“North Korea –Pyongyang” by Stephan (CC BY-SA 2.0) Update: The full interview is now available online. — What’s going on in North Korea? The First Issue of Religion & Liberty in 2017 will explore this question in depth. The main feature will be an interview with Suzanne Scholte, president of the Defense Forum Foundation. She has spent the last two decades fighting for the freedom, human rights, and dignity of the North Korean People and is considered one of the...

With the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to fill the seat vacated by the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia, the United States Supreme Court and the federal judiciary have once again taken center stage in the national political discussion. That makes this a fine time to share three Acton Lecture Series eventsfrom the past year that provide insight into the role of the courts in American society throughoutthe history of the country. First of all, we’re pleased to share for the...

While it took Vice President Mike Pence casting the deciding vote, Betsy DeVos was confirmed earlier today as the Secretary of Education. The opposition to DeVos was vehement, and based on a number of objections to her getting the job. But a primary reason why she was deemed by many to be unacceptable was her unwavering support for school vouchers programs. School vouchers—which are often conflated with the broader term “school choice”—are certificates issued by the government, which parents can...

“People Near Train Station” by Redd Angelo (CC0 1.0) In a recent article, Kishore Jayablan of Istituto Acton addresses the controversy surrounding the Vatican’s invitation to Paul Ehrlich, a known population control activist and the author of the 1968 book The Population Bomb.He was invited for a conference on “biological extinction.” Jayabalan finds this situation troubling: … the Pontifical Academies for Science and Social Sciences are giving a platform not just to bad economics but blatantly anti-Catholic, immoral social policies....

There is often a temptation among Christians to segment and categorize “Christian calling” into our own preferred buckets, deeming certain jobs, careers, or vocations as more worthwhile or “sacred” than others. Yet our public ministry doesn’t begin or endwithin the walls of a church building or the confines of a conversation about conversion. Ourpublic worship and witness is not limited to work and service within a specific subset of “Christian-oriented” businesses or institutions. In a new documentary from Values &...

Note: This is post #20 in a weekly video series on basic microeconomics. Prices can convey information about events. But can they even predict the future? Can we predict Middle East politics based on the price of oil futures? Or use a price-based system to predict the e of presidential elections? In this video by Marginal Revolution University, economist Tyler Cowen discusses prices and prediction markets and how they are used to make prediction about real-world events. (If you find...

“François Fillon” by Thomas Bresson (CC BY 4.0) The influence of Christianity in the French political sphere has been gaining ground in recent months and may be of benefit to believers and non-believers alike according to Acton’s Samuel Gregg. The heavy-handed secular arm is losing favor with the general public and its antagonistic stance towards Christianity is weakening. In a recent article, Gregg explains: Given French politics’ hitherto decidedly secular character, there was always going to be a backlash from...

Today is the 106th birthday of Ronald Reagan, the fortieth president of the United States. Reagan wasa great lover of America and one of the most eloquent advocates of liberty in modern history In honor of his birthday, here are six quotes on freedom by President Reagan: “Freedom is the right to question and change the established way of doing things. It is the continuing revolution of the marketplace. It is the understanding that allows us to recognize ings and...

The Senate today narrowly voted for a change in the status quo, and that is an answer to the prayers of millions of parents who have witnessed a steady plummet of their respective children’s test scores over the past few decades. Something, anything, someone had to happen to alter the downward trajectory of education of our nation’s youth. That someone is Betsy DeVos. Full disclosure: Betsy DeVos is a former board member of the Acton Institute. She and her family...

Action Institute – THE CRISIS OF LIBERTY IN THE WEST THE BLOOMSBURY HOTEL * LONDON, UK In the West, we have no trouble conceiving of freedom as a means. Freedom, in this context,is defined as increased liberty to order my life with the maximum level of autonomy consistent with a well-ordered society. But classical man would have understood freedom as anend, according to Ryan T. Anderson, the William E. Simon Senior Research Fellow in American Principles and Public Policy at...