Decades ago, when I was first ordained a priest, I shared a prejudice that many people hold: I thought homeschooling families were odd. I believed schooling children at home deprived such children of opportunities to be with other children causing them to be less able municate with others, socially awkward and reclusive and narrow in their experience and understanding of the world that they would one day have to grow up in and navigate. That was until I actually met...

Pope Francis’ recent Christmas message, ‘Urbi et Orbi’, was a meditation on the roots of fraternity in the incarnation: What does that Child, born for us of the Virgin Mary, have to tell us? What is the universal message of Christmas? It is that God is a good Father and we are all brothers and sisters. This truth is the basis of the Christian vision of humanity. Without the fraternity that Jesus Christ has bestowed on us, our efforts for...

Over the past decade conservatives have, once again, e champions of criminal justice reform. To some this appears to be a surprising development. Why would conservatives, the self-proclaimed champions of law and order, have concern for the treatment of criminals? On reflection, though, the interest and connection es more obvious. Conservatives are concerned with how law and order leads to human flourishing, and so are necessarily troubled by a criminal justice system that is neither just nor serves the interest...

In response to the recentRepublican-led tax reform—which reduced corporate taxes from 35% to panies have responded by handing out surprise bonuses, increased 401(k) matches, and various wage bumps. For pany like Patagonia, however, the tax cuts have been labeled “irresponsible,” a symbol of the federal government’s reckless apathy. In response, Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario recently announced that the outdoor pany will donate its $10 million tax-cut windfall to its preferred partners in battling climate change. “Instead of putting the money...

In her transformative Bourgeois Era trilogy, economist Deirdre McCloskey challenged our popular theories about the causes of our newfound economic prosperity, arguing that it sprung not from new systems, tools, or materials, but rather the ideas, virtues, and rhetoric behind them. “The Great Enrichment, in short, came out of a novel, pro-bourgeois, and anti-statist rhetoric that enriched the world,” she writes. “It is, as Adam Smith said, ‘allowing every man [and woman, dear] to pursue his own interest his own...

The government has the right to remove children who are homeschooled from their parents’ custody if authorities believe their parents will not teach children “tolerance,” the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled last week. The Wunderlich family had claimed German authorities violated their innate human rights by denying them custody and forcibly enrolling their children in public schools to further their “social integration.” But the ECHR disagreed. Nearly three dozen police and social workers stormed the family’s home in...

UK Prime Minister Theresa May suffered the largest defeat in modern history last night, as Parliament rejected her Brexit deal by a vote of 202-432; she now faces a confidence vote that could turn her out of office.Rev. Richard Turnbull – who is both ordained in the Church of England and the directorof the Centre for Enterprise, Markets, and Ethicsin Oxford – explains the likely es in a new essay forthe Acton Institute’sReligion & Liberty Transatlanticwebsite.Christians should be concerned about...

Note: This is the latest entry in the Acton blog series, “What Christians Should Know About Economics.” For other entries inthe series seethis post. What it means: A marginal tax rate is the amount of tax paid on an additional dollar of e. The Explanation: What is the tax rate you pay on your current e? For most Americans, the question is surprisingly difficult to answer. The reason we don’t know our tax rate is because we have a progressive...

Last month a judicial nominee was asked during a Senate hearing if his membership in the Knights of Columbus might impede his ability to judge federal cases fairly. Senators Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Kamala Harris (D-California)both questioned Brian C. Buescher about his membership in the Catholic service organization. Hirono even asked Buescher if he would quit the group if he was confirmed “to avoid any appearance of bias.” In response to this blatant anti-Catholic bigotry, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) wrote...

Note: This is post #106 in a weekly video series on basic economics. The quantity theory of money states that there is a direct relationship between the quantity of money in an economy and the level of prices of goods and services sold. According to the theory, if the amount of money in an economy doubles, price levels also double, causinginflation. The consumer, therefore, pays twice as much for the same amount of the good or service. In this video...