Jung Mo Sung - Böcker

Jung Mo Sung has pioneered a theological analysis of economics in his previous publications, developing a penetrating ethico-religious critique of the international capitalist systems, whose institutions he likens to altars. Where ancient idolatry had visible altars, the modern altar of the ‘global market god’, is invisible, but still demands human sacrifices in the name of ‘objective’ desires. Here Sung recovers theology’s relevance for a world where the most dangerous idols – those that sacrifice millions of people upon the altar of wealth – have for too long been ignored by theology. Desire, Market, Religion, Sung investigates themes such as the struggle against social exclusion, the relationship between economics and religion in the 21 century, where global brands and global economies reigns supreme, and theology’s role in the struggle against social exclusion and the giving of hope for plenty, when the reality is scarcity.

In Beyond the Spirit of Empire, the authors analyze the global empire not only in its political and economic dimensions, but also in its symbolic constructions of power and in its general assumptions often taken for granted. How does empire mould human subjectivity, for instance, and how does it affect the understanding of humans within the whole of creation? What are the religious dimensions of empire, its claims to divine attributes like omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence, eternity, and what about its alleged exclusiveness and pervasiveness that destroys human life and freedom, which turns politics into a banal matter? The authors propose to look beyond empire to the possibility of politics and freedom, to the recovery of the notion of people, to the importance of ongoing concern for the oppressed and excluded, and to a messianic faith that allows us to live in anticipation, though ambiguously, of the promise of new times to come.

A powerful theological critique of neoliberalism and contemporary capitalism and its corrosive effects on human dignity and social justice. Writing from Latin America's liberationist tradition and his position as a theologian in Brazil, Sung argues that neoliberal economics has not only created unprecedented inequality, but also birthed a new cultural myth: that the market is sacred. Drawing on biblical faith, Catholic social teaching, and real-world examples from around the globe, and providing lucid descriptions of contributions from key economists and liberation theologians, he challenges the modern separation between faith and economics, calling instead for a renewed commitment to human rights and the Church’s option for the poor. Sung’s central claim is provocative and urgent: the worship of money in today’s world is a form of idolatry that contradicts both the gospel and reason. The Church must reject neutrality, he writes, and speak prophetically on behalf of the excluded. Originally published in Portuguese, this English translation brings to a wider audience a passionate, accessible, and intellectually rich argument that faith and reason demand action in the face of systemic injustice.

A powerful theological critique of neoliberalism and contemporary capitalism and its corrosive effects on human dignity and social justice. Writing from Latin America's liberationist tradition and his position as a theologian in Brazil, Sung argues that neoliberal economics has not only created unprecedented inequality, but also birthed a new cultural myth: that the market is sacred. Drawing on biblical faith, Catholic social teaching, and real-world examples from around the globe, and providing lucid descriptions of contributions from key economists and liberation theologians, he challenges the modern separation between faith and economics, calling instead for a renewed commitment to human rights and the Church’s option for the poor. Sung’s central claim is provocative and urgent: the worship of money in today’s world is a form of idolatry that contradicts both the gospel and reason. The Church must reject neutrality, he writes, and speak prophetically on behalf of the excluded. Originally published in Portuguese, this English translation brings to a wider audience a passionate, accessible, and intellectually rich argument that faith and reason demand action in the face of systemic injustice.