictory hyperboles appear to exist in harmony. On the one hand is the extravagant call of Christianity to love the “other” in excess, to forgive without limit, and to offer as well as to accept exorbitant grace. On the other hand are societal and economic systems that advocate loving the “self” in excess, consuming without reserve, and taking what is given freely with no thought of reciprocity. The problem, then, is that the message of Christianity often directly opposes this more economic, materialistic way of viewing the world. This essay primarily approaches these issues of religion and economy from a rhetorical perspective to reveal instances when Christianity and a consumeristic culture driven by economic interests and materialistic desires interact in often-unnoticed ways. Specifically, it will re-define hyperbole and will argue that competing hyperboles in public discourse can be equally oppressive and transformative. Overall, a hyper-consumerist American culture constantly uses exaggerated claims and promises in order to sell various products, which may seem harmless enough, but what is troubling is that traditional religious practices and expressions such as “spirituality” are also being turned into products for mass consumption in the marketplace. They are being “occupied,” re-branded, re-packaged, and stripped of their ethical religious underpinnings. However, Christianity itself is equally extravagant and excessive in its own claims about love, grace, redemption, and forgiveness. Through these excessive claims and actions one can resist, disrupt, and transform the “occupation,” or re-branding and selling, of Christian practices and expressions as products. By engaging in a perpetual critique of society as well as a critique of its own doctrines and expressions, one can participate in a more radical form of Christianity. |
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| ISSN: | 2052-9449 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Review and expositor
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/003463731311000206 |