Thanks almost entirely to the killing of George Floyd, Black Lives Matter’s approval rating has more than doubled from where it stood four years ago, surging from 27% in 2016 to 57% today. While the slogan wins public support, the racially tinged socialism espoused by the organization Black Lives Matter should concern everyone who cherishes freedom. BLM proudly proclaims its belief that all black Americans should receive a guaranteed minimum e and “free” healthcare, schooling, food, real estate, gender reassignment...

America’s current racial strife has roots deeper than recent controversies involving the police. One factor greatly exacerbating these tensions is the contrast in worldviews over the relative importance of “race” in one’s life and how those in dialogue view the American founding, according to Ismael Hernandez, executive director of the Freedom and Virtue Institute and a longtime lecturer at Acton University. Hernandez has elucidated these contrasting approaches in two new episodes of “Freedom and Virtue” the podcast. Hernandez first traces...

Our open national strife entered a new phase when a leader of Black Lives Matter suggested his members move from cultural iconoclasm to religious iconoclasm. Shaun King’s call to smash all European-looking images of Jesus – echoing an ancient heresy – perfectly illustrates the underlying beliefs and ideologies motivating present-day anarchists. On June 22, King – a surrogate for democratic socialist Bernie Sanders’ campaign – tweeted that “the statues of the white European they claim is Jesus should e down....

The Acton Institute continues to lead the global poverty discussion, as the Canada-Africa Chamber of Business hosted a screening of its award-winning documentary Poverty Inc. Afterwards the chamber held a virtual panel of speakers from around the world, including the film’s producer, Acton Institute Research Fellow Michael Matheson Miller, about how the movie’s insights apply to poverty eradication programs. The panel was moderated by Garreth Bloor, president of the Canada-Africa Chamber of Business and formerly a leader of a free-market...

“Singing? I’ve heard that’s even worse than coughing!” That remark, and the horrified tone of the well-intentioned woman from my local church who made it, echoes inside many congregations these days. In a world turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic, many parishes which have chosen to reopen their doors prohibit the congregation from singing together in public worship. This infringement on worship is based in part on a government directive. On May 22, the CDC released its mendations for...

Grand Rapids, my home for the last 30 years, a tranquil and polite place, has recently experienced demonstrations and violence like other American cities. A lot of confusion and pain abound. A few weeks ago, protests for George Floyd and his deathat the hands of Minneapolis police officers saw groups attacking the police station and local businesses. How do we begin to make sense of this? It is important that I begin by acknowledging the reality of racial prejudice. Given...

At the age of 13, Jimmy Lai escaped China to experience freedom in Hong Kong and grew to be one of Hong Kong’s highest-profile media moguls. Through his work, Lai founded the anti-Beijing newspaper Apple Daily and became an outspoken critic of the People’s Republic of China, solidifying him as one of Hong Kong’s most important pro-democracy voices. In this exclusive interview, Acton’s President and Co-founder Rev. Robert Sirico speaks with Lai about his entrepreneurial work and his bravery in...

In response to the death of George Floyd, the Minneapolis City Council recently announced their intentions to dismantle the city’s police department — a move that has brought increased prominence to the wider national movement to “defund the police.” Such proposals have mostly ranged from reckless endangerment to convenient escapism to convoluted word games. Yet if we look beyond the deconstructionist impulses of the day, we also see some positive traction for more productive and targeted reforms — from the...

The mayor and civil authorities took no action as protesters claimed a six-block section of downtown Seattle as the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone. By their indifference plicity, political leaders have failed into carry out the most primary functions and duties for which government is established. City officials ordered police to abandon their position and cede the territory to protesters. This Tuesday CHAZ, since rebranded the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, struck an agreement with the city to reduce its footprint to...

Six professors affiliated with universities across the United States have been awarded funding to support faculty research and advance course development. The Acton InstituteMini-Grants on Free Market Economicsprogram accepts proposals from faculty members at colleges, seminaries, and universities in the United States and Canada in order to promote the scholarship and teaching of market economics. This program allows for collaboration between faculty from different universities, and helps future leaders to emerge, strengthen, and expand the existing network of scholars within...