Devin Singh’s Economy and Modern Christian Thought is a concise yet remarkably rich book on the complex relationship between these two fields of study. Singh outlines three reasons why an introduction to this relationship is worthy of inquiry: Firstly, he aims to map these constantly changing territories. Secondly, he argues that economic crises and rapid shifts in religious and economic practices, institutions, and ideas require engagement. Lastly, he tries to illuminate avenues for criticism and change against a dominant and seemingly inevitable economic ideology.
Singh's interest lies not in examining economic phenomena from a theological perspective, but instead in “exploring how and why the two disparate objects and fields can be brought into conversation, and how others have approached such dialogue. In other words, I primarily explore second-order, theoretical frameworks that can justify first-order theological engagement with concrete economic problems” (6). This also explains why Singh prefers the term Christian thought over theology: “The catch-all expression ‘Christian thought’ enables an engagement with theological, ethical, philosophical, historical, and practical approaches under the umbrella of Christian reflection on markets, money, exchange, value and the like” (7). Singh thus adopts a descriptive approach, engaging with conceptual and methodological questions about the relationship between the two fields, as opposed to the normative, confessional approach of theology.
After an introduction, the book is divided into three chapters. In the first chapter, Singh describes the way the economic field has been examined theologically. He reconstructs five ideal-typical approaches from the realm of Christian thought—scriptural, social-scientific, ethical, philosophical, and theological—that engage with economic questions. Even though simplification is necessary for schematic clarity, Singh usefully maps the vast research field while also providing a thorough overview of recent literature.
The second chapter addresses the central methodological question of his study: how can a theological perspective (effectively, the perspective of Christian thought) be applied to the field of economics? Singh advocates for an approach that describes the mutual influence or interconnection of both phenomena. He examines possible genealogical relationships between the fields, in form and content, as well as in practices and institutions. Singh describes his approach as homological, since it “indicates a relation of filial connection, mutual dependence, and shared or related lines of conceptual descent” (31). For him, the significance of the present relationship between Christian thought and economics is best analyzed genetically: “homology in this sense indicates that theological language and economic language have informed one another and that the presently addressed relation between the two is best understood in light of this foregoing and longstanding connection” (31). Be this as it may, Singh emphasizes that a genealogical relationship between theology and economy should not lead to deterministic conclusions: “My nuance on this is that theology is irretrievably entangled with economic logic, but that this need not be a bad thing as such and also need not invalidate certain theological critiques of specific economic formations” (50).
In the final chapter, Singh lists twelve trajectories within current debates within economics and theology, some extensively discussed and others emerging. It is not possible to detail all individual questions here. Exemplary and particularly interesting is Singh's discussion of digital currencies and cryptocurrencies, where he proposes a distinction between both forms of currency and reflects on the opportunities and risks these new forms of currency generate from an ethical-theological perspective. All twelve trajectories revolve around fundamental ethical, theological, philosophical, and anthropological questions, directing attention toward societal challenges and crises of the present moment.
Singh's broad approach to the relationship between his subjects leads him to only touch on some topics, leaving the reader with more questions than answers. However, this is one of the book's strengths, prompting readers to conceive of the relationship between the two fields in numerous different ways This might involve a deeper exploration of the concept of property, contemporary commodified notions of love, or ideologies of war. Another strength of the book is its methodology, which he uses to shape his brief but detailed studies. Singh's book thus fulfills its claim to provide a comprehensive overview of the relationship between the economy and modern Christian thought while also delineating anew and determining theoretically what makes their relationship possible. Overall, Economy and Modern Christian Thought is a readable, stimulating, and helpful book that is suitable for both researchers and students in the field, particularly due to its broad overview of the research landscape.
Bertolt Bundschuh is a PhD student in theological ethics at LMU Munich (Germany).
Bertolt Bundschuh
Date Of Review:
May 7, 2024
