Editor’s Introduction

The mind of the nation has been firmly fixed on the economy for the last several years. The Great Recession, as the recent financial collapse has often been called, has determined much of the political and religious dialogue during this period. From anger, to anxiety, to tepid optimism, the United States and the world have been left wondering what can be done to recover economically, and perhaps more importantly, how to prevent such economic catastrophes from recurring in the future. To this end, the current issue of USQR begins with three pieces in close conversation, based loosely on a dialogue that occurred in 2011 between Joerg Rieger of the Perkins School of Theology, Gary Dorrien of Union Theological Seminary, and Kathryn Tanner of Yale Divinity School. Together, these three pieces form a response in a trajectory that seeks a proper Christian critique of and challenge to rampant capitalism driven to the point of inflicting destruction and suffering