Political theology will interpret just how our economic decisions are not value-free, not innocent, and never merely individualistic; rather, that theology will uncover the moral, ethical, and cultural consequences of those decisions. Soelle’s sharp and well known critique of materialism resonates in the words of John Paul II: “It is not wrong to want to live better; what is wrong is a style of life which is presumed to be better when it is directed towards ‘having’ rather than ‘being,’ and which wants to have more, not in order to be more but in order to spend life in enjoyment as an end in itself.” Political theology will demonstrate that authentic achievement of hour humanity lies not in having, but in being; moreover, that achievement can be realized only by turning-to-others, thereby, interrupting privatizing, individualistic, destructive behavior.
M. Shawn Copeland, “Presidential Address: Political Theology as Interruptive” CTSA Proceedings 59: 77.
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