Theological Ethics in a Neoliberal Age

Throughout his ministry, Jesus spoke frequently and unabashedly on the now-taboo subject of money. With nothing good to say to the rich, the New Testament--indeed the entire Bible--is far from positive towards the topic of personal wealth. And yet, we all seek material prosperity and comfort. How are Christians to square the words of their savior with the balances of their bank accounts, or more accurately, with their unquenchable desire for financial security? While the church has developed diverse responses to the problems of poverty, it is often silent on what seems almost as straightforward a biblical principle: that wealth, too, is a problem. By considering the particular context of the recent economic history of Ireland, this book explores how the parables of Jesus can be the key to unlocking what it might mean to follow Christ as wealthy people without diluting our dilemma or denying the tension. Through an engagement with contemporary economic and political thought, aided by the work of Karl Barth and William T. Cavanaugh, this book represents a unique and innovative intervention to a discussion that applies to every Christian in the Western world. ""By drawing on the parables, Kevin Hargaden helps us see that in fact Jesus does have some quite straightforward judgments about wealth and its dangers. He combines that analysis with a stunning knowledge of recent economic understanding that gives him an insightful account of the recent crisis in the Irish economy. This is a book that has been begging to be written and now Kevin Hargaden has done it--no mean feat."" --Stanley Hauerwas, author of The Character of Virtue: Letters to a Godson ""Kevin Hargaden has produced a timely, thoughtful, and provocative work of theological ethics. His critique of neoliberalism is highly original and persuasive. His analysis of the ways in which economic values are embedded in cultural practices is brilliant, allowing the reader to understand why neoliberalism persists, despite all of its woes. A deeply challenging but rewarding read."" --Linda Hogan, Professor of Ecumenics, Trinity College Dublin ""Hargaden's study is as engaging as it is unsettling precisely because he invites us to consider the theological depth and scope of our 'money troubles'. Working creatively at the intersection of ethics, theology, and economics, Hargaden suggests how attending to the new world attested in Jesus' parables can break open the seeming inevitability of our current economic regimes and animate a worshipful Christian freedom amidst wealth's captivity."" --Philip G. Ziegler, Professor of Systematic Theology, University of Aberdeen ""We live in an age when it seems we can never have enough, for there is always more to desire and obtain. Kevin Hargaden's book gives us a fantastic opportunity . . . to reflect anew on what wealth means for the people of God. Hargaden skillfully brings together contemporary Irish economic history, Karl Barth's theology, and a beautiful articulation of worship as a way of creatively reimagining what it means to have enough."" --Jana M. Bennett, Professor of Moral Theology, University of Dayton, Ohio ""Kevin Hargaden is an exciting and prophetic young Irish theological voice, crying out in contemporary idiom and from the heart of the Reformed tradition. His biblical and theological analysis of the problem of wealth is both erudite and provocative . . . which challenges us to resist the hegemony of neo-liberalism over our imaginations, and find sources of resistance in the parables of Jesus, theology, and worship."" --Gerry O'Hanlon, S.J., theologian, author, and former Provincial of the Irish Jesuits Kevin Hargaden is the Social Theologian at the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice in Dublin, Ireland. He is the editor of Beginnings: Interrogating Stanley Hauerwas (2017) and (with Brian Brock and Nick Watson) Theology, Disability and Sport: Social Justice Perspectives (2018).