Almighty God our heavenly Father, you declare your glory and show forth your handiwork in the heavens and in the earth: Deliver us in our various occupations from the service of self alone, that we may do the work you give us to do in truth and beauty and for mon good; for the sake of him who came among us as one who serves, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy...

This article by Mary D. Gaebler, visiting assistant professor of theological ethics at Gustavus Adolphus College, “Eros in Benedict and Luther,” from the Journal of Lutheran Ethics argues, “Lutherans, insofar as they derive their theology from Luther, should e Pope Benedict’s Encyclical, Deus Caritas Est. Luther, I think, would find this latest word from the Vatican surprisingly congenial.” (HT: Mirror of Justice) One of Gaebler’s main goals is refuting the interpretation of Luther characterized by the work of Anders Nygren,...

In the Introduction to an important new book by J. Budziszewski that engages four distinct traditions of evangelical political thought, Michael Cromartie observes: “While appreciative of the contributions of each of these thinkers [Carl Henry, Abraham Kuyper, Francis Schaeffer, and John Howard Yoder], Budziszewski finds fault with each, to a greater or lesser degree, for failing to develop a systematic political theory pelling as those offered by the secularist establishment. He suggests that evangelical political thought would be improved if...

Tort reform has been on the political agenda for some time. Eric Helland and Alexander Tabarrok make a unique contribution to the debate in their new monograph, Judge and Jury: American Tort Law on Trial (Independent Institute). The first lines are clever: Recently each of us has successfully sued more than a half dozen large corporations. No, we are not outrageously rich plaintiffs’ lawyers or the attorney general of New York. In fact, neither of us even knew that we...

“A human brain trapped inside a mouse’s body — not a good idea,” says Anjana Ahuja in the UK Times. Not convinced? Check out this piece of mine over at BreakPoint, “A Monster Created in Man’s Image.” ...

Seth Godin issued a call recently for marketers to take stock of their trade and embrace the moral aspects of their industry: “You’re responsible for what you sell. When you choose to sell it, more of it gets sold.” I particularly like how Godin emphasizes personal responsibility. This is something that is not unique to a particular profession, of course, and is therefore a reality that constantly needs to be reiterated. “As marketers, we have the power to change things,...

Acton in the News Over recent days a number of Acton staff have authored op-eds in various print outlets. Here’s a rundown: Associate editor David Michael Phelps wrote a piece that appeared in today’s edition of the Rhode Island-based Providence Journal, “Miracles of God and miracles of science” (PDF).Marvin Olasky, an Acton senior fellow, wrote this piece on disaster preparation in yesterday’s Quad-City Times, “Advance planning curtails disaster.”Last week the San Francisco Examiner carried my piece on minimum wage legislation,...

An interesting debate is going on over at Mere Comments. The main thread has to do with the morality of the Bush Administration’s approval of over-the-counter sales of the morning-after pill and the implications for Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race. Leaving those issues aside, I was struck by ment from “Daniel C.”, claiming that the problem really presents an “excellent case for dismantling the Food & Drug Administration.” It’s a question worth raising. I don’t know enough about the history or...

Check out Jeff Cornwall contra “entrepreneurial welfare” over at The Entrepreneurial Mind. ...

Charles Colson, recipient of the 2006 Faith & Freedom Award In case you haven’t heard, mark your calendars and save the date for the Acton Institute’s Annual Dinner on October 26, 2006 in Grand Rapids. You can register to attend online here. Charles W. Colson will deliver remarks on the topic, “War of the Worlds,” describing the great clash of civilizations between Christianity with Islam on the one hand and with secular naturalism on the other. Mr. Colson is also...