Because I mostly say what’s wrong with market logic, it’s good for me to put myself inside that logic and make the most compelling case for it that I can. That’s what I’m doing as I continue to describe the economy as religion. I think about how the economic institutions and rituals serve religious purposes, not merely financial ones; how market logic has a theology all its own. Here, for example, is how I see economic religion offering us wholeness and salvation.
The path to wholeness and salvation in market logic is wealth accumulation. Without accumulating enough to participate in The Market’s activities, one is doomed. To follow any path other than wealth accumulation is heresy, and inevitably, means falling into sin. One testifies to their salvation through their assets and habits such as car, home, smart phone, clothing, investments, and up-to-date technologies; also where we travel, vacation, eat out and with whom. All of these bear witness to being saved. Nevertheless, the path is an anxious one because, unless one has accumulated a lot, working for more is unending. Even after one has been to the altar and been saved, the feelings of insufficiency return. Salvation becomes an unending quest, heavy in effort, light in grace.