Earlier this month, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia gave a lecture at the Lanier Theological Library, in which he explored the values of capitalism and socialism and their relative consistency with Christianity and mon good. While not asserting that either system is inherently “more Christian,” he ment on the extent to which Christian principles are able to participate in each. He states: While I would not argue that capitalism as an economic system is inherently more Christian than socialism...

Wilkins Micawber, the namesake for the Micawber Principle.Joe Carter points to a Lifehacker article that sums up two basic equations that lead to the creation of wealth (with what I consider to be a clarifying correction applied in the first formula): e > spending = surplus Surplus x time = wealth Likewise, Wilhelm Röpke, in his A Humane Economy, points to two equations arising from classical literature that connect surplus with happiness and deficit to misery (the Micawber Principle). According...

One of the great misconceptions about Christian higher education is that Christian colleges are places where Christian young adults go to withdraw from “the world.” A closer look at some historical roots of Christian colleges prove otherwise. For example, in the work of Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920), a Dutch pastor, theologian, politician, journalist, and statesman, we see that Christian colleges are not places of withdrawal but education centers of preparation for a life of living in a pluralistic world — a...

Samuel Gregg, Acton’s Director of Research, joined host Perry Atkinson on Thursday’s edition of Focus Today, which webcasts daily atTheDove.tv. You can watch the interview, which touched on the Syrian crisis and Sam’s latest book, below. [product sku=”1415″] ...

Professor Oliver O’Donovan We are pleased to announce that Christian’s Library Press will be co-sponsoring a special event in the D.C. area on October 8th, “The Gospel and Public Life: Cultivating a Faithful Witness in the Face of Challenge.” Ken Myers, host of Mars Hill Audio Journal, will host a dialogue between Britain’s pre-eminent political theologian Professor Oliver O’Donovan and Mere Orthodoxy‘sMatthew Lee Anderson. From the event flyer: Much has been made of America’s slow transition toward a “post-Christian society.”...

Tomorrow is the big day for Obamacare, despite the fact that even the Obama Administration admits it’s “glitchy.” The president is cheerleading the program, reminding us that he’s been right all along: Reforming health care will help the economy over the long-term,” by curing health-care costs and free individuals to start panies, he said. Through his speech, Obama ridiculed critics of his plan, which imposes far-reaching federal requirements on one-sixth of the nation’s economy. He also cited Sept. 25 data...

Samuel Gregg, Acton’s Director of Research, continues his radio tour of America in support of his latest book, Tea Party Catholic, and we continue to round up those interviews for your edification. This one took place on September 24th, on WLEAin Hornell, New York. Another intelligent interview; you can listen via the audio player below. ...

ArtPrize, the largest petition in the world held annually in Grand Rapids, Mich., continues until October 6. The Acton Building is hosting five artists, whose work can be viewed here. One of the great things about ArtPrize is that it allows for much conversation about the creative process. On the streets, in the venues, at the coffee shops, one hears conversations about how an artist managed a particular technique, what inspired a piece of art, or what the underlying meaning...

When it passed in 1993, The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) was supported left-leaning Democratic lawmakers and liberal groups like the American Civil Liberties Union. President Clinton, who signed it into law, called the bill one of his greatest plishments as President. A decade later they are now opposing religious liberty laws they themselves wrote. What changed in the last decade? Joseph Backholm explains how the value system of liberalism has changed: While a belief in individual rights used to...

Why is there a potential government shutdown? Under the Constitution, Congress must pass laws to spend money. If Congress can’t agree on a spending bill the government does not have the legal authority to spend money. Since the government runs on a fiscal year from October 1 to September 30, the spending authorization ends today. The Republican-controlled House passed a continuing resolution on September 20 that would have kept the government running until mid-December but would have cut funding to...