Clergy Attitudes Toward Credit/Debt

Abstract

Peñaloza and Barnhart (2011) identify patterns of meanings in credit/debt based on U.S. white middle class informants’ interactions in the social and market domains. These patterns may yield “efficacious” or “punished” consumption outcomes, among which informants often move due to life events. This study draws upon P&B’s framework, using depth interviews to gather insight into meanings in credit/debt for clergy; specifically, ordained Baptists, Catholics, and Lutherans of varying racial/ethnic backgrounds in the U.S. Participants are found to hold various types of personal debt and face influences similar to non-clergy, leading to the normalization of credit/debt and impacting their consumption outcomes.