The good of affluence Book

Hard to say how to rate this book. This book is solidly-written, and at many points solidly argued. Schneider scores some easy points against social-justice Christians who, having already assumed what they are claiming to prove, make very slipshod use of a number of Scriptural texts. Likewise, Schneider manifests an impressive willingness to take seriously, at least at the outset, Biblical texts that would appear to contradict his position, critiquing the enjoyment of enormous wealth in the face of surrounding poverty. In the end, though, although Schneider does a fairly good job of showing that a simplistic and legalistic "go and give everything you don't need to the poor" stance does not do justice to the whole Biblical witness, he offers no alternative.
He keeps acting like he's going to, but in the end, it keeps coming down to something like, "The problem isn't wealth per se, but an ungodly attitude toward wealth." Well, duh. But what exactly does that look like? How do I avoid it? What concrete actions does it entail? In view of how insidious the idolatry of wealth is, particularly in our culture, how easy to heedlessly fall into, it seems critical that Schneider should give us very careful guidance as to how to be godly in our use of wealth, instead of just saying, "Go your merry way, enjoy whatever material possessions your heart desires, and God will smile on you."
He also keeps hinting that he is going to provide a coherent account of what our duties are to the poor, avoiding both legalism and apathy. But in the end, it's only a couple pages, asserting a principle called "moral proximity," but refusing to really define or apply it, or give any guidance on how it should be applied. I could easily accept the principle that my first duty is to the needy that are closest to me (which is the gist of "moral proximity") but how does that work for the millions of American Christians who have isolated themselves in affluent suburbs and affluent churches and so can claim with a straight face that they'd be happy to help any poor people they knew, but they don't know any?
Plus, he admits at the outset that his endorsement of modern Western affluence depends upon a certain understanding and evaluation of capitalism, but he provides only a brief defence for that understanding and evaluation, and never defines what it is he's talking about. Should his evaluation of "capitalism" prove flawed, so does much of his moral argument--by his own admission.

In view of these weak foundations, and the very dangerous moral consequences of simply endorsing a lifestyle of American consumerism without providing any real guidance on what it means to live Christianly in the midst of it, I have to give this book only two stars.

Extensive reviews up (and more coming) on my blog.