One of the more famous quotes from the eminently quotable Lord Acton is his dictum, “Liberty is not the power of doing what we like, but the right of being able to do what we ought.” Actually, this appears in his writings in a slightly different form, as is seen below. It is clear from the quote itself that Acton is contrasting two different views of liberty. But from the larger context we can rightly describe these two views as...

In the Genealogy of Morals, Friedrich Nietzsche makes an interesting observation about cultural elites and how a culture defines what is “good”: [T]he real homestead of the concept of “good” is sought and located in the wrong place: the judgement “good” did not originate among those to whom goodness was shown. Much rather has it has been the good themselves, that is, the aristocratic, the powerful, the high-stationed, the high-minded, who have felt that they themselves are good, and that...

Dr. Ben Carson, the neurosurgeon who made a splash at the last Prayer Breakfast at the White House, will now be writing a weekly column at The Washington Post. Carson has retired from his position as head of pediatric surgery at John Hopkins Hospital, and is now interested in speaking out on issues affecting American life. In an interview with The Daily Caller,Carson stated that he wanted to encourage Americans to speak up about their thoughts on the direction the...

Self-proclaimed “tithe hacker” Mike Holmes has a helpful piece atRELEVANT Magazine on how tithing could “change the world.” (Jordan Ballor offers some additional insightshere.) Holmes begins by observing that “tithers make up only 10-25 percentof a normal congregation” and that “Christians are only giving at 2.5 percent per capita,” proceeding to ponder what might be plished if the church were to increase its giving to the typical 10 percent. His projections are as follows: $25 billion could relieve global hunger,...

Pulling a rabbit out of a hat is a classic magic trick. But if a magician wants to do it nowadays he also needs to be able to pull out a license for the hare and a USDA-approved “rabbit disaster plan” that details how the bunny will hop to safety in case of a natural disaster, like a hurricane, flood, or sharknado. Or even if the air conditioning goes out. This Kafkaesque regulatory requirement started over forty years ago —...

Religious intolerance is mon around the world, and Sudan is one country where Christians are especially vulnerable. As a minority in a nation that is 97 percent Muslim, Christians there are worried that their right to practice their faith freely is more and more at risk. According to Fredrick Nzwili, a two-decade long civil war continues to fester. The two regions had fought a two-decade long civil war that ended in 2005, following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement....

Though primarily a theologian, the famous Reformation figure John Calvin had much to say about the application of biblical principles to politics. His focus on the sovereignty of God in all aspects of Creation led Calvin to believe in God’s ordinance not only in the spiritual realm, but also in civil government. Citing Scriptural passages such as Proverbs 8:15-16 – “By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the...

I’m getting ready to take a bus ride this week. For under $70, I get a round-trip from my city to Chicago. I’ll have free wi-fi, a clean fortable ride, and I don’t have to deal with Chicago traffic. It’s convenient, quick, inexpensive and easy. It’s also an entrepreneurial dream. So what does the government have against bus travel in America? Check out this video from Reason: ...

Paychecks are the vehicle for upward mobility, wealth and personal fulfillment in life, says Mike Varney. So why aren’t we doing everything in our power to create more of the jobs that are the source of those paychecks? It’s all very simple. Companies create jobs. Jobs are what create paychecks. Paychecks are what gives individuals and families purchasing power and choice in their lives. Jobs and paychecks create futures and give humans a sense of purpose, contribution and connection. Jobs...

An eagle eyed – well, eagle-eared – customer of the Acton Digital Download Store informed us today of an error in one of the audio files that we made available on the store during Acton University 2013. It turns out that the audio of Rev. Robert Sirico’s opening night address was truncated, ending a little more than halfway through his speech. This is not good. Not good at all. As a result, I’ve pressed the mp3 file, uploaded a new...