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“Decoding Mammon, Money as a Dangerous and Subversive Instrument” by Peter Dominy. He has served as missionary in Nigeria for fifteen years before pasturing two parishes in the UK. He is an Emeritus Canon of Chichester Cathedral. The book is a condensed version of the author’s PhD thesis for the University of Exeter, approved in 2011, entitled “De-Coding Mammon: Money in Need of Redemption,” which is available on the university Web site (to which readers are referred for a more detailed treatment of the subject) at http://hdl.handle.net/10036/3065
Description
“Decoding Mammon” is an exposition of the negative assessment of money implied in Jesus’ statement: “You cannot serve God and Mammon.” On the basis of the theology enshrined in the Old and New Testament and in the long-term tradition of the church, it is claimed that problems associated with money do not arise simply from the way it is used but from the nature of money itself. Despite the fact that money has enabled great economic development, and in contrast with the general consensus of governments, economists, and many theologians that money is either a positive or neutral instrument, the book seeks to show that money is a deeply flawed instrument, created by fallen human beings, and fashioned over the years to suit the interests of those in power rather than the needs of people in general. It is argued that money should be allowed to operate within severe restrictions, and that any reformulation of the global economy as a result of the recent financial crisis needs to be based on this understanding.
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