President Biden wants to pump nearly $2 trillion more into the U.S. economy under the guise of “economic stimulus.” But the country’s economy has already been growing for months, proving that American politicians have adopted the term “stimulus” for a new regime of spending programs that drive up debt needlessly, taking a page out of Xi Jinping playbook. Read More… Proposals for “economic stimulus”, the use of monetary or fiscal policy to stimulate the economy, have e a permanent fixture...

From violating burial rites to blame-shifting toward religious minorities to anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, the pandemic has served as a precursor to all sorts of anti-religious mischief. A new report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedoms shows how religious freedoms have been curtailed across the world. Read More… COVID-19 has posed unique challenges to religious liberty across the United States, spurring politicians to impose public health measures that restricted in-person worship services. Globally, the situation has often been much...

This year marks the 30th anniversary of John Paul II’s important encyclical, Centesimus Annus. While the average lay person might not pay attention to formal pronouncements by the Roman Catholic Church, papal encyclicals are significant in their affirmation of the church’s social doctrine. Of course, Protestants have no such magisterium to which they might appeal, and it goes without saying that there exists no such thing as “Protestant social teaching.” Given the importance of the Christian church’s unity and its...

Our weakened state, due to original sin, does not mean that we are wicked, evil, or insignificant. It means that we have a wound—a particular kind of wound that demands a particular kind of medicine. Read More… In his first address to a joint session of Congress, President Biden offered a renewed vision of America, claiming a revitalizing economy, a growing distribution of vaccinations, and efforts to end injustice against race and gender identity. His e through hollow as many...

Occasionally, our antagonists think they have discovered the silver bullet argument in favor of “Christian socialism.” One such apology recently came into my inbox. In its entirety, it read: Acts Chapters 4 and 5 Tell of The Holy Spirits Work with The Apostles to Establish SOCIALISM for The Christian Church…What further proof is needed ??? Recourse to the exceptional model of charity practiced by the early munity in Acts 4:31-35 is as perpetual as it is erroneous. As I’ve noted...

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina delivered the Republican response to President Joe Biden’s address to a joint session of Congress. Scott’s well-received address traversed the full ground of faith, virtue, and economics – openly declaring that ing a Christian transformed my life,” hailing the “the most inclusive economy in my lifetime” under the Trump administration, and stating boldly that “America is not a racist country.” Here are six memorable quotations: 1. America is not a racist country: Hear me...

Birth rates are in free fall across the Western world, spurred along by plex web of factors, from increases in economic prosperity and egalitarianism to declines in religiosity to idols of choice and convenience. Whatever the reasons, family has taken a back seat in the hearts and minds of many. “Most of today’s Americans believe that educational and economic plishments are extremely important milestones of adulthood,” according to a recent study by the U.S. Census Bureau. “In contrast, marriage and...

What happens in California doesn’t tend to stay in California – and that’s usually bad for America. For instance, “55% of all public school students, including those in charter schools, were at home, in distance learning, as of April 30, according to an EdSource analysis of new data released by the state.” However, a new and growing parental rights movement in the state is making headlines, creating change, and forging a national push for the nation’s still-shuttered schools to reopen...

As a member of the clergy with multiple secular jobs, things are always hectic. I’ve decided I must step away from my work with the Acton Institute beginning the first week of May and, I’m sad to say, this marks my final new blog for the Acton Institute. (A few more entries will appear next week, as will some articles for the Spring 2021 issue of Religion & Liberty analyzing the first days of the Biden-Harris administration but – spoiler...

This essay won firstplace in the essay contest of the Acton Institute’s 2020 Poverty Cure Summit, which took place on Nov. 18-19, 2020. This essay is presented as it was submitted. – Ed. Eradicating poverty, or at least effectively reducing it, is one of the oldest and most debated issues in the field of economics. Several solutions have already been presented and yet the problem persists in many places. The specificity of each region of the globe makes it even...