Here is a piece I wrote for Law and Liberty on 5 Insights that Christianity Brings to Politics to be sure. At times it has suppressed political, religious and economic liberty. Yet despite that, andSteven Pinkerand the idea of a limited state. Though Christianity is not a political program it nevertheless gives us a certain way of thinking about the state and the role of politics. It is important to note that a Christian vision of government is not simply...

Alejandro Chafuen, Acton’s Managing Director, ments in Forbes today on the results of the European Parliament elections that concluded this past Sunday. Many European countries showed gains for nationalist, Euroskeptic and environmentalist parties at the expense of more traditional centrist groups and of socialist parties. Chafuen focuses particularly on the results in Spain and their divergence from this general trend. Among socialists in Europe, it seems that those of the Spanish Workers Party, Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE), were some...

This week, I gave a public lecture at the Heritage Foundation as part of its speakers’ series on the theme “Free Markets: The Ethical Economic Choice.” At a time in which many Americans, at least according to opinion polls, say that they are attracted to socialism, I thought it would be helpful to consider what two observers of socialism, the French political philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville and the American theologian Michael Novak, had to say about this subject. There are...

In recent years, we’ve witnessed a food revolution of sorts, leading to expansive consumer choice and an increasing emphasis on healthy or specialty foods that are locally and ethically sourced. In turn, a flurry of grocery chains have capitalized on such trends, with some stuffing their aisles with countless brands as others focus on “socially conscious” goods at luxury prices. Meanwhile, petitor, Aldi, has been seizing market share by taking an entirely different approach: bold simplicity, hyper-efficiency, and low prices....

The Detroit News has published an opinion piece by Fr. Robert Sirico on our increasingly contentious public discourse, socialism, and the religious left titled ‘The dangers of creeping toward socialism’: The popes have traditionally condemned socialism in the strongest possible terms as being patible with Christianity, because its concept of society itself is utterly foreign to Christian truth. This irreconcilability to Christianity is related to socialism’s deep-seated materialism. In reducing human persons and society to the product of economic forces,...

This week, a UK government office launched an investigation into the Labour Party over charges the party “unlawfully discriminated against, harassed, or victimised people because they are Jewish.” Allegations of anti-Semitism are nothing new against the Labour Party (which, ironically, founded the investigating body, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, a dozen years ago), but the charges – and their lack of resolution – reveal two important truths about socialism. Reports of harassment of Jewish members peaked under the leadership...

On this episode of Acton Line, Bradley J. Birzer, History professor and the Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies at Hillsdale College, joins the podcast to talk about the movie ‘Tolkien,’ explaining what the film got right about the life of British author J.R.R. Tolkien and what the film missed. Afterwards, Bruce Ashford, professor of theology and culture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, talks about his new book, “The Gospel of our King,” and how Biblical narrative relates to...

This Saturday is the inaugural Global Coptic Day, a day memorates the Holy Family’s flight to Egypt and that celebrates “the Coptic Orthodox Church’s rich heritage, including its indelible history of martyrdom and persecution, theological education and monasticism.” Here are five facts you should know about this ancient Christian tradition. 1.The word Copt is derived from the Greek word for Egyptian. After the Muslim conquest of Egypt, it became restricted to those Egyptians adhering to Christianity. The term is typically...

When asked to name a successful example of democratic socialism, one nation always rises to the top of the list: Denmark. However, a Reuters news story shows that the socialists’ model nation is providing fewer and fewer services to citizens despite its hefty tax bill. Aase Blytsoe, a 92-year-old pensioner with dementia, is one example. Her apartment will be cleaned 10 times a year, about half as often as it had been. Making up the difference would cost more than...

Yesterday, Prof. Mary Hirschfield of Villanova University received the prestigious “Economy and Society International Prize”, a €30,000 biennial award given by the Vatican’s Centesimus Annus Foundation. The dual doctoral degree holder in economics and theology was granted the prize money for her groundbreaking book Aquinas and the Market: Toward a Humane Economy (Havard University Press, 2018). The foundation’s fourth edition of the prize was attended by over one-hundred dignitaries, including fellow economists and theologians who had previously gathered for its...