Reflections on Affluence, Autonomy, Safety, and Power

by D. L. Mayfield

Affluence, autonomy, safety, and power.

These are the central values of the American dream. But are they compatible with Jesus' command to love our neighbor as ourselves?

In essays grouped around these four values, D. L. Mayfield asks us to pay attention to the ways they shape our own choices, and the ways those choices affect our neighbors. Where did these values come from? How have they failed those on the edges of our society? And how can we disentangle ourselves from our culture's headlong pursuit of these values and live faithful lives of service to God and our neighbors?