The Democratic Party narrowed the number of presidential hopefuls to 10 at the fifth debate, held Wednesday in Atlanta. Several of their statements deserve greater scrutiny. 1. Elizabeth Warren: Freeloading billionaires? The 99 percent in America are on track to pay about 7.2 percent of their total wealth in taxes. The top one-tenth of one percent that I want to say, “Pay two cents more,” they’ll pay 3.2 percent in America. I’m tired of freeloading billionaires. I think it’s time...

One year ago, no one could have predicted that American Christians would hold Kanye West in higher esteem than Chick-fil-A. Yet the nation has seen two cultural transformations take place this week at the intersection of faith merce. Kanye West sang Gospel music to prisoners this weekend, as Chick-fil-A readied a statement that it was ending its partnership with several distinctly Christian charities. American Christians, who make up 70 percent of the U.S. population, have reacted accordingly. West’s latest CD,...

In this week’s Acton Commentary, I take a look at Ford v Ferrari, the new feature film that captures the story (it’s a true thrill ride) animating the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. This is all about the pursuit of excellence, even perfection, by two industrial organizations whose cultures couldn’t be more different, and drivers constantly striving for the “perfect lap” as pete for the checkered flag. Against Ford’s mass scale industrialization and Organization Man culture, Ferrari was about...

This week, the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, announced that the Venerable Fulton J. Sheen will be beatified on December 21st in that city’s Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception. It’s a fitting moment in time for Sheen’s beatification. The diocese noted that the ceremony will take place at the end of this 100-year anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. But perhaps more meaningful, Sheen’s beatification is happening during these tumultuous times, when political discourse seems to have...

Chicken giant or giant chicken? That is the question conservative mentators are asking this week as news broke that restaurant chain Chick-fil-A, known for being closed on Sunday due to its owners’ Christian values, announced that it will no longer support the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Both organizations — the former of which, notably, is not simply a charity but a Christian denomination — have been labelled anti-LGBT by activists due to their hiring practices. Chick-fil-A...

Panic surrounding climate change and the environment is on the rise and doomsday predictions abound. Most headlines about the environment only tell one story: that the environment is on the decline and that this decline is a result of economic development. In March, The Guardian declared that “ending climate change requires the end of capitalism.” But in the midst of calls for the Green New Deal and calls to overhaul our economic system, there’s another story unfolding. Holly Fretwell, Director...

Last Thursday, we were pleased to e Victor Claar, associate professor of economics in the Lutgert College of Business at Florida Gulf Coast University, to participate in the 2019 Acton Lecture Series with an address on the moral legacy of John Maynard Keynes. Keynes, of course, had a massive impact on the understanding, teaching of, and implementation of economic principles in the second half of the 20th century (and still today); In this lecture, Claar examines the broader cultural impact...

Last month, Prof. Giuseppe Franco received the 2019 Novak Award at the University of San Diego where he delivered the 19th Annual Calihan Lecture on “Religion, Society, and the Market: The Legacy of Wilhelm Röpke.” Watch the video now: TheNovak Awardrecognizes scholars early in their academic career who demonstrate outstanding intellectual merit in advancing the understanding of theology’s connection to human dignity, the importance of the rule of law, limited government, religious liberty, and freedom in economic life. Each Award...

Why do I care about Chick-fil-A’s decision to drop Salvation Army and Fellowship of Christian Athletes as they seek to properly “align their values” and make sure people understand “who they are”? prehend why Chick-fil-A wants to escape the censure of progressive elites. pany is a petitor. In terms of profit per square foot, they are the reigning champion in American fast food. When you have that strength and speed, you want to use it. pany has consistently been known...

We continue to see the ill effects of “cancel culture” and safetyism, whether through student-led riots and intimidation efforts at colleges and universities, the garden-variety intolerances of “woke capitalism,” or the self-destructive interventionism of “bulldozer parenting.” As far as how it’s e to be, we have explanations aplenty, from declines in religious life to the fraying of the social fabric to rises in political fragmentation and polarization. In an essay at Heterodox Academy, Musa Al-Gharbi points to yet another: a...