“Most Christians would agree that more flourishing is good and that educational choice is important for us to enhance our God-given creativity,” says Anne Rathbone Bradley in this week’s Acton Commentary. “The question over which many Christians disagree is the means for making these desires possible. Are the tools of policy the best mechanism for increasing educational choice and quality? Or is that better left to the market?” The debate continues but now with a new policy twist. On April...

The faith-work movement has had great success in helping Christians connect daily work with spiritual calling, leading many to shift their approach to economic stewardship. For some, that will translate into a more basic shift in attitude, with continued service at an pany or a long-standing industry. For others, however, it may manifest in sheer economic disruption. Indeed, from Appalachia to Minnesota, churches are increasing their focus not only on the glories of work in general, but of innovation, entrepreneurship,...

On this edition of Radio Free Acton, we’re joined by Micah Watson, the William Spoelhof Teacher-Scholar Chair at Calvin College, to discuss the views of C.S. Lewis on democracy, specifically as they relate to the area of education. Lewis was not a fan of democracy, and worried about the effect of democratic inclinations within a culture on the quality of education systems. Watson – joined by Acton Institute Senior Research Fellow Jordan Ballor and Director of Programs and Education Paul...

On Tuesdaymorning, UK Prime Minister Theresa May announced that she is proposing a snap election for Parliament on June 8. The House of Commons is likely to authorize the vote on Wednesday, leaving just 49 days until the third national election in three years. Here’s what you need to know. Why is Theresa May calling for this vote now? May says political opposition from the Labour Party, Scottish nationalists, and “unelected members of the House of Lords” is undermining her...

Why have nations like Hong Kong and Singapore risen to e global economic powerhouses, while resource-rich African nations remain mired in poverty? Abir Doumit, an economist at George Mason University, has identified six pillars capable of lifting a nation to prosperity, no matter where it starts. One of the most important is a small government. “If sustainable economic growth is the goal, there is no substitute for an overall policy agenda of a small state, open markets, stable money, property...

It’s an exaggeration to claim, asJohn Tierney does in the latest issue of City Journal, that “no institution or agency has done more to help the poor than Walmart.” After all,the Christian church has certainly done more. I’d even argue that in America individual subsets of the church, such as the Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention, have even done more. But onthe short-list of anti-poverty institutionsthat have done the most forthe poor, Walmart certainly ranks high. Tierney points...

Go see The Promise, a movie opening nationwide tomorrow. Hollywood has mostly ignored the Armenian genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks during World War I, and subsequently pursued by the Turkish Republic. At last we have a film like The Promise, which focuses on the Armenian experience, but also the Greeks and Assyrians who were brutally victimized. There is no uglier word in any language than genocide, which is perhaps why the word is used so sparingly. Both denotatively and...

From the very beginning, God set humans to work. That original design was soon to be tainted by the destruction of sin, but that by no means marked the story’s end. Even after the garden, Adam and Eve were still made in the image God. They were still co-creators with a strongstewardship mandate. Most importantly, a Savior was soon e. In a recent talk at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Greg Forster reminds us of this basic human calling, and the...

Note: This is post #13 in a weekly series of explanatory posts on the officials and agencies included in the President’s Cabinet. See the series introductionhere. Cabinet position:Secretary of Energy Department:U.S. Department of Energy Current Secretary:Rick Perry Succession:The Energy Secretary is fifteenth in the presidential line of succession. Department Mission:“The mission of the Energy Department is to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions.” (Source) Department Budget:$32.5 billion...

Because of a quirk of the calendar, today (April 18) is tax day, the day when individual e tax returns are due to the federal government. Here are five facts you should know about taxes and tax day: 1. In 1954 the deadline for filing federal taxes was set as April 15. If the 15th falls on weekend, the deadline is moved to Monday. But this Monday was Emancipation Day, a memorating the abolition of slavery in the District of...