“I never saw a supply and demand curve in seminary. I should have.” This was written by Virginia Congressman David Brat in an academic paper back in 2011, when he was still an economics professor at Randolph-Macon College. The paper offers a unique exploration of the intersections of economics, policy, and theology, promoting a holistic view of economic freedom and social justice united with Christian witness. Brat, who holds both a Master of Divinity and a Ph.D in economics, has...

Raymond Arroyo of EWTN speaks at the 2016 Acton Lecture Series It was a pleasure to host Raymond Arroyo, host of EWTN’s The World Over, as part of the Acton Lecture Series on April 14th, and on today’s edition of Radio Free Acton, we’re pleased to bring you a conversation between Raymond Arroyo and Acton Institute President Rev. Robert A. Sirico. Over the course of their wide-ranging discussion, they talk about the life and legacy of EWTN Founder Mother Angelica,...

“The real hero of the recently released Batman v. Superman film is an often overshadowed character, Bruce Wayne,” says Daniel Menjivar in this week’s Acton Commentary. “Batman’s alter ego, Bruce Wayne is the CEO of Wayne Enterprises and the hero that Gotham, and in the case of this film, Metropolis needs too. Bruce Wayne is, in fact, a capitalist superhero.” In an opening scene, we find Wayne landing in the city of Metropolis as Superman and General Zod battle in...

“By any measure, religious freedom abroad has been under serious and sustained assault since the release of mission’s last Annual Report in 2015,” says the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). “From the plight of new and longstanding prisoners of conscience, to the dramatic rise in the numbers of refugees and internally displaced persons, to the continued acts of bigotry against Jews and Muslims in Europe, and to the other abuses detailed in this report, there was no shortage...

A recent national survey by the Harvard Institute of Politics finds that a majority of Millennials (18- to 29-year olds) do not support capitalism as a political theory. One-third of them, however, do support socialism. As a rule, I try not to put too much stock in such surveys because opinion polls make us dumb. But it’s e obvious that a significant portion of younger American are truly so under-educated that they truly believe socialism is preferable to capitalism. Perhaps...

Chuck ColsonIn honor of the 2016 Wilberforce Weekend, the Colson Center for Christian Worldview sponsored and the Washington Times Advocacy Department prepared a special report on energizing and equipping Christian leadership in the spirit of William Wilberforce. In the section on honoring the late Chuck Colson and his legacy, the Rev. Robert A. Sirico, co-founder and president of the Acton Institute, discusses mon bond he shared with the evangelical leader: Here is what I wanted to say in conclusion, and...

As politicians continue to decry the supposed “greed” of well-paid investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs — promoting a variety of reforms that seek to mandate minimums or cap executive pay — pany is demonstrating the value of economic freedom and market diversity. Chobani, a privately ownedgreek yogurtmanufacturer,recentlyannounced it will be giving a 10% ownership stake to its roughly 2,000 full-time workers,a move that couldresult in hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars for someemployees. According to the New York...

There is something about an election year that causes otherwise rational people to lose all economic sense. Take, for example, the issue of free trade. The opposition to free trade on both sides of the politial spectrum is baffling. Yet progressives seem particularly confused, seeming to hold two opposing views on trade at the same time. “Have you ever wondered if you are a progressive?” asks economist Scot Sumner. e up with a two-part test. If you believe in both...

There’s not a lot of agreement when es to the Great Recession and the 2008 financial crisis; either about what caused it or what ended it. In a recent speech, President Barack Obama blamed the “reckless behavior of a lot of financial institutions around the globe” and “the folks on Wall Street” for causing this economic slump. Who or what finally ended this recession? According to President Obama: President Obama. While reflecting on what his presidency will be remembered for,...

A few weeks ago in connection with Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,I looked at Lex Luthor as the would-be crony capitalistüber Alles, and pointed to Bruce Wayne along with Senator Finch as the economic and political counterpoints to such corruption, respectively. In this week’s Acton Commentary, Daniel Menjivar looks more closely at Bruce Wayne as representative of aristocratic virtue, the capitalist hero to Luthor’s crony capitalist villain. And while, as Menjivar concludes, “In cape and cowl he is a...