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Why government is not just a necessary evil

In the Federalist Papers James Madison claimed that, “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.” But is that true? James R. Rogers, an associate professor of political science at Texas A&M University, explains why some form of government would be necessary even if man were still in a prelapsarian state of nature: [E]ven without the Fall, there would be a role for civil government for the duly recognized person who exercises civil authority. Even in an unfallen society,...

Radio Free Acton: Jennifer Roback Morse on family breakdown and the economy; Upstream on Darkest Hour

On this episode of Radio Free Acton, Trey Dimsdale, Director of Program Outreach at Acton, speaks with Jennifer Roback Morse, founder of the Ruth Institute, about her ing Acton Lecture Series talk on family breakdown and the economy. Then, on the Upstream segment, Bruce Edward Walker talks to Acton’s Patrick Oetting on the new film Darkest Hour. Check out these additional resources on this week’s podcast topics: Register here to attend Acton’s Lecture Series event on January 25, featuring Jennifer...

What you should know about Jubilee Years

Many politically progressive Christians have latched on to the concept of a “Jubilee year” as a biblically endorsed excuse for debt cancellations and as a way to “dismantle economic inequality.” But as a new study by Charles A Goodhart and Michael Hudson explains, Jubilee Years didn’t originate in ancient Israel, they weren’t really about egalitarianism, and they can’t readily be applied outside of agrarian based economies. Here are a few highlights from their paper: The Israelites borrowed the idea from...

Economic problems are not driving opioid overdose deaths

The opioid epidemic has e one of the deadliest drug crises in American history. In 2015, more peopledied from drug overdosesthan in any year on record, and the majority of drug overdose deaths—more than six out of ten—involved an opioid. A study of emergency rooms in the U.S. also found that since 1999, the number of overdose deaths involving opioids (including prescription opioid pain relievers and heroin) nearly quadrupled. Altogether nearly half a million people died from drug overdoses in...

Apply today for a 2018 internship at Acton

A 2016 NACE Center report on millennial hiring indicated that internships help 81.1 percent of graduates “shift their career directions either slightly or significantly.” At Acton, we place an emphasis on assisting young men and women to discover their vocational calling through internships. The holiday season may have just ended, but we already find ourselves anticipating the energy and enthusiasm that 18 young leaders will bring to the Acton office this summer. In addition, we have re-branded the Acton summer...

The euro, Brussels, and the Russian bear

The government of Poland is part of the new surge of populism, openly defying the European Union on numerous policy fronts and rebuffing calls for an “ever-closer union.” So, why did its prime minister recently raise the possibility of adopting the euro? What is happening, and how should people of faith think about a single European currency? Are there moral issues at stake? “Adoption of mon euro currency should be understood first and foremost as politics, and only then as...

The 5 biggest problems with Oxfam’s 2018 income inequality report

Oxfam has just released its annualreport, and the media have dutifully covered its conclusion that “82% of all growth in global wealth in the last year went to the top 1%, while the bottom half of humanity saw no increase at all.” Here are five significant concerns every Christian should have with it: Inequality is not the same as poverty The report admits, “Between 1990 and 2010, the number of people living in extreme poverty (i.e. on less than $1.90...

RELIGION & LIBERTY

The Truth of Sanctification

　　The Truth of Sanctification 　　Weekly Overview: 　　We have a great High Priest who constantly intercedes on our behalf. The Son of God and Man loves you more deeply than you can fathom. He prays for you, that you might walk in the abundant life his death affords you. And in John 17 we get a glimpse into the fullness of...

Dec 11, 2025

The High Cost of Political Capture

　　Politics doesn’t just make strange bedfellows; it can also make self-dealing ones. A new study of the economic impact of the $787 billion 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is trying to tell us about the need to close the gap between intentions and outcomes by moving decision-making and accountability closer to the communities the federal government is trying...

Dec 11, 2025

Americans Are Still Inviting People to Church

　　When churchgoers show up to their churchs worship service, theyre often hoping to have a guest with them. 　　A Lifeway Research study of US Protestant churchgoers finds 3 in 5 (60%) say they have extended at least one invitation in the past six months for someone to attend their church, including 19 percent who have made one invitation, 21 percent...

Dec 11, 2025

New Alliance Aims to Unite Chinese Churches Divided by Geopolitics

　　Anyone wanting to bring together the more than 100 million Chinese-speaking Christians around the world must deal with the thorny issue of the church in China. There, Christians are split between unregistered house churches and the government-sanctioned Three-Self church. Additionally, heated differences in political views make it difficult for the global Chinese-speaking church to unify. 　　Nevertheless, global evangelical leaders want...

Dec 11, 2025

Deference to AI?

　　As courts and administrative agencies encounter uncertainty posed by the post-Chevron era, a few foundational principles remain in place and serve as guides through doctrinal disruption. For one, courts have the authority and capacity to say what the law is. Likewise, if Congress unambiguously mandates a specific agency action, including the means to perform that act, jurists and scholars alike...

Dec 11, 2025

A Scholar

　　This term, the spotlight among both conservative and liberal Court watchers has been on Amy Coney Barrett’s not infrequent breaks from her fellow Republican-appointed justices. Liberal commentators have been quick to praise her, especially in contrast to those colleagues. Those encomiums bring to mind what Laurence Silberman (for whom Barrett once clerked) dubbed the “Greenhouse effect.” That’s the tendency of...

Dec 11, 2025

A Dim Hope for Democracy in Venezuela

　　On July 28, Venezuela will hold a presidential election amid suspicions of fraud among the opposition. The dictator, Nicolás Maduro, will face 74-year-old former diplomat Edmundo González. If the elections were fair, most studies point to a 20-25 percent advantage for González. Many believe that Maduro will steal the election or disqualify González at the last minute. So why do...

Dec 11, 2025

God Understands Our Sorrow

　　“He pulled away from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, 'Father, remove this cup from me. But please, not what I want. What do you want?' At once an angel from heaven was at his side, strengthening him. He prayed all the harder. Sweat, wrung from him like drops of blood, poured off his face.” Luke 22:41-44...

Dec 11, 2025

When We’ve Blown It

　　Thursday, July 25, 2024 　　When We’ve Blown It 　　O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning. (Psalm 5:1 NLT) 　　Have you ever been betrayed by someone you loved? Have you ever faced seemingly insurmountable odds? Has it ever seemed as though there was no way out of your dilemma? 　　If so, then you have a good...

Dec 11, 2025

Want My Opinion?

　　Want My Opinion? 　　By: Anne Peterson 　　Fools have no interest in understanding, they only want to air their own opinions.- Proverbs 18:2 　　I’ve been reading through Proverbs again. And I’m telling you, Solomon really has nuggets of wisdom for all of us. I hardly start reading and I need to stop and write down some of those verses, so I...

Dec 11, 2025