ABSTRACT
In our concluding chapter Babie and Trainor return to the issues that began the study-the contemporary obsession with ownership and property and the neoliberal penchant for choice. As flagged in Chapter 1, the authors now explicate seven insights (‘theses’) that emerge from engaging what they have called the ‘theological voice’. These theses all revolve around choice. They concern the importance of restoring choice, with an awareness of the sacred and concern for human wholeness (the ‘soul’), that reflects a style of life open to others and gives priority to the poor. This priority occurs with a spirit of generosity that also looks for ways to develop friendship. The authors believe these insights best address the issues today that affect our attitude to property and use of possessions. It is also suggested that these have broader humanitarian and ecological implications in a world troubled by social upheaval and anxiety. In the search to address these concerns and live authentically, such insights offer an alternative to neoliberalism.
