Bernard of Clairvaux and James K. A. Smith on the Reformation of Desire

Abstract

Capitalism has profoundly reshaped human desire, turning it into an endless instrument of production and consumption. This article investigates how the Christian theological tradition can offer a path of liberation from such capitalist deformation of desire. Both Bernard of Clairvaux and James K. A. Smith share a deep concern for the nature and formation of human desire. By bringing these two thinkers into dialogue, this article proposes an integrative framework of Christian formation that resists the manipulative logic of capitalism through Christian liturgy that recalibrates human desire toward God as its ultimate end.