Includes bibliographical references and index

Part I. Overview: The market as god -- Theologians and economists -- How the market became divine -- How the market god creates people -- Biblical sources of the conflict with the market god: usury and phishing -- Biblical sources of the conflict with the market god II, a festival of redistribution, the jubilee year chapter -- Part II. Disorders and infirmities: Top heavy short circuits -- Big, big banks and big, big churches -- Part III. History: following the money: The bishop and the monk: Augustine and Pelagius -- Adam Smith: founder and patron saint? -- Adam Smith: theologian and prophet? -- Banker, philosopher, trickster, writer -- The breath of god and the market geist -- "Go ye into all the world" (or at least into every emerging market) -- The liturgical year of the market god -- All desires known -- The market god and the end of the world -- Saving the soul of the market

The Market has deified itself, according to Harvey Cox's brilliant exegesis. And all of the world's problems--widening inequality, a rapidly warming planet, the injustices of global poverty--are consequently harder to solve. Only by tracing how the Market reached its divine status can we hope to restore it to its proper place as servant of humanity.--