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Author ranges far off topic of consumption and society at times. Some good chapters, some tought to follow.
I pray that Kavenaugh's efect on all of us in college reaches my son as well. Something had better. My son is reading it now. I knew Kavenaugh from my colege days and tere was no greater spokespeson for a values-directed ife. Good bye Game Boy. I would recomend this for all colege stuents of a Christian orientation as a way to chalenge thematerialism that has driven their parents and dragged them along. The man lived it and we all loved him for it (c'est domage his college at the time is now run by a tyrant who wouldn't undersand a word of this book). This book could change society.
DonovanCalifornia Bookwatch The dynamics of commodity and consumerism are revealed in chapters which lend particularly well to study group discussion.Diane C. Following Christ in a Consumer Society is a classic study written by a Jesuit priest and which appeared nearly two decades ago: its 25th anniversary edition will help spiritual collections replace aging, worn editions with a bright new paperback even more relevant today than when it was originally published. Chapters consider the relationship between Christianity and consumerism, and have been updated to reflect the latest scholarship in the area.
The personal form relies on Christian discipleship marked by such practices as self-critique, moral consistency, and prayer and supported by participation in community and the sacraments, all topics that Kavanaugh addresses in detail.This work can be seen as user`s manual for groups and individuals serious about understanding, resisting, and challenging the rampant consumerism of twenty-first century America. This 25th anniversary edition of Kavanaugh's work paints a strong picture of today's consumer culture marked by the "empty interior, broken relationship, craving for things, injustice of depersonalization, and flight from the wounded." The author employs examples from current events, cultural phenomena, and research studies to describe the earmarks and effects of the "Commodity Form." He describes the commodity form as a filter for all our experience, attitudes, emotions, drives, perceptions, and behavior that reduces us to replaceable "things" valuable only in terms of how much we market, produce, and consume. In direct opposition, Kavanaugh holds up the "Personal Form," in which humans are valued as irreplaceable, capable of self-conscious reflection, and fulfilled in relationships based on mutual commitment.
Everyone should read this book. This book is for all people. Worth every minute. Well written and an easy quick read. It is a wonderful account for the search that we humans make to "keep up with the Jones"" but never feel fufilled. It explains what is missing and why we are never satisified with tangible wants and desires for a long period of time.
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