HilarionMetropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, a high ranking bishop of the Russian Orthodox mented on a new poll that showed a growing number of Russians are viewing the rule of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in a positive light. ments amount to a verbal cup of black coffee for those intoxicated with Stalin (1878-1953), one of the most murderous dictators in history. Stalin, who blew up Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior in 1931, was described by historian Robert Conquest as a...

Does free enterprise hurt the poor? Is it unfair and driven by greed? Did it cause the Great Recession? In this brief video, AEI president Arthur Brooks answers these questions and more about free enterprise. ...

Today is the 70th anniversary of the execution of Dietrich Bonhoeffer at the Flossenbürg concentration camp. I’m privileged to offer a brief reflection on Bonhoeffer’s life and legacy over at Public Discourse. I’ve been working on Bonhoeffer’s thought for over a decade now, and I’m often struck by the depth of his conviction and insight in such troubled times. One of the things about him that I try to highlight in the Public Discourse piece is how Bonhoeffer’s courageous action...

In today’s Acton Commentary, “The Logic of Economic Discrimination,” I take up a small slice of the larger controversy and discussion surrounding religious liberty laws like the one passed recently in Indiana. My point, drawing out some of the implications of observations made by others, including Ryan Anderson and Shikha Dalmia, is that anti-discrimination boycotts depend on discrimination. Or as Dalmia puts it, “what is deeply ironic is that corporate America was able to wield its right not to do...

Just when I think I’ve heard and read everything about the slavery that is human trafficking, something es along. This time, it’s the trafficking of boys and young men for sports. NPR’s Alexandra Starr writes about teens from Nigeria being lured to the U.S. with the promise of basketball scholarships, only to end up homeless on the streets of New York City or in foster care. Then there is this: Last month, the Department of Homeland Security raided the Faith...

Should corporate donations to political causes remain private or shouldn’t they? Your writer would argue for the former as he holds the U.S. Supreme Court nailed it with its Citizens United decision. Progressive shareholder activists, naturally, disagree. Except, that is, when incredible secrecy suits progressive social and political ends. The Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility, for example, asserts Citizens United is the worst kind of travesty against all things they desire made transparent – as does ICCR member Walden Asset...

No sooner had your writer reported on the metastasis of the sustainability movement from universities to the munity than it came to his attention that activists were doubling down on efforts to bankrupt the economy and sentence capitalism to the dustbin of history. Because: Social Justice. This latest head scratcher is scheduled to take place in the Acton Institute’s own Grand Rapids’ backyard, and will feature a sustainability event in a Grand Valley State University facility named after an Acton...

During Holy Weekthe CEOs of two quintessential Red State and Blue panies—Wal-Mart and Apple—joined together to publicly chastise state legislatures for allowingcitizens to have too much religious freedom. Apple CEO Tim Cook opposed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) passed in Indiana while Wal-Mart CEO Doug McMillon opposed similar legislation in Arkansas.The heads of panies that do business with countries mit actualhuman rights violations on a daily basis were concerned about states protectingreligious believers who might hypothetically—someday, somehow—act in a...

On this edition of Radio Free Acton, we talk with Ryan T. Anderson, William E. Simon Fellow in Religion and a Free Society at the Heritage Foundation, about what exactly we mean when we say “religious liberty.” Is it simply the freedom to worship and order one’s private beliefs, or does it entail something more robust than that? We also discuss Religious Freedom Restoration Act legislation in Indiana and elsewhere, and the media’s open animus toward supporters of such legislation....

On his way to work in 2013, tech entrepreneur Patrick McConlogue walked past a homeless man, Leo Grand, who was exercising with aheavychain. McConlogue took this as a sign of Grand’sinternal drive and motivation and decided to try an experiment: The idea is simple. Without disrespecting him, I will offer two options: 1. I e back tomorrow and give you $100 in cash. 2. I e back tomorrow and give you three JavaScript books, (beginner-advanced-expert) and a super cheap basic...